Customer Reviews
Sony Noise Canceling Headphones 
2008-06-19
Great product and great value for the money. My 2nd pair. My 20 year old son liked the 1st pair so much that they walked off with him. Also very useful if you travel by airplane as well. Highly recommended.
BEST HEADPHONES EVER 
2008-06-18
THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST SET OF HEADPHONES I HAVE EVERY OWNED. I AM A FREELANCE SPORTS WRITER AND HAVING "PRIVACY" WHEN TRANSCRIBING NOTES FROM MY RECORDER IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM TO EVERYBODY AND WOULD BUY AGAIN IN A HEART BEAT.
Good Value 2008-06-15
These headphones seem to have good noise cancelling capability - good range of volume coverage, so that I can listen to classical music and hear both quiet and loud passages without having to adjust the volume. As a test, I sat near to the clothes dryer - impressive. For the price, these are great. I have only two minor criticisms. The headband can be quite uncomfortable - no matter how the size is adjusted, the band sits heavily on top of my head. And these do not fold quite as conveniently as other headphones do, which makes them somewhat bulky. But they come with a useful bag.
Good for the price, Uncomfortable 
2008-06-10
As others have stated, the Sony MDR-NC6 works to "reduce" noise but are quite uncomfortable. While in Vienna, I lost this set and went with a $60 JVC model that I love when I returned to the states. Yes, the price is far more, but on a long haul like that, It is worth it.
Not bad for a relatively cheap replacement 2008-05-29
I travel a lot and usually pass the time on an airplane reading and listening to music on my I-pod. After my last pair of headphones were stolen, I needed to buy new ones. I didn't want to spend the money that I had previously spent on a pair Sennheiser headphones, so I opted for these as a cheaper replacement. They are actually quite comfortable and I didn't have any problems wearing them for the entire 4 hour flights to and from home. They don't knock out the noise like the higher end noise cancelling phones do, but they work in a pinch, and like I said they are pretty comfortable. I'd give them a higher rating, but they're just not Sennheiser or Bose quality.
Okay performance, okay comfort 2008-07-18
I have used these on several international flights over the past few months. The noise cancellation is just "okay"; you get some small reduction in the background engine noise, but not as much as I got from my last pair of inexpensive NC headphones (sorry I don't remember the brand; they were a gift) that I used until they snapped in half along the folding hinge. The Sony didn't have the annoying hiss that the other pair had, which is a plus. It was somewhat more comfortable as well. It didn't squeeze my skull like the other pair did, but after a few hours, my ears still hurt, which may be due to them pressing against my eyeglasses. Overall I would say these are okay, better than nothing, but could definitely be better, especially in the noise cancellation feature.
decent performance for the price 2008-07-15
I got them as miles redemption and did not expect much. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. Once you turn on the noise-reducing circuitry, the low frequency range noise is significantly reduced. The NR works equally well for desktop PC fans as for airplane engine noises. They are also acceptable from the comfort p.o.v., I use them at the office, wearing them continuously for 2-3 hours at a time and they're OK.
Of course, there are downsides. Beside the flimsy plastic construction, and cheap foam covering the speakers, the noise-canceling circuit injects a lot of hiss and the sound quality is mediocre.
These are not HiFi headphones. They work however surprisingly well at reducing noise for how cheap they are (gratis in my case). Don't set the sound quality bar too high and you'll be happy you got them.
Uncomfortable and noisy 
2008-07-11
This is the first time I am reviewing anything here. I bought a pair just yesterday, and I am far from happy with them.
The ear cushioning is minimal and uncomfortable. Even worse, the wind rushes by between your ears and the headphones and drowns out whatever you're listening to. This might not be so bad in a plane, but makes it hard to walk around in them.
The noise canceling feature is also minimal. I had another set, so I know what noise canceling headphones can do. I don't expect it to cancel out all noise, but you do expect it to minimize the din and roar of trucks, trains, and other engine noise. I could barely tell the when the noise canceling feature was actually turned on.
I bought these because they were fairly cheap, and I expected good things from the Sony name. I don't know if I can return them, but I will try. My advice is to spend the extra money (about $100) and get a good pair. Also look up David Pogue's column on noise canceling headphones and see his review. The prices have dropped significantly since he did his review about six months ago.
Great Product for Price 2008-07-10
I bought the headphones to use on summer vacation for my daughter and I. While using the headphones in the airport and riding on the airplane, the headphones noise canceling function worked great. It basically cancels out the lower sounds (ie. airplane engines), so you can hear either your ipod or dvd player. Our flight was about 2 1/2 hours long, and the headphones were comfortable enough to wear without hurting our ears. I am sure there are better headphones, but for the price, these work terrific!
More of a noise muffler 
2008-07-10
I recently bought these headphones because they were on sale and I am a fan of Sony products. However, I was disappointed with the noise canceling feature because when you turn the switch on, you get white noise, that is still audible when you have music playing. I think the purpose of the white noise is to help block outside sounds, but to be honest, I find it more annoying and would rather listen to street noise. This white noise would only ever be appropriate if I were trying to block out a large parade. Case in point, these headphones are not noise cancelers, but rather, provide an alternative sound to override the outside noise.
They are a nice pair of headphones though, and when not in their noise canceling function, they do give a high quality of sound, and I don't require as high of a volume as with my other headphones. I am also disappointed in that they are not easily foldable. I would not buy this again, but I do plan on keeping them as a basic set of headphones. May be better on planes.
