Sony MDR-NC7/WHI Noise-Canceling Headphone White

These headphones were a great value and extremely portable. Sound quality is excellent on an iPod Touch.

I bought these as a replacement for my Creative HN-605. At $49.99, I took the plunge and got these instead of a more expensive one.

The audio clarity is reasonable (comparable to other Sony Neodymium earphones / headphones). The noise canceling capability is good... was able to null out air conditioner background and refridegrator hum at work and home. Will be trying out these next week on a trans-Atlantic flight. There is a faint white noise audible when no signal is connected; but other than the Bose headphones, almost all other noise canceling headphone I've tried have this "feature."

The only downside to this pair I've noticed is the somewhat flimsy plug. I've had Sony audio accessories with better plugs. Overall, I'd say its good value for $50.

Based on the price, I took the plunge. The construction is pretty solid and look good on the head. The pads are very comfortable with a soft "vinyl" type material. The "arms" of the headphones wrap around the head really well because of the hinge at the top of the headphones.

But to the most important feature: the noise cancelling function was not dramatic during flights - it worked well for a semi-quiet office environment, but my primary need for this is flying. And during flying I noticed only a slight change. Good for the price, but not if you are looking to use this while flying or similar environments investigate other options.

First off, unless you have the noise cancelling mode on, the sound is absolutely horrible--VERY tinny/puny sound as someone else noted. This is a big showstoper for me since I don't always need the NC on.

Secondly, these headphones will cause you pain after just a couple of hours, probably because the pading is flush with the middle part of the headphone. Ouch, they really do hurt.

Lastly, and this probably is a problem with other noise cancelling phones, your blackberry will drive these phones absolutley crazy--nonstop buzzing. Anyone that has a blackberry and has had their phone too close to cheap speakers will know exactly what I'm talking about. Beware of this problem. Since you really have to have NC on all the time for these headphones to sound decent, the buzzing may drive you bonkers.

Oh well, at least they're inexpensive.

-