Best noise-canceling headphones

The PSB Speakers M4U 2 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones combine above-average noise cancellation with excellent sound quality that's well worth the price for dedicated audiophiles looking to eliminate ambient noise.

While they may not be quite as comfortable as Bose's ultrapopular QC 15 headphones, the Harman Kardon NCs offer slightly better sound and have a built-in rechargeable battery to power the active noise-cancellation circuitry.

While they're no bargain, the Bose QuietComfort 15s currently offer the best sound and silencing capabilities in a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

With the QuietComfort 3s, Bose has done a remarkable job of shrinking its popular noise-canceling headphones while achieving similarly impressive sound quality--but that engineering feat doesn't come cheap.

Although they won't satisfy audiophiles and purists, we prefer the Soul by Ludacris SL300 headphones over the competition for their sexy light-up earpieces, supreme comfort, and street-savvy noise cancellation.

The AKG K495 NCs aren't as comfortable and don't sound quite as good as the Bose QC 15s, but they're built better, offer very good noise-cancellation, and recharge via USB.

If you can't afford Bose's QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones, the attractively designed and more affordable Sony MDR-NC200Ds are worth your consideration.

The Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC1 headphones are a great option for frequent fliers, thanks to their compact, lightweight design, noise cancellation functionality, and good overall sound quality.

Monoprice's Noise Canceling Headphones are about 70 percent as good as the Bose QC15s for a little more than a third of the price.