18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Good for the price (I think!?)
Date of Review: Mar 2, 2004
The Bottom Line: For noise-cancelling 'phones, these are probably as good as you'll get in this price range, but don't expect miracles.
I spent yonks reading all the reviews of the various option available for noise-cancelling headphones, and came to the conclusion that none of the reviews were conclusive. Here's a summary to save you the time - The Bose 'phones are great, the best, but too expensive and too big. These Senny's reside in the next level down, along with some offerings from Sony. Beyond that, you get into the realms of Akia, Panasonic, JVC and other sub-$50 units, which whilst cheap, are not widely regarded by anyone (it seems).
If you've done any research, you'll already know that for every review that says 'these are great, can't live without them', you'll get another that says 'waste of money, no bass, gave me a headache'. I would dearly love to give you a definitive answer, but it honestly boils down to the fact that you need to try a couple of sets to decide what's best for you - not always easy if you're buying off the web (though at least in the UK you can return them within 7 days under the distance-selling rules).
So, after using the Bose one on a transatlantic flight, I'd convinced myself that I need a pair of those. Then I saw the price, and decided that I need something similar, but cheaper. I went for the Senny's over the Sony's, only because the Sony one are poked into the ear canal, and I don't get along with that design. The Senny's just sit over your ears, and fold up into a small(ish) pouch.
So, sat at the back of a noisy 737, and my first impression were.....'is that it??'. I'm not sure what I expected, but I think it was along the lines of absolute silence, no engine roar, just the chit chat of people 10 rows in front of me, and the odd announcement from el Capitan. It's just not like that, and in fact, it's very tricky to describe exactly the effect, but I'll try. If you imaging a pyramid, and cut it into 10 horizontal slices. Starting at the bottom (the low noises), just putting the phone's on will loose a slice, as they sit quite snugly around your ear. Turning on the NC feature then maybe takes off another 3 or 4 slices, leaving the top 5 slices, which amount to some engine noise, and the general clatter of being on a plane.
That doesn't sound too effective, and indeed, I wasn't initially impressed. But, turn on the music (iPOD), and the difference between having the NC turned on and off is massive. I've always though that the iPOD didn't go loud enough (to drown out the engine drone), but with the NC turned on it does. The bass is not as good as the iPOD 'phones, and they're not particularly good in the first place, but that's probably the only weakness in the sound. I'm no audiophile, and you have to expect that given all the manipulation taking place with the sound before it gets to your ears, it's never going to be as pure as sound coming from a non-NC set of 'phones.
You might read some reviews that say to take these with you and turn them on, even if you're not listening to music. I don't see that. Although they'll take an element of the drone away, they're not comfortable enough to forget you're wearing them, and in my view don't do enough to justify wearing them just because they make the world a bit quieter.
The only other snag with any of these is the fact that they need batteries to work. The life is very good (40hrs+), but the fact you've got another bit of kit to hold on to whilst sitting in the throne that is an Economy seat is a minor pain. It does have a clip, but the combined weight of 2 x AA batteries, and the unit itself, means that you can't hag it of your shirt pocket.
Finally, some people have complained of headaches or nausea after wearing these for a bit. I don't get any of that; I guess you either fall into the weird or non-weird camp on this issue, and the only way to find out is to try them. Admittedly, they do give an odd sense of being a 'bit distant', kind of like listening to a stereo system without the middle channel, but I've not had any ill-effects, though so far I've only used them for short-haul.
So overall, would I recommend these? Yes, certainly.
Are they amazing, give up a kidney for these 'phones? Not really.
Are they good value? More or less; I paid #70/$130 for these after shopping around on the web.
