ewads's Full Review: Sony MDR-NC11 Consumer Headphones
Are you confused by the polar opposite reviews you see everywhere about these little earbuds? Some people say they sound tinny with weak bass, while others say they have overpowering bass and weak highs. Some people say these earbuds don't do any noise-cancelling, while others say they block out sound as well as a pair of ear plugs. Well, it's no surprise that people have such extremely different experiences with these earbuds. It's all in the fit - if they don't fit correctly inside your ear, you're going to have a terrible experience with these earbuds.
These are in-ear style ear-buds, meaning they have these silicon plugs which you put a little bit inside your ear. When it fits correctly, it should feel like you're wearing ear plugs. There should be a little suction between your ear canal and the silicon plug, and NO air should be getting through. If you don't get this "suction" feel when you put them on, then they won't work correctly. You'll know you've put them on wrong if the sound is tinny because the bass is leaking out - if you've put them on correctly the bass is boomy and overpowering. Another way to tell that you've put them on right if that they'll have the "ear plug" effect - you'll hear your own breathing magnified.
Now, it's not necessarily your fault if you fidget around with them for a while and still can't get them to fit nicely in your ear canal. Even though the earbuds come with 3 different sizes of silicon plugs, you might be one of the unfortunate people who can't get any of them to fit well. I think a very common problem is that even the largest size silicon plug is too small for full-grown people to fill up their ear canal. In that case, you're out of luck because these $100 earbuds will sound inferior to a $5 pair that you buy at the local drugstore.
Now, I am going to review this product ONLY from the perspective of someone who has gotten these earbuds to fit correctly (I use the largest size silicon plug). It's kinda unfair that people who haven't gotten it to fit have reviewed it so poorly without mentioning that the reason it was so bad was because they couldn't get it to fit correctly. I agree that it's pretty bad that a lot of people who buy this product can't get them fit correctly. But, I think it's a pretty decent pair of earbuds for those people who can get them to fit.
Sound:
No doubt, these earbuds have highly exaggerated bass and it overpowers everything. Then again, it's great just to have bass in a pair of earbuds - usually earbuds are tinny and have poor range. These earbuds have a full range, but you'll need to mess around with your equalizer settings to balance out the bass with the mids and the highs. I think these sound about as good as a $40-50 pair of over-the-ear headphones, which is pretty good. Keep in mind that these are EARBUDS, if you want audiophile quality, you can get yourself a nice-sounding pair of over-the-ear Sennheiser headphones for the $100 you paid for these earbuds.
Noise-Canceling:
The passive noise-canceling is very good because of the "ear plug" design. Passive noise-canceling means that it reduces the level of high frequency sounds like a pair of ear plugs would do. The active noise-canceling seems to have a very small range compared to other noise-canceling headphones on the market. Active noise-canceling means that it reduces the level of dull, low-frequency sounds by reflecting sound waves via built-in microphones on the earbuds. The active noise-canceling on these earbuds is pretty weak, just as you've read in the other reviews. But, it does a decent enough job on planes to reduce the fatigue caused by the engine noise. If noise-canceling is your main concern, the only choice is really the Bose Quiet-Comfort 2. I've also tested out the Sony NC-20, Sennheiser PXC250, Aiwa CN-5 and Plane Quiet for extended periods of time - they all have better noise-canceling over a wider frequency range than these Sony earbuds, but all are far inferior to the Bose. The only real positive for these Sony earbuds is that their passive noise-canceling is good.
Another positive is that they can run for 40 hours on a single AAA battery (they can play music with the noise-canceling turned off, so no worries about the battery going dead). Turning on the noise-canceling gives the sound a decibel level boost, which some people say is a way for Sony to "fake" noise-canceling simply by boosting the volume. But, all noise-canceling headphones that I've tried do this - the best way to test the active noise-canceling is to turn it on/off without music playing.
Comfort:
The silicon plugs are comfortable for extended wear - they're nice and soft although you'd better have clean ears or else they'll get pretty nasty. People complain about the weight and placement of the noise-canceling control box which houses the AAA battery and on/off switch. If you don't clip it to your belt or your shirt, then yes, it will tend to pull the earbuds out of your ears when you move. But, I just clip it to my belt and I don't have any problems with it.
Portability:
Portability is the best feature of these little earbuds. It comes with a little felt pouch to carry it around anywhere, so you'll be able to slip these in your pocket. Try doing that with a honking pair of Bose ear-muffs! It also comes with an airline adapter, which you can carry around in the pouch. Also, I agree with other reviewers that these earbuds aren't made for wearing around while exercising - you'll never be able to keep them producing consistent suction, but walking around with them is fine.
Conclusion:
If you're interested in an ultra-portable noise-canceling headphone that can also double as your main set of earbuds for your portable music player (ie iPod), then these are the best choice out there. The sound is very good for a pair of earbuds, noise-cancelling functionality is acceptable and it fits in your pocket. For $100, the price is just about what it should be.
Oh, and cross your fingers that you can get them to fit...
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