I found the ERJ to be ultra-loud during my limited jumpseat voyages in it. But maybe that's just me. The common thread with ANR tends to be that once you start, you can't stop. No, it is not a necessary. But boy, it sure is nice.

Many tend to like the Lightspeeds and Telex's, and they seem to do a fair job for the money as far as noise reduction goes. I'm spoiled with my Bose though...I've never found anything half as comfortable and the noise reduction is amazing. Good luck.