good headphones for the price
Written: Nov 15 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: noise cancelling works!
Cons: some whitenoise seems to be added
The Bottom Line: While a little bulky, they perform their task well with minimal impact on sound-source quality. Great travel accessory for the price.
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| ssinclair2's Full Review: Aiwa HP-CN5 Headphones |
I bought two sets of HP-CN5 to go with my new Panasonic DVD-LV70 portable DVD player (see my LV70 review). I use the player on the commuter rail daily and on planes occasionally. In both scenarios, there is a high level of ambient sound that would normally cause you to raise the volume level to an unreasonable and unhealthy degree. I did use regular open-ear headphones for a couple of days while waiting for delivery of the CN5's; it was difficult to hear quiet dialog in what had seemed to be a relatively quiet rail car. The CN5's have made a world of difference.
Noice-cancelling (NC) headphones operate on a simple principle: if you don't want to hear a noise, then all you need to do is create the mirror-image of that noise's wavefront at the same volume. The two wavefronts cancel each other and your ear does not hear the sound. A microphone on the outside of each earpiece samples the 'outside' noises to block. An inner processor and amplifier produces the inverse signal and plays it through the earpiece speaker.
In high-end avionics headsets, NC technology is quite refined, very impressive, and very expensive (hundreds of dollars). For $30-40, you shouldn't expect perfection, only a notable reduction in noise levels.
The CN5 headset is an open-ear design, rather than buds or close-ear (think studio headsets, or helicopter pilot). Any open-ear or bud headphones will not be able to block as well as close-eared headphones, however I prefer the open-ear design. I personally find buds irritating after a little while, and have never been satisfied with their sound quality, especially the lower frequencies. Close-ear phones are generally bulky, and (in my experience) sweaty and uncomfortable.
The CN5's are not the world's most attractive headset, having a rather squarish headband; I don't personally mind, but the fashion-conscious commuter may want to look into 'prettier' brands like Sony. They do fold flat, but not as compactly as other headphones that I've used. They can fit in my jacket pocket, though, so that's all I really need.
An unadvertised feature is that the CN5 comes with the '2 prong' airplane seat adapter, as well as a volume-reduction and a 1/4" adapter.
The headset takes a single AA battery on one side of the headband to power the NC. The battery casing is awkward to open, but hopefully this shouldn't be a frequent operation. A switch and led located behind the right earpiece turns the NC on/off.
Without considering NC, the headphones perform reasonably well. While not giving a stereophilic performance, I have no sound quality concerns on DVD playback and CD listening.
Turning the NC on is a neat experience. If you do so in a quiet setting, you will hear some whitenoise being introduced. In a noisier settings, you will note an appreciable reduction in noise levels, especially lower-frequency noise. Interestingly, my ears feel as if I've suddenly changed elevation: there seems to be some pressure on my eardrums. I have to conclude that this is a physiological side-effect, since the headphones aren't generating any high-powered wave fronts. The sensation quickly dissipates.
Now on my train ride I can hear quiet dialog, like the "director's commentary" audio track, with a volume setting of only 2/10 or 3/10. Listening to the same track in the same environment with my original headphones required maximum volume and sometimes one earpiece crushed against my ear; the CN5's are a significant improvement, to say the least.
I have compared these headphones to two others available from Sharper Image. They sell two models, a $50 set and a $150 set. The $50 ones didn't seem to do anything but introduce some whitenoise; no notable change in sound levels. The $150 set only worked a little better than my $30 set. I didn't note the manufacturer of the Sharper Image headphones.
Basically, would I recommend these not to drown out screaming children or noisy cell-phone talkers, but to significantly reduce engine noise, etc. If you listen to music/video on a train, plane, or automobile, then get yourself a set.
Other reviewers have complained about discomfort after wearing the headphones for a while; I have had no reason to echo such problems. I've worn them for three hours without any problems.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ssinclair2
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
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