You can wear them just to be more peaceful, or you can connect them to a music player, DVD player, laptop, or the plane’s audio system. Because the engine roar is missing from the mix, you can enjoy enormously improved audio quality at substantially lower, safer volume levels.

Image Credit... Stuart Goldenberg

Nobody disputes the quality of Bose’s market-leading phones. But wow — $350 a pair?

Little wonder rival companies are now trying to bring you similar peace in the stratosphere without propelling the price up there, too. Panasonic, Sennheiser, JVC, JBL, Audio-Technica, Logitech and Able Planet have now joined the noise-canceling marketplace, with hopes of canceling a few of those Bose sales along the way.

There’s only one good way to test these headphones: wear them on planes, trains and automobiles. So when a three-leg trip loomed, I grabbed a carry-on bag and crammed it with 10 pairs — 2 Bose models and its 8 rivals.

Airport security probably thought I was a little unbalanced, and my seatmates thought I had some kind of attention deficit disorder. But in the name of science, I shrugged off the humiliation and proceeded with my A/B test. Or, rather, my A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J test.

Most of these headphones are powered by a single AAA battery. Each comes in a carrying case that keeps the devices together with their accessories: the miniplug cable for your music or DVD player, for example, and the adapters for quarter-inch phono jacks and dual-pronged airplane armrest jacks. Most of these cases exude elegance but take up a huge portion of your carry-on bag.