Sony Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones - Black

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Terrific Headphones
Reviewer: SonyFan from Orange County on Dec 26, 2007
60 out of 61 found this review helpful

In my opinion, this is the best headphones available out there. I tend to travel a lot, so I would need a headphones that block out unwanted noise (noise from car, train, freeway, airplane, annoying relatives, and etc.). I found this Sony noise cancellation headphones at a local circuitcity stores for $99.99. At first I thought it was kind of expensive but I'm a big fan of Sony, so I bought it anyway. I'll tell you it's the best investment I have ever made. What made this headphone stand out is that it have 2 built in microphone that recognize outside noise and it sends an opposite signal to nullified that noise. The noise cancellation box is very small, uses one AAA battery (usually last up to about 50 hours), and the design is very intriguing. This headphones block out noise even at very low volumes. In addition it also work without batteries, but the noise cancellation features will not be available. Not to mention this headphones have the best bass system out of all the portable headphones that are available out there. Once again, Sony delivers another amazing product. I'm very satisfy with this product.

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Good choice for pod style noise cancelling headphones
Reviewer: dave from minneapolis, mn on Oct 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Bought these primarily for travel & didn't want huge DJ style headphones to lug around.

Have used them on several trips and have the following feedback:

Pro's:
Easy to transport - they come with a small cloth travel case - fits into pocket with blackberry/ipod.
Comfortable - worn them for bulk of flights from 2-4 hours duration. Was a potential drawback I considered with in-ear style, but no problems/concerns so far.
Sound Quality - very good sound quality - isn't like having a pair of Grado's, but is definitely a step up from standard ipod/ear bud fare. Really good bass levels without being over the top.
Quiet - as noted in other reviews, they are not a 100% noise canceling design - but, the level to which they reduce background noise is still pretty amazing. I've really enjoyed being able to enjoy music on planes at a low/medium volume.

Con's:
Battery case cover seems a bit flimsy - mine hasn't broken yet, but seems like it has potential to break or crack - is a bit awkward to slide open.
Ear plug inserts - design is dependent on these - they come with different sizes (3), would be nice if they came with some spares as well.

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A product to avoid
Reviewer: PH from Boston on Jul 3, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful

My main complaint with these headphones is that mine broke after a little over a year. They are out of warranty and Sony wants $50 to fix or replace them. What a rip.

Aside from that, I found the design to be a bit awkward. The little module that holdsthe active electronics is just heavy enough to pull the left bud out of your ear if it's not securely clipped to something. This is fine if you are strapped into an airplane seat and not able to move for several hours but otherwise is very awkward.

Another thing to note is that the noise reduction feature is fine for blocking airplane or other types of machine noise but it does not do anything to reduce noise from people talking or other music sources (e.g., a PA system).

I found the sound quality tobe ok (that is, before they broke). After that I went back to the cheap pair that came with my iPod and was surprised by how little difference there was.

I definitely would not recommend these.

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