I took these headphones back after giving them a good run against several other pairs I use including a new pair of KOSS plugs and the Sony FontopiaŽ Headphones MDR-EX51LP. They were alright, but to me not worth $100.

I drive a Jeep Wrangler, and I'm always trying to win out over the wind noise when I've got the convertible top on, so that was a big part of my testing ground. I also tested them on the commuter train and the Metro.

The NC11 already does considerably well at blocking outside noise even without the noise circuitry turned on. The Fontopia EX51LP are not good for blocking outside noise, and they don’t seem to get as loud as the NC11, but the overall sound quality I think is much better in the EX51LP than the NC11. If Sony just made the EX51LP a little denser or whatever it is that's different in construction between the two models they would both be fairly good in noisy areas.

SOUND QUALITY

Compared to the EX51LP I found the NC11 to be pretty harsh in the upper midrange, and lacking clear trebles. The bass frequencies are also not as clean as the EX51LP, and not as loud. Still they’re probably better than a lot of the competition, people seem very impressed with the NC11 sound quality when they first try them out. Both Sony sets had clearer high ends than the Koss Plugs, but Koss Plugs still totally tear them up on bass reproduction, and they block out enough noise that you really don’t need much extra noise cancellation. Those Koss Plugs STILL have that weird allergic-type reaction issue for me though http://www.epinions.com/content_109917474436 so I can’t rely on them always working out.. And as far as I can tell the new ipod-white Koss Plugs sound identical to the original “The Plug” series.

NOISE

In an interesting little side test I actually turned off the noise circuitry while playing music and held the headphones away from me to listen for the usual scratchy tinny high end sounds that escape earbud/plugs when you’re not wearing them. When the noise circuitry was turned on, the tinny sounds vanished. So it makes me wonder if these things actually pick up and cancel out their own high frequencies.

If you listen in a dead silent room, these things generate a little pink noise with the circuits on. Probably a side effect of the little analog amplifier.

SNAP CRACKLE POP

There were random crackles and pops I noticed which increased in number the longer you left the noise circuits turned on. Another thing I didn’t like were rumbling sounds caused by wind passing over the earbuds. I assume the sound circuitry is adaptive and a little delayed because it’s processing sounds and then playing back the inverted waveforms. The delayed inverted wind noises come through as thumping and rubbing sounds like somebody sliding across a leather couch.

IN-HEAD PRESSURE

The thing I really didn’t like, more than anything else probably was this awful sensation like once you turned on the noise circuits, it was like getting on an airplane and feeling the pressure change in your ears. I constantly wanted to pop my ears but there was nothing to do. The sound canceling circuit creates an unpleasantly strong sensation of in-ear pressure with or without music playing.

NO MORE WHITE ACCESSORIES!!

Pet peeve: I wish I could readily find Sony bud/plug headphones in ANY color other than white. You can’t hide white wires, and eventually they’re all going to turn nice gruesome dingy yellow and gray-green colors.. Black just stays black.


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