If it's a wheel bearing, drive the car with the top up and the windows closed, and you or your passenger should be able to identify which corner of the car the noise is coming from. Then jack up the car, remove the wheel, put it in neutral and release the parking brake if it's a rear corner (but remember to block the front wheels) and rotate the hub/brake disc assembly. If it feels the least bit rough/grindy when you rotate it, it probably needs a new wheel bearing. Do remember that rotating a rear wheel will also rotate a half shaft and part of the diff.
As far a tires, Tire Rack has a nice survey section where people rate the tires on various aspects, and noise comfort is one of them.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/index.jsp
People also post reviews on the tires. I know it's sometimes Joe Schmo filling out the surveys, but the massive number of responses they get tends to smooth out the data (at least on the surveys). Probably the most important aspect to the survey is "Would Buy Again?".
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