Quietly Super Discount on AIWA HP Noise Cancellation Headphones
Written: Oct 22 '03 (Updated Nov 06 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great value. Active noise reduction. Folding design.
Cons: Not as comfortable as high-$ sets. Questionable durability?
The Bottom Line: Good value: Active Noise Reduction for the masses (and me). Recommended for those who work or travel long hours in environments with low, repetitive background noise.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Aiwa HP-CN5 Headphones |
INTRODUCTION
Active Noise Reduction or ANR came on the "normal" consumer market about a decade or so ago. The basic technology is this: Microphones in the headset measure the sound at the ear and compare it with the sound the speakers are transmitting. Any difference is assessed as noise, and the speakers attempt to re-transmit those soundwaves 180 degrees "out of phase," effectively cancelling the noise. ANR is most effective at repetitive noises (engine drone, fan/air conditioner noises, etc), and most ANR devices are aimed at the lower frequencies.
I was privileged to try some of the early consumer ANR aviation headsets by Bose, David Clark, and others while flying small civilian aircraft "on the side," and was amazed at the difference turning the ANR on made. The loud drone of the prop and motor at full takeoff/climb power dropped incredibly - I was amazed. I was equally amazed at the $500-$800 pricetag.
Many years later (last year, in fact), I was returning from an exhausting European trip on an 11 hour trip on American Airlines. After speaking with the flight attendants for a while, noted that there were empty seats in Business and First Class. I mentioned how tired I was after my trip, and managed to get upgraded from Economy to First Class (See My "Top Travel Tips"). Very nice. One of the ammenities that came with the seat was a Bose ANR headset. Unlike the bulky padded aviation headsets I had used before, this one was lightweight, not much bigger than my normal CD headphones. The roar of the normal airline noise was reduced so much that I was able to remove the foam earplugs I normally wear when flying and maintain normal conversations with the crew and passengers (without YELLING like I'm apt to do with earplugs in). I was so impressed that when I got home I looked to buy a set for myself. $200 turned me away.
But then, at Best Buy, I found a returned set of these Aiwa ANR headsets (actually the follow-on but nearly identical CN6's) marked down from $59 to $29, and decided to try them out.
OPENING THE BLISTER PACK
The blister pack contains the headphones, a two-prong airline adaptor, 1/4" plug adaptor, a short volume-reduction adaptor, instructions, and a soft (and minimally padded) storeage bag.
DESIGN
The headphones are an innovative folding design. 3 hinges on the headband allow you to fold the set flat for travel - very nice. The headband is adjustable for height and uses tension in the plastic itself to provide a bit of spring. A single AA battery mounts under a cover on the inside of the headband just above the right ear, and seems to last forever (120 hours is what the documentation says).
The earpieces are large-ish, covering my entire ear, and hinged to allow them to sit flat on your ears. They are padded with thin but comfortable combination of closed- and open-cell foam. A microphone opening is on the outside of each earpiece, which combined with the "Noise Canceling" lettering betrays the "special" nature of these headphones.
The headset is relatively comfortable, but has a pressure point for me at the top of the headband. I've been thinking of gluing a small piece of foam to the underside of the center hinge to make it more comfortable.
OPERATION
Pretty simple here. Plug them into your music source, and they work like normal, and reasonably well-performing headphones. But in a noisy environment, you can reach behind your right ear and turn on the ANR circuitry (whether you're plugged into your music source or not), and it goes to work.
When happens next depends on your environment. I played around with a few experiments to note the differences.
Quiet Environment Significant background hiss, which is annoying. They work better with ANR turned off - after all, you don't need it anyhow.
Low Background Noise Our refrigerator compressor noise, and later, the noise from the kid's PC fan, completely disappeared, but the background hiss is still very noticeable.
TV News Program The overall volume of the voice drops a bit, but significant reduction in the bass registers, confirming that the ANR circuitry is aimed towards those frequencies. Hiss no longer so evident. Normal conversations are not a problem.
High Background Noise The drop in noise in a loud, repetitive noise, environment (like an aircraft or car) is very significant, and the hiss is undetectable. Normal conversation continues not to be a problem.
WHAT $200 GETS YOU THAT $30 DOESN'T
Which do I like better? Definitely the Bose set. That extra $170 gives you soft and comfortable leather padding on both the earcups and headband. Is it worth the added cash? Yes, if you can afford it, but I can't seem to justify it to myself (or my "copilot"). The Bose doesn't fold, either, which would make them harder to pack in a carry-on (the Aiwa's fold flat enough to fit in the side pocket of my laptop case). I also worry about the durability of both the plastic headband and the foam ear covers - time will tell.
OVERALL
I think these are a very good value, especially if you can find them marked down as I did. They are effective, and definitely will reduce fatigue on long trips or if you work in a noisy environment.
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Recommended:
Yes
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pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
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