Noise canceling headphones: A Review · Feb 22, 12:58 PM
I ride a bus to work (almost) every day. It’s great. The bus stop is just around the corner from my house, I don’t have to spend money on gas for the commute, and I get to relax the whole time. My employer buys the yearly bus pass for me and it helps me maintain a productive schedule (i.e., get up early and get to work).
You see where I’m going with this? I’m glad I can ride the bus to work; but with the traffic, the ridership on the bus, and the bus itself it can get a little noisy. Hence, noise canceling headphones.
The idea behind “noise canceling” is that a small electronic circuit “listens” to noise outside the headphones and broadcasts an opposing signal which cancels out the noise. Check out Wikipedia’s entry on Active Noise Control for a more in depth explanation. The important thing to note is the difference between noise cancellation (Active Noise Control) and noise isolation (Passive Noise Control). Noise isolation isolates an individual from outside noise (soundproofing) whereas Noise Cancellation cancels certain frequencies of sound. A good set of noise canceling headphones will employ some sort of noise isolation along with it’s noise canceling. Most noise canceling devices (such as headphones) tend to focus on the low frequency range of sound, partly because most background noise that someone would want canceled is low frequency, but mostly it’s because you would have to have a much more complex and powerful circuit in order to cancel high frequency sound waves.
So now that we’ve had a brief summary of the technology here’s the review of the Sony MDR-NC50 Noise Canceling Headphones.
Size
First of all these aren’t what I’d call travel headphones. They’re not huge, but I wouldn’t categorize them as compact either. The ear pieces themselves are designed to completely enclose the ear (to provide some amount of noise isolation as I pointed out earlier). The ear piece does swivel in so as to “flatten” the headphones for storage, but that’s about it. The headphones come with a nylon travel bag which is about 6” in diameter and about 2” deep. That’s as compact as it’s going to get.
Noise Canceling Ability
So do they do what you expect them to? Well I suppose that depends on what you’re expecting. If you think any consumer level noise canceling device is going to get you complete silence then prepare to be disappointed. Even the end-all-be-all of consumer quality headphone technology, the Bose1 QuietComfort 3 isn’t going to get you to that nirvana. I’m a computer programmer and I sit at a desk surrounded by two servers and a desktop computer. The noise level from the fans in the servers alone can be distracting to say the least. Upon donning the Sony’s the headphones themselves muffle the background noise already. Then when I flip the switch to turn on the noise canceling technology I am immediately impressed with what I can’t hear. No more fans, no more hum of the florescent lighting, no more forced-air heating/cooling noise. Things you might not have even noticed before because our brains are pretty good about ignoring low frequency repetitive sounds. All of a sudden you notice them gone.
So what can I hear. I can still hear people talking around me. I can hear my keyboard as I type. I can hear my phone ring.
While on the bus the exterior traffic noise is all but non-existent and the bus engine itself is muffled at worst (if I’m sitting at the very back next to it) or entirely gone at best (at the front of the bus). I can still hear high frequency noises like brakes and horns, but it’s a much more quiet commute with these on.
As a side note comparison, I previously owned a pair of RCA HPNC2502 noise canceling headphones and when I first purchased them I thought they did a pretty good job, but in side-by-side comparison with the Sony’s it’s like the RCA’s aren’t even turned on. I have also taken the Bose QuietComfort 2 & 3 for a testdrive in the store and can honestly say that I think the Sony’s cancel out the background stuff every bit as well as the much higher priced Bose.
Sound Quality
Now, I don’t consider myself an audiophile. I can catch the obvious flaws in headphones and speakers, but most of the subtleties allude me. If you want the specifications on frequency range and the like then go read them on the official Sony site. Here’s what I hear: The bass is definite and not muddy. At the upper levels on the volume you can feel the bass drive (I’m not one to stay to much at the upper levels though for any amount of time. I’m getting too old I guess). The higher frequencies (horns, etc.) are a bit “tinny” until you turn on the power for the noise canceling and then they mellow out and feel more rounded. I guess the extra power to the speakers help the upper end. I’m not saying they’re the best sound out there, but they do a more than acceptable job.
Comfort
The whole unit is fairly light so it doesn’t really weigh down on you at all. The ear cups completely surround my ear so my ears don’t get pressed down and they are made from soft leather, so it is comfortable on the skin. I will say that the Bose QuietComfort 3’s were especially well made and even more comfortable than these Sony’s. The headband is adjustable and although I’ve heard people with larger heads say that they feel a bit of pressure on their head when they wear them I didn’t feel that (I must have a small head—I know I definitely have a small brain). I am able to wear these headphones most of the day and not feel any discomfort.
Pricing
The suggested retail price is $200, but I bought mine from Amazon.com for $126. Compare that to the Bose QuietComfort 3’s which I couldn’t find less than $350 (The QuietComfort 2’s were $300). A significant difference and one that doesn’t justify itself in the quality of the products involved.
Added Features
I really liked a couple of the bells and whistles that Sony included on this model. First, the speaker cord completely detaches from the headset in case you just wanted to use the noise canceling and didn’t want a cord dangling down your side. I also like the very small “L-shape” form factor of the connector at the end of the cord. It has a very low profile when sticking out of the top of my PDA. Another nice add-on is the “monitor” button on the side of the headphones. When you’re listening to music and someone comes up and talks to you (or you just want to listen to your surroundings for a second) you can press the “monitor” button and it mutes the music and turns on a monitoring mic outside of the headphones and pipes in the outside sounds. cool. And finally I really liked the thought put into the carrying case which not only holds the headphones, but also has a compartment to store the cord when detached, an extra battery, and two (included) adapter jacks: a 1/4” jack and an airline jack.
To wrap it up I’d recommend the Sony MDR-NC50 to anyone who needs a little peace and quiet while traveling, either on a bus or an airplane. The sound quality is top notch and the attention to design makes them comfortable to wear even for long periods of time.
1 The Bose company are well known for their headphone and speaker technology. In fact, they are the ones who first started working on noise canceling technology back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Bose does “sound” well, but they are pretty pricey and my undiscerning ear sometimes can’t tell the $100-$200 difference in price between Bose and it’s nearest competitor.
2 Some things I liked about the RCA headphones: 1) They were cheap. $20 at Walmart. 2) They were relatively compact and stowed away easily. Some things I didn’t like about the RCA’s: 1) The battery compartment for the noise canceling circuit was on the wire that plugs into your media player so it was always swinging around. 2) The ear cups didn’t actually cover the ear so they were always pressing down on the ear and that leads to some discomfort after long usage. 3) They were cheaply manufactured. After about 3 or 4 months of use the right ear stopped working (no sound). Hence my new purchase of the Sony’s and this review.
— Steve Harward
Comment
I’m on my second pair of Shure e2c canalphones — noise elimination ear plug/headphones. I bought one pair a year and a half ago and then lost them when I forgot to zip up my backpack and walked across campus. Alas, someone was happy that day.
If I were robbed and lost this second pair, I would run, run, RUN over to circuit city and happily plunk down another hundred bucks for another pair. I literally can’t imagine succeeding as a PhD student without these babies.
They’re not your noise-cancelling, battery-powered techno-wonders. They’re essentially ear plugs, with headphones embedded. But they sound great (almost, but not quite, as good as my Grado SR60s), are very comfortable, and fit in my pocket. Most importantly, I can sit in the same room with talking people and NOT HEAR A DARNED THING. The phone rings, but I don’t hear it. The kids upstairs are fighting over who gets to hold the remote, and I don’t even know it happens. Some dope at the next table in the library is talking on the cell phone, and I am not even aware of his relationship problems.
Before I put them on inside the house, I always tell Kate, “I’ll be wearing my headphones, so I won’t hear you when you call” otherwise she’ll stand at the doorway and holler my name and feel annoyed when I don’t answer. So instead she walks up and taps me on the shoulder and scares the poop outta me. (It’s like she’s sneaking up, though she doesn’t have to try.)
I like their size, their battery-less-ness, and how well they block out all sound. I like being immersed in unnatural, unearthly silence, and how it helps me concentrate. Though it does seem like it would be nice to have the dopey background noises of bus and breaks eliminated and still participate in society, I’m in a situation now where society is antithetical to my success. So the anti-social nature really is a plus for me.
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