Blissful EARgasms

Have you ever been really annoyed by outside noise while listening to music or radio with your headphones? Noise canceling headphones are the blissful answer.

The way noise canceling headphones work is quite simple. Imagine the sound that radio makes without being tuned in. Similar to this, is something called "White Noise." The white noise (inverse phase sound) is pumped into the ear speakers on the outer edge and masks the outside noise. In the manual, this is described as, "Tiny microphones record the ambient noise. The NoiseGard electronics then create a sound wave, which is phased modified by 180 degrees compared to the noise - which results in two sound waves almost completely canceling one another out." This is the same technology built into the cockpits of aircraft so pilots can focus. This is perfect for commuters on trains, buses or planes. In situations, where you need to be able to hear a doorbell or announcements over a loudspeaker, you can always turn off the "NoiseGard" feature - rendering these headphones just like typical headphones.

Power source: TWO AAA batteries. While normal alkaline batteries are supposed to last for about 8-12 hours, I recommend the use of rechargeable batteries and either a second set of rechargeable batteries or regular batteries as back-up for longer journeys. If the batteries should die and you're caught without backup batteries - no worries. The only thing you'll lose out on is the noise-canceling feature. You'll be able to listen to tunes like any other regular pair of headphones.

The battery housing has a clip that rotates, which comes in handy while sitting - it will rotate to a horizontal position and become comfortable. When clipped to a shirt or jacket pocket, the vertical position works best. When the batteries start to drain, the red LED on the battery compartment will blink. If you sleep through that period, the noise canceling feature will shut off, but the "Audio Always" feature allows the music to continue to play.

This set of headphones comes with a nice zippered nylon carry bag with a belt loop. Great to keep extra batteries, a charger and adapters with you. Afterall, Sennheiser calls these headphones, "travel headphones." They are designed to collapse so small, that the entire unit will fit into a shirt pocket.

Speaking of adapters, the PXC 250 comes with a standard mini-plug (3.5mm) for portable MP3, CD, cassette players, a larger (1/4") adapter plug for home use and a dual plug (double mono plug)adapter for older airplane connections (newer connections have been switched over to "mini-plug" size). Both the larger adapter and the airplane adapter simply slip over the mini-plug connector. Now, you don't have to spend money on airline headphones to watch the in-flight movie.

On a recent trip to Chicago, I had used these headphones for the first time, not only did it almost knockout the roar of the airplane engines (I sat over the wing), but small whining kids were no match for the PXC 250!!!! That, alone, was well worth the seemingly steep price tag of $149.00.

Technical Data: Frequency response: 10-21000 Hz, cable length: 1.8 meters, weight without cable: 65 grams, Transducer principle: Dynamic - closed and earcoupling: supra-aural. Supra-Aural? I think I dated her in high school...LOL By the way, if the head or ear cushions should wear or fall off, they are replaceable.

To me, frequency response is the most important thing. The lower the first number, the better the bass response. In this case 10 is much better than the 30 on the Shure E2c I was considering purchasing.

Sennheiser guarantees these headphones for two years and I purchased the extended replacement warranty at Sharper Image. They are available through Sharper Image, Sennheiser.com, Amazon.com and most quality electronics and stereo shops.

I recommend these noise canceling headphones for those who travel or commute often or those who need to block out outside noise. The price is a bit steep just for occasional music listening.


Update: 2/15/07 Remember the advice I gave you about tucking the wires into your shirt or jacket so they wouldn't get caught up on things? Well, I had a momentary lapse of reason and ripped one of my cables. I contacted Sennheiser and the cables are not replaceable on this model. So I searched the net for the best price and found www.lcdtvs.com based in New Jersey. $99 and no tax - wooo hoooo!