Headphones Reviews

Sennheiser - makers of some of the best headphones in all the world! I own a pair of HD 450s that are over 12 years old! Still the best sound I've ever experienced in a non-studio headphone! But the foam was finally wearing out so I decided to get a little cheapy pair for the office. I bought these.
The sound is pretty good, a little tinny. You can get the volume up really high - which is nice. Another nice feature is the single cord coming out of one phone instead of both.

However the cord is too short to reach my computer. They aren't adjustable so they just flop on your neck and stick out from your ears. This (as another reviewer mentioned) allows those around you to enjoy your music as well!
Since I just got them I haven't decided about returning them yet. If I can find an extension cord for them I'll probably keep them.
My advise - If you want high-end high-quality headphones look to Sennheiser's other options. If your just looking for a set tool around with - get the Sony phones!

I got these yesterday and here are my impressions...

bad:

* as other reviews suggested, people surrounding you can definitely hear what you're listening to. That's just fine for a loud gym or the outdoors, but maybe not good for a library or an airplane.
* the band at the back of the neck is way too big for me and it's not adjustable. They still fit well. My head isn't huge.
* The cord is indeed fairly short. Not too big of a deal for most things but I can imagine it being a problem sometimes.

good:

> the sound quality is fantasic. As others have said, you can increase the volume and not increase the distortion. Very crisp.
> they are loud which is great too.

I use these for the gym so I'm happy with them. I'm not sure what I'll do for a plane trip though when I want headphones that won't annoy my neighbors.

These headphones are soooo comfortable and I love their sound! If you have an iPod, Dell DJ, or any other of those mp3 players, buy this! A major upgrade from the factory headphones!

I bought these from Sears... sorry Amazon but it only made me more embittered towards Sears. While it is pretty cool to have the bass throbbing on the back of your neck the novelty soon wears off due to the thin padding in ear plugs and almost angular/sharp seams in the headphones that seem to dig into your ears through the foam. After 1/2 hour they become very uncomfortable as they cut into your ears and pull on your ears as the weighty back end sags on the back of your neck. Do not wear them for more than an hour... I will repeat that. DO NOT WEAR THEM FOR MORE THEN AN HOUR. You may think that you can cope with the discomfert but you soon find your self in great amounts of pain as your ears are raw, red, sore, and it almost feels like you got paper cuts in both ears. They may sound good and be fun for 15 minutes but headphones should be able to be used for more than 1/2 an hour without causing pain. Do not get these headphones I don't care how much of a bass junky you are they aren't worth it. I do however suggest getting a pair of Evergreen RumbleFX headphones from their site rumblefx.com
The Evergreen's sound great and have the comfortable cups on either side with lots of padding and noticeable bass from both the cups and tactile vibration at the same time. Plus their the same price.
In closing do your self a favor and DO NOT GET Brain Shakers
unless you enjoy the idea of inserting a flesh eating earwig into your ears while putting the back of your neck to a PS2 controller with the rumble function... I'm ranting.
just get the Rumble FX's instead and you'll be much happier.

Well, after reading all the great reviews on these headpohones, I decided to give them a try. As I feared, they are a gimmick. These headphones have a vibrating thing that sits on the back of your neck. While it's designed to simulate the heavy bass of a real home theater system, it ended up making me shake my head; both uncontrollably and because I feel like such a sucker for purchasing these things. The shaking mechanism produces no actual SOUND of bass, just a rythmic pulsing. Sounds cool? It isn't. And to top it all off, the headphones are rather uncomfortable. I don't recommend these for long listening sessions, but their bulky, clumsy design makes them difficult to walk even a short distance with, so sitting down seems to be the only venue for listening. To be fair, however, these headphones produce some fairly decent sound. Midrange sound seems almost absent however, and everyhing seems to have a slightly high pitch to it. With the VMSS bass system turned off, the drivers still manage to produce some decent bass, but not enough that I'd justify the $... price tag, and the so-so mid and high range sound is nothing to die for either. And for the aesthetically-conscious teen like myself, these headphones look absolutely horrid. I don't think I'd walk around with them unless I was in my grandmother's nursing home. In short, if you want to buy into a gimmicky product, then go ahead and purchase the Brain Shaker Extreme headphones, but if you're like me, and you want a pair of portable, decent-sounding 'phones, look elsewhere.

The concept is great! The bass moves with the music and I haven't heard trance better on headphones yet. For being in-ear, this set offers a great range of sound, and the clarity is superb. It's as close as you're going to get to being at a club and standing next to a speaker. There really is a difference when you're feeling an actual bass behind your neck. You have to try it to believe!

But... the headphones don't fit every head perfectly. The only adjustable part of the headphone is where you can place the earhole, and that rotates in and out (look at the picture for a better image). The headphones weren't designed for small or large people, only the "average" head size. I would caution that. I'm a small person, so in order to get the VMSS in the right place on the back of my neck I have to compromise the comfort of having the earplugs in my ear correctly. Also, when you move your head in a nodding motion, the neck piece moves, which means the earplugs move as well, causing more discomfort.

I can't wear these for very long (more than half an hour), but while I am wearing them, it sure is an experience.

Durability/build -- I stepped on mine, so now I can't wear them on my head. However, I like the fact that the cord and electronics weren't built into said headband. It's just too bad that my clumsiness has rendered them unusable unless I hold them to my ears with both hands. The pads are not foam, so they won't deteriorate and fill your ears with yucky black dust. They were very soft and comfortable, and the headphones overall are lightweight. The cord could be longer; it's not coiled and doesn't stretch or retract. I've had these a while, so I don't remember whether they came with the adapter for stereo plugs or if I had to buy it. They fit as is in my iMac and TV just fine, though.

Sound -- not bad. I've had my share of headphones over the years, and I use mine to listen to the internet radio on the computer, or occasionally to fill in for my ones I use to listen to TV and DVD. I like a bass that isn't muddy, is powerful yet clear. I like trebles to be clean. For the price, these don't do badly. The best set of headphones I ever had were some Aiwas in a similar price range that you can't find anymore. So, whether you like to listen to vocalists, like Clooney or Mathis (I do, too) or whether you dig the Motown sound with its driving Funk Brothers bass (I do, too), or you love the instrumental jazz like Cassandra and Nancy Wilson (I do, too), these will do a decent job for the money.

Now, I'm off to get some new headphones.

I picked these up at my local electronics store after being absolutely fed up with my 'phones breaking at bad times (try a 5 hour plane ride and your stereo headphones suddenly become mono...). I had tried those clip on ones, phones that go 'round the back of your head, the traditional style, heck, what DIDN'T I try? I was desperate...

So, getting back to the point, I picked these up in a frustrated rage after having a half-decent pair die on me just while sitting at home. For the 20-buck-or-so price tag, I was expecting, quite honestly, the something along the lines of the pieces of crap I had previously owned. I was pleasantly surprised. The band and phones themselves are comfortable, and the inculded adapter (1/4 inch plug to an 1/8 inch one) was a real plus. They handle my range of music pretty well, though I must say they are not for proud audiophiles. The midrange is pretty good, the treble's okay, and the bass... well... It's okay too. They block out outside sound (be it engine noise or the screaming of toddlers) fairly well, and the long cord is a bonus. Unlike several similar pairs I've owned, the earphones do not snap off or the wires break when I trip over the cord/ walk away (yes, it does happen. I'm sure you've forgotten you were tethered to a stereo before...) and so far they seem to be holding up pretty well.

I'd definitely recommend these for all you middle-of-the- road, casual listeners out there, or semi-audio geeks, the picky-but-not-too-picky. If you're looking for something with absolutely incredible, religious experience sound, and you know who you are, try a high-end pair from a high end brand. What more can I say? Thanks, Sony, for making something comfortable, durable, and pretty decent sounding, and for offering it for 20 bucks.

I needed a pair of replacement headphones, so i checked these out. They're pretty nice. I listen to loud music and these headphones do the job nicely. They have a good sized cord too so i can take them to the gym and not have to worry about my head yanking off the cord when on a treadmill. They fit pretty well too.

Pros:
-Good sound quality. Good clear treble and good bass for headphones
-Coiled cord which can stretch a good distance when needed
-Volume control
-Sturdy construction

Cons:
-Uncomfortable on ears after 15-20 mins
-Seperate knobs for volume make it hard to keep the volumes equal in the two channels
-Earphones have very limited range of motion
-Sound bleeds out when earphones are covered
-Sound bleeds through when volume knobs are turned completely off

Bottom Line:
I really don't think they're worth the $$$. Comfort is a high priority of mine and these rank pretty low. My old Aiwa headphones were way better.

I've been in love with the Koss TD-80s since the early to mid nineties as an adolescent entering the likes of Nirvana and Bush. At that time, I only had enough money to purchase the TD60s, which were a fine introduction to the Koss line that I grew to love.

Today, sadly, I can't commend Koss for their product changes--the introduction of the UR series, which I ridicule, "U-R stupid for buying them", and their incessant failure at making good earbuds beyond the delicate "Plug"...

However, I still hold true to their classic products, and this model is one of them. During those adolescent years, my only ability to listen to these headphones were by way of visiting downtown music stores whom displayed their latest releases at listening stations complemented by the Koss TD-80s. If there was something to be heard, the Koss TD-80s gave it. Whenever I wanted to buy a CD, if it were not on the TD-80s, I would think before buying it in fear of poor production, for if it were poor production, the '80s would let you know...

I recommend these headphones as a household reference for anyone moderately serious about their music. Yes, Sennheiser may be for the purist, and Sony may be for the everyday-er whom works out and advances in their professions or schoolings, but the classic Koss is simply for anyone who wants to hear and feel their music. In addition, given the age of this model, the bargains of today on this headphone is ridiculous and should make anyone in the market for closed headphones consider them.

Gen

Closed-earpiece headphones no matter the brand are not comfy for extended wear! The reason for purchasing these headphones is the 60 Ohm impedance. The higher the impedance rating allows you to listen to your home stereo, boombox, mp3 player, etc. at higher volumes without any distortion so you get great clarity and definiton from the bass, mids and highs. Also, you can plug this set of headphones into a stage monitoring system or instrument amplifier with the same great results. The Koss line of headphones are an exceptional value. Notice the cost of other manufactures' headphones that are rated at 60 ohms and above and you will see what I mean. No! I do not work for Koss, just an informed shopper!

When I first researched this product, I was impressed by the positive reviews. There were, of course, a few negative reviews which focused on interfearance, etc. I decided to take a chance and buy this product.

Overall? I'm satisfied. The sound quality is excellent. Top knotch. I've placed the base in my basement, next to two CRT monitors and a whole lot of transformers, and I recieve little to no interfearance. If I walk around upstairs, they will occationally pop or crackle, but never for long. My only real complaint is that they seem to get suddenly softer for a few seconds, and then increase in volume. I'm sure it's not the signal strength, because it happens even when my head is perfectly still sitting next to the trasnmitter. But i'm now noticing it less and less.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a great pair of wireless headphones, and are willing to accept the fact that "wireless" will never work perfectly, by all means, buy this product. Dont buy this product expecting them to behave as though they have an invisible wire of infinite length connecting them to your stereo.

I have a 2.4 GHz Wireless phone system, 2 pairs of baby monitors, a 802.11b network, and a 900MHz portable phone and the headphones work really well anyway. There is little buzz on the baby monitor, but I turn the volume down on the baby monitor and it works fine. The sound quality isn't quite as good as a wired headset, but it is much, much better than Infrared.

These are the best headphones I've bought since I started using them 12 years ago. After trying RF and infrarred headphones, with manual tuning, I decided to spend more money and get these auto-tuning ones. They work really well, and the battery life is good. The extra battery is also handy. Sound quality is pretty good. Finally, the range is good enough for our small house, so I can hear up to about 35 feet away through walls. I highly recommend these for Unwired home use.

These are the wireless headphones to buy. If you buy something else you will be sorry. I've tried them all. I orginally bought the lower Sennheiser model I think, the RS-65. They worked alright, with a little noise, but the earcup broke and dangled after six months or so. Then I went on a wireless phone Odyssey and tried every kind out there except the Sennheisers and it was all static. I even tried the only 2.4 Ghz phones out there and there's a reason they're the only one. (The sound is fine as long as you're in the same room and don't run the microwave ouch!) So buy this one and be very careful with the earcups. Mine haven't broken again so far, I think the construction is possibly a little better than the cheaper model. But if they break after a year, at least you'll have had a year of enjoyment instead of a year of aggravation!

When I first researched this product, I was impressed by the positive reviews. There were, of course, a few negative reviews which focused on interfearance, etc. I decided to take a chance and buy this product.

Overall? I'm satisfied. The sound quality is excellent. Top knotch. I've placed the base in my basement, next to two CRT monitors and a whole lot of transformers, and I recieve little to no interfearance. If I walk around upstairs, they will occationally pop or crackle, but never for long. My only real complaint is that they seem to get suddenly softer for a few seconds, and then increase in volume. I'm sure it's not the signal strength, because it happens even when my head is perfectly still sitting next to the trasnmitter. But i'm now noticing it less and less.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a great pair of wireless headphones, and are willing to accept the fact that "wireless" will never work perfectly, by all means, buy this product. Dont buy this product expecting them to behave as though they have an invisible wire of infinite length connecting them to your stereo.

I have a 2.4 GHz Wireless phone system, 2 pairs of baby monitors, a 802.11b network, and a 900MHz portable phone and the headphones work really well anyway. There is little buzz on the baby monitor, but I turn the volume down on the baby monitor and it works fine. The sound quality isn't quite as good as a wired headset, but it is much, much better than Infrared.

These are the best headphones I've bought since I started using them 12 years ago. After trying RF and infrarred headphones, with manual tuning, I decided to spend more money and get these auto-tuning ones. They work really well, and the battery life is good. The extra battery is also handy. Sound quality is pretty good. Finally, the range is good enough for our small house, so I can hear up to about 35 feet away through walls. I highly recommend these for Unwired home use.

These are the wireless headphones to buy. If you buy something else you will be sorry. I've tried them all. I orginally bought the lower Sennheiser model I think, the RS-65. They worked alright, with a little noise, but the earcup broke and dangled after six months or so. Then I went on a wireless phone Odyssey and tried every kind out there except the Sennheisers and it was all static. I even tried the only 2.4 Ghz phones out there and there's a reason they're the only one. (The sound is fine as long as you're in the same room and don't run the microwave ouch!) So buy this one and be very careful with the earcups. Mine haven't broken again so far, I think the construction is possibly a little better than the cheaper model. But if they break after a year, at least you'll have had a year of enjoyment instead of a year of aggravation!

The fact that noise-canceling headphone reviews were all over the place made figuring out what to buy kind of difficult. I decided to buy the Sennheiser HDC451s ($80), the Sony MDR-NC20s ($120), and the Aiwa HP-CN5 ($50), and the Etymotic ER-6 ($130), try them all, and then return the three I liked least. Bose makes what are probably the industry standard but they weren't any better reviewed than the others and at $299, I wasn't interested.

Here's what I found:

Comfort: Kind of subjective, but in my opinion they rank as follows: Etymotic, Sony, Aiwa, Sennheiser. The Etymotics are basically earphones built into earplugs, so there's no bulk to worry about when moving around or trying to sleep on a plane. How comfortable they are kind of depends on how you feel about having things shoved in your ears. Of the conventional 'phones, the Sony's closed-ear design is more comfortable over long periods. The open-air design of the other two tends to squeeze your ears after a while. The Sennheiser loses because of an inexplicably uncomfortable pad in the top.

Noise Canceling: Etymotic, Sony, Sennheiser, Aiwa. The Etymotics have no noise-canceling circuitry and rely purely on blocking the ear canal to reduce noise. This cuts more noise than the others and does it across the entire spectrum-making it the only one that will silence the kid screaming in the seat behind you. In the conventional 'phones, the Sony again benefits from the closed-ear design, passively blocking some high register noise that the others miss. The Sennheisers actually have the most elegant electronics, silencing low hums with less hiss than the other two. Remember that active noise canceling only works in the very low registers-like the rumble of an airplane.

Sound: Etymotic, Sennheiser, Sony, Aiwa. The Etymotics live up to their reputation of being one the best sounding 'phones on the market at any price, though they can amplify body noises such as chewing. The Sennheisers sound really muddy with the canceling turned off, but with it on they give fairly crisp sound a bit lacking in bass. The other two remain kind of muddy sounding with somewhat sloppy bass which might make watching movies on a plane a little more difficult. Overall, the Sony and Aiwa don't sound any better than the cheap 'phones that came with my MD player.

Convenience: Etymotic, Aiwa, Sony, Sennheiser. The Etymotics fit in your shirt pocket but are definitely harder to get in and out than the others and don't include an airline adapter. The Aiwas fold up quite flat, have the batteries in the headset and have a carrying case. The Sonys fold up (but are still bulky), include a carrying case, and have the battery in the headset. The Sennheisers don't fold, have no carrying case, and have the batteries in the cord. All three conventional units come with airline adapters.

So in conclusion, the Etymotics are pretty much light years ahead of the others, but only if you are okay with having them jammed in your ears (didn't bother me, but my wife had no interest.) The conventional units all have their pluses and minuses, so you'll have to decide what features are important to you.

I love these headphones!! I got these in Narita Airport and obsessed over them the whole airplane ride from Tokyo to Bangkok...for a very valid reason. These headphones are great. Travelling a lot, I usually have to jack up the volume to nearly full blast and then get a ear-ache after listening for only a short while. But not with these. They cancel most of the noise in the airplane, no more droning sounds! I can now listen to music on the airplane and other noisy places using reasonable volume. I think ths product does what it's supposed to do, cancels most of the noise. It never promised silence, so if that's what you are expecting from these, then don't waste your money. What it does when you turn the noise-cancelling circuit on, however, is cut off most of the very low sounds, so that when you're in places with loud engines sounds (e.g. on an airplane)you won't be able to hear a lot of the grumbles. Plus, this model is an over-the-ear design, so even it cuts off some noise even without the noise-cancelling circuit on.

Some people complain about hissing sounds and I would like to clarify that. These headphones have got 2 systems: 1)normal headphones and 2) noise-cancelling headphones. There are situations where you do not need the noise-cancelling function and you'd be better off turning the circuit system off. When you turn in on in an environment where it is not needed, you will be able to hear a hissing sound that can become annoying. Just turn it off and they'd be fine. As I've mentioned before, these don't promise silence. (Neither do any other headphones.) When you are in a very noisy place, you will not hear the hissing; instead, most of the low grumbling noise will disappear, allowing you to enjoy your music a great deal more.

Also, these have got to be one of the most comfortable earphones you can ever find! If you've done the research on noise-cancelling headphones (like I have), you will find out that a lot of people complain about how a lot of noise-cancelling headphones are very uncomfortable to wear for a long time. Well, good news! These are very comfortable and you can wear them for a long period of time!

These headphones do exactly what they're supposed to do. I just wish they were a tad smaller. That would have been brilliant! I mean, these take up more space than my iPod! Another downside, you wouldn't want to use these for exercising because they are pretty bulky. However, they are not meant to be for use in the gym, so I shouldn't complain.

Overall, great noise-cancelling. Get these and hear the difference!!!

I travel a LOT. Fly on everything from TurboProps to Airbus A-320's and 757's. I've never been able to sleep on aircraft and lately, my tolerance for noise and screaming kids has gone to near zero. Well, that's what the Sony MDRNC-20 noise cancelling headphones have given me, ..... nearly zero noise on flights. My last two flights (this week) were on two SAAB TurboProp commuter aircraft and two A-320's and I could not hear the engines with these headphones on. I also use a Sony R70 MiniDisk Recorder / Player that was useless, due to in cabin noise, until I bought these headsets. I've tried the Bose (overpriced and cumbersome), Sennheiser and Toshiba units and the Sony's are the best. I highly recommend them for frequent fliers if you want to be able to function at the destination end of the flight. OH! Did I mention that we also use them while cutting grass on our diesel Kubota tractor with 60 inch mower deck and can't hear the tractor noise, but Bon Jovi comes through lound and clear from the Sony CD Walkman. The audio connection cord also has a convenient connector in it so your can disconnect the main lead and just use the headphones for noise reduction. I thought this a very convenient feature for those who want to block out TV noise, kids, neighbors, etc and not listen to music at the same time.
It might sound like I'm a Sony fan (which I am) but I'm also an audio engineer and my motto is "Specs first, price second". I was pleased to find a product that cost over $120 less than Bose and worked every bit as well, .... maybe better.
You need a pair of these if you fly a lot or just want some peace and quiet.

These speakers are okay as far as sound goes. However, one major flaw is the tendency for one of the speakers to go out. You can get it going again if you have a pair of headphones and you jiggle the plug around inside but it's very touchy. All and all it makes for a very annyoing listening experience.

I don't understand why these speakers are getting such high reviews from people. They're ok, but definitely not great. They get loud without distorting, there's a decent amount of bass for their price and they're cheap. But I think anyone would be much better off getting a slightly more expensive but better set of speakers.

Harman Kardon is a manufacturer of high end audio products. This speakers were originally designed for Dell computers. The problems mentioned by other reviewers are probably due to a bad setup of the equipment, grounding problems or bad recordings. I got mine and plug them in my computer and they sounded great. At the beginning I had a problem of too much echo, but it was because of the 3d function of my soundcard, so I had to disable it to let the speakers perform well, otherwise vocals sound awful. Also I place the speakers properly, because they are very directional. Believe me, they are the best computer speakers I have heard, unbelievable sound for their size. They have very good bass though I don't believe they go down to 30 Hz as you find in their specs. They are a best buy.

Ever since using a Plantronics headset at work (one of the old school ones) when I did inside sales years ago, I knew that I was using one of the best headsets out there. About a year ago, I was delighted to discover that Plantronics made cell phone headsets for a much more reasonable price than what the 'landline' headset cost way back when. For cell phones, I have used many headsets - earbud, over the head, over the ear, Britney-in-concert-in-front-of-the-mouth style, etc. But this particular one, the Plantronics M145, is very comfortable and has the unbeatable clarity that I've come to expect from Plantronics.

I always sound clear to the people that I'm talking to - but at times, I feel that the incoming sound can be on the soft side - even with both my phone volume and the headset volume maxed out. Also, whenever I'm fishing my headset out of my purse, it is always, without fail, switched to the mute setting, which makes it really awkward when I'm gabbing away (unheard by whomever I'm speaking with) until they say 'Hello? Hello???' and then I realized I've unwittingly muted my phone. This makes me believe that perhaps the switch could be made a little tighter by the manufacturer, or made so that it's more difficult to mute it than to unmute it (most users probably would have it more often unmuted than on the mute setting, by default, right?) My final complaint is that the volume control mechanism makes the entire headset unit feel a bit top-heavy. Unless I clip the top part of the headset to my shirt, it feels like the volume mechanism weighs it down, sometimes causing the headset to come off, especially if I opt not to use the over-the-ear attachment (the product comes with 3 available attachments - one is the over-the-ear piece, and then there is foam to cover the ear part, and the other is a rubbery thing to go over the ear part - I've yet to discover how to use this perplexing attachment). It isn't always necessary to use the over-the-ear part, and in fact it's quite comfortable to use without it - it just makes the headset a little easier to fall off your ear. The volume mechanism makes it almost a guarantee that it will fall off if you don't clip it from above the mechanism onto your shirt collar (again, without the over-the-ear attachment on).

That said, this is my favorite among all headsets I've ever owned in terms of comfort and clarity. There can be improvements, but I will stick with this headset for a good while down the road until the wireless bluetooth ones come down significantly in price.

I wasn't sure I would like a headset that fits in your ear but once I got it adjusted properly, I found the M145 to be very comfortable. The sound quality is excellent and the volume control is very handy. I don't know what that other reviewer was talking about because mine came with a lapel clip.

To test the quality I called my voice mail from my car with my radio on and the sun roof wide open, traveling 60mph down the highway and the call came through loud and clear with no wind noise and the radio was barely audible. There is also an ajustment on the jack that plugs into the phone to adjust the microphone volume if people have trouble hearing you.

My only complaint is that the mute button turns on too easily. Overall I was pleasently surprised with the M145 and am happy with my purchase.

Finding a headset that not only fits, but also has good sound quality has been difficult. I first purchased one by Motorola (since I have a StarTac) which retracts -- a great idea, but sometimes retracted when I accidentally hit it. The mic also was too far from my mouth, which made it difficult for anyone to hear me. Needless to say, I was back to the drawing board. I now have the M145 model (with lapel clip) from Plantronics. It is not only comfortable on the ear, but the sound quality is terrific. I also called my home phone while driving; my message was not only clear, but there was no audible background noise. Unlike Barb, though, I have not had any problems with the mute button; so wonder whether that is a defect limited to hers and maybe she should trying getting another one through the warranty.

First of all, there is a hiss when the noise-cancellation feature is turned on in a quiet room.

2. It only reduces, and not cancels, external sounds in the lower mid-range. Bass sounds get through.

3. The noise reduction seems to work on the music being listened too; when it is on, the bass and the mid-lower range sounds "mushy," and there's a reduction in volume.

4. Headphone quality is not really that great.

5. The volume/AAA battery holder has an on-off switch, a volume control, a small indicator light and a max/normal noise cancellation switch. The noise-cancellation has no discernable function. I don't think it's even connected to anything!

6. It is comfortable and the "foldableness" of the headphones is good.

I plan to return these headphones and will go shopping for something maybe a little more expensive, but would actually reduce the noise without reducing the music quality.

These were pretty much the lowest priced "noise-cancelling" or "noise-reduction" headphones (with active circuitry) I could find for my trans-pacific flights. I didn't expect much out of them, but now feel I got well worth what I paid.

Noise reduction:

This is the first and only pair of noise-cancelling headphones I've ever used. I'm sure they don't even come close to the "legendary" Bose. Nevertheless, it still helps substantially when riding a jet. I can finally hear the in-flight movie dialogue comfortably without cranking up the volume all the way. Classical and jazz music becomes listenable, too. They also makes it much easier for me to relax or nap, even when not listening to anything. I ended up having them on all the time.

They do introduce some white noise (mid-to-high-range hiss) when noise cancelling is on. The over-the-ear design and noise-cancelling circuit combined is effective only to certain frequency range (Panasonic admits so on the package), meaning a crying baby will still be a crying baby. Jet engines, on the other hand, will be much more tolerable.

Comfortness:

I was able to wear them on trans-pacific flights all the time (except when dining, of course.) That was up to 14 hours non-stop! They sure feel nice to me. Nevertheless, no two persons' ears are of the same shape. Your mileage may vary. I wonder if they let you try headphones on in brick-and-mortar stores.

Conclusion:

If you pay five bucks on your flights for the crappy headphones that used to be free, think again. A very little investment may make your flights much enjoyable. As for hi-fi listening at home/work, better look elsewhere.

I flew 14hrs from Chicago to Hong Kong with them, I flew regional propeller planes with them, I rode subway and bus with them, and I worked in a computer lab (with nowadays 3 whirling fans per computer) with them. They perform superbly at cancelling noise with a recurring pattern, such as jet engines, car engines, etc.

Please don't expect them to be studio monitor handphones, just look at the price. Sound quality is not very good, especially with the Noise-Reduction on, but it's sufficient for casual listening. They are quite comfortable even in long duration (the 14hrs flight). However, the hinge for collapsing the headphone might caught hair (not fun if you try the take off the headphone quickly) but with proper practice hair-pulling will becomes rare occurance.

To let other not to have false hope about noise cancelling system, I must spend some time to explain how they work. These headphone works by listen to the noise, find its pattern, then generate that pattern at a +or-180 deg. or +or- 1Pi radian phase angle. Therefore, the noise from the background and the "noise" generated by the headphone's will add up to zero, thus the noise is cancelled, or reduced in the least. Also you would be dreaming to have a headphone that cancels human noise because human don't talk with a recurring pattern. Only way for cancalling human voice is to predict what he/she going to say and I don't think any headphones can do that.

The white noise (the hiss) is noticible but tolerable. I know higher end headphones (like Bose QuietComfort II) has managed to pretty much eliminate that but they cost few times as much.

One complain is the control box and all the wirings. It's very awkward wearing it while your iPod or Discman is in a backpack. I ended up "dreadlock" the wires couple of times in one day of subway commute. It would be real nice if there's a belt clip at the back of the control box because I don't know where to place it so I can have easy access to the volume control.