Noise reduction, not noise elimination. Not for everybody.
Written: Sep 15 '02 (Updated Sep 16 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Helps you cope with mid-range "drone" that you'd find on trains and busses. Very portable.
Cons: Small ear-bud design lacks "oomph" to cancel very-low-frequency noise. NC adds extra noise.
The Bottom Line: Worthwhile for commuters wanting to improve listening to FM talk radio. Avoid if you're primarily hoping for noise "elimination" to reduce fatigue.
joechiu's Full Review: Sony MDR-NC11 Consumer Headphones
About six years ago, when the first of the NoiseBuster headphones came out in specialty catalogs (Brookstones, ShaperImage), I bought a pair as a gift for my mother who flew over a dozen times a year to Asia. After only a few uses, she gave them back to me because they were too bulky, and she preferred foam earplugs for true quiet.
Well, I put them away and had forgotten about them, until about a month ago when I returned from vacation to the East Coast. After a week away from the office, I had stopped getting used to the really low frequency hum of the air conditioner on my office roof. Although listening to the radio helped, the constant drone was driving me insane. By the end of the day, I felt like my head had been compressed inside a vise.
The next day, I remembered about those NoiseBuster's and dug them up to use at work. It was pure bliss -- that "shrinking head" feeling went away, and I was not tired at the end of the day like I used to be. I hadn't realized how much the droning from the air conditioner was tiring me out.
The old NoiseBuster's would have been fine, except that it constantly needed new 9V batteries, it was very bulky, and the ear foam were totally disintegrating. I figured technology advances would make it worthwhile to buy a new pair of NC headphones, so I decided to try the Sony MDR-NC11 ear buds.
On paper, the specs seem impressive, and when I received the package, I was optimistic. These earbuds are very light weight, and the control module (which also house the single AAA battery) is very small and unobtrusive. The supposed frequency response of the buds are from 10 Hz to 20,000 Hz. And they are supposed to cut up to 70% of noise.
The MDR-NC11 package comes with the ear-buds attached to the control/battery module, three different sized pairs of ear-fittings, an airplane adapter, an earphone holder (intended to minimize tangling during storage) and a draw-string storage bag. You need one AAA battery to use the ear buds.
I changed the ear fittings to suit my ears, put the ear buds on, and flipped the switch on. And I was immediately very disappointed. Although there was some reduction of the air conditioner noise, it was not even close to the almost total reduction that I got from the old NoiseBuster's. Worse, these Sony ear buds add a lot of high-frequency "hiss". The old NoiseBusters did this too, but to a much lesser extent.
Before returning this pair to the seller, I tested them inside the car, and while walking on city streets. They do help to cut down the upper-low-frequency and lower-mid-frequency noise. The noise reduction helped me hear more clearly news and talk programs (on NPR) -- so I can see these earbuds being useful for the train/bus commuter listening to the radio during their commute. But the added hiss would detract from listening to "soft" music. Otherwise, the sound quality is pretty decent.
In hindsight, this makes sense -- as a small "ear bud" design, the speaker elements in these headphones have a much weaker low-frequency response than their bigger brothers. And, for the same reason, they have a stronger high-frequency response which make them more hiss-prone.
Pity. I really wanted to like them, but for my use (to cancel the air conditioning hum), the MDR-NC11 just did not meet my expectations. Since I suspect most interested buyers are hoping for noise "elimination", I cannot recommend this product.
However, I think that the product would be worthwhile for the morning commuters listening to FM talk radio. The noise-cancelling works to clarify the spoken word so that you don't have to crank the volume to painful levels.
Enjoy peace and quiet on business trips with Sony s MDR-NC11 noise canceling earphone. Outside noise is reduced by 70% (10dB) when the noise canceling...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Sony MDR-NC11 In-ear headphones are noise canceling Fontopia noise-canceling earphones come with three cap sizes to ensure perfect fit Sony MDR-NC11 H...More at Overstock.com
Noise canceling design and technology cuts ambient noise by 70 percent 9 mm drivers deliver powerful sound Long cord gives you flexibility Includes in...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.