Sony MDR-NC5 Consumer Headphones

Pros: Much clearer sound on airplanes; I can understand all the dialog in the movies now!
Cons: Minor ear discomfort on long flights; need to keep a spare battery with you

I'm sitting right now* on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Seattle, wearing my MDR-NC5 headphones to help deaden the noise of the ancient 737 I'm in. There is no video or audio programming offered on this flight, so the headphones are not...

Pros: It does what it claims to do - reduces ambient noise
Cons: Could be more comfortable for fit

I used to fly a lot for business and I used to take my own Sony Portable CD player using the inexpensive headphones that came with it for the in-flight movies/music or my own collection of CDs. The sonic quality was fairly decent but there was plenty of...

Pros: Price, compact size, comfort, ability to listen to material at lower volume.
Cons: Higher frequency sounds not cancelled well, no adjustment of amount of white noise produced.

Prior to discussing how well this product works, I'd like to discuss some terminology. This product is a "noise-cancelling" headphone. This means it is powered (by a AAA battery) to produce noise which cancels out background noise. In contrast, there ...

Pros: They do the job decently
Cons: They don't do a great job

I always wanted to have such headphones. A couple of years ago I was reading about the principle of active noise canceling and was impressed by the idea. Since my work is related to this subject, I could to a certain degree imagine the effect. The noise...

Pros: Pretty good job of noise cancellation, OK audio quality.
Cons: Only OK audio quality, fit and comfort need improvement.

In early 2002 or so, I bought a pair of Ma xell noise canceling headphones, which did a pretty nice job for me. I wear them mowing the lawn! This spring (2004), the Maxell headphones died. One side stopped working. ...

Pros: Reasonable cost, good performance
Cons: Do not completely eliminate noise

The Sony MDR-NC5 headphones will noticeably improve your listening experience when traveling. While they won’t totally eliminate the drone of the airplane engines, you will be able to turn down the volume and still clearly and comfortably hear the...

Pros: Cancel out the A/C on the plane and at the office.
Cons: They are open headphones and you can hear other sounds.

Why I bought them:
I travel back and forth between Boston and San Francisco every week by plane. The first time I made this trek, I stopped in the Staples at the airport and picked up a pair for $99, thinking they would be better than a...

Pros: Compact, some Noise reduction
Cons: Poor sound, uncomfortable

I bought a pair of the MDR-NC5 in Singapore airport just before the 13 hour trip back to the UK. Getting them out of the box, my initial reaction was that the headband was fairly cheap and nasty and with my lack of hair (!) the divider where it bends was...

Pros: Some Noise Cancellation on Airplane
Cons: Does not work well, Poor Frequency Response

I travel a lot, and I used to carry a set of ear plugs when flying. Then I took a job that required me to commute an hour each way on a noisy train. Ear plugs worked, but I wanted to spend my commuting time wisely by listening to music. I read...

Pros: Good reduction on planes, Clean bass, Collapsible design
Cons: NR not as strong as other models, Fabric on headphones rips easily, Funny silhouette

When I initially purchased these headphones, I wasn't sure if I'd made the right decision. The noise reduction was not as strong as those of other headphones, and I wasn't crazy about the way the headphones fit on the head.

However, I've got...

Pros: Fold up small, neat aircraft adapter. They work pretty well.
Cons: Can get uncomfortable after a long session on your ears.

Reading about noise-cancelling headphones eh? You must be a traveller. Well these entry-level jobs from Sony do a pretty good job of eliminating repetitive noise. And that's the key to understanding how noise-cancelling headphones work. They "listen" for ...

Pros: Good sound quality.
Cons: Reduce only about 20% of plane noise.

I used the Sony MDR-NC5 headphones in a 12 hour flight. The sound quality is good but you need to increase the volume because the external noise is not cancel al all. I also tried the BOSE noise cancelling headphones and those really cancel about 75% of...

Pros: Oriented for travelers, noise canceling and certain freqs.
Cons: Fit, price, flatter folding would be better

I had these and was impressed with the amount of noise reduced on airline flights. I compared the Sony's with the Kenwoods but found that the Kenwood NC circuit cause too much noise. It is difficult to evaluate these products in a store. I would...

Pros: Portability, Good Sound
Cons: Tiny bit uncomfortable, Does not, by any means, "cancel" noise.

I purchased these headphones at an incredibly low price, so my expectations weren't incredibly high to begin with. Just wanted a pair of noise cancelling phones, because the bulk of my listening takes place walking the streets of New York City. I did not expect to be in my own little world when I slipped these babies on, I just wanted to make it a little quieter. These headphones did not disappoint me. However they should not be titled "noise cancelling," they should be called "noise reducing."

I have tried the Bose NC2's and these are nowhere near those, but for about $260 less they will do.

There is a little distortion on higher volumes, but since you don't need to listen to them very high in most conditions, you rarely get up there.

They are extremely portable and fold up quite nicely as well.

Overall, I am very pleased and got exactly what I expected.