Customer Reviews

Philips HN050 Noise Canceling Lightweight Headphones with Neckband

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I bought these off ebay on a whim (they were dirt cheap there), but after I got them, I realized why they were so cheap.

Pros:

* Decent noise cancellation - the background noise is noticably reduced, and the music seems noticably louder
* Reasonable batter life - I've had a AAA cell in there for more than 10 hours, and the battery is still doing fine.

Cons:

* Very noticable "white noise" - a hissing sound when noise cancellation is turned on. This is not noticable when playing music, but quite noticable when in pure noise-cancelling mode.
* Bad design - not foldable for storage
* Bad design for use on airplanes, since the band goes behind the head (around the neck) - makes the headsets ununable if you've got a pillow under your neck, or are planning to use them lying down anywhere
* The headsets don't work without the battery - even if noise cancellation is switched off
* The on-off switch is quite hard to operate - often takes a minute of struggling to turn off or on - due to it being a sliding switch with hardly any grip available to push it either way.
* Ears start aching due to the pressure on them within a couple of minutes.
* The cord is really short in real terms - at least 2' more would have been useful.

Bottom line - they're OK if you got them for a couple of $s (like I did off ebay), but no way are they worth $37 or more that they actually cost.

There isn't any way to adjust the neckband for better comfort. They will definitely slide off your ear if you put the back of your head against anything. There also isn't a means of adjusting the earpieces to fit them better to your ears. I am not real happy with the amount of buzzing/white noise in the background when I have them on. The noise gets even louder when you turn on the noise cancelling feature. The cord is also very short (3'9") which has caused problems for me when I use them. It would also be better if the noise cancelling unit was higher up on the cord. Its about exactly half way between the earphones and the jack. There is a clip on it but I can't seem to find much use for it. It does reduce noise a little but I don't think it does that good of a job for the price. I'd definitely suggest getting a better fitting pair of earphones.

The sound quality is pretty good -- about the same a earbuds that cost half as much.

The headband comfort is not bad, but takes a little getting use to.

The ear phones move off of your ear if rest your head on the back of a chair (or airplane seat).

If you are looking for noise cancelation you will be very disappointed. There is some but not much.

Wow, I went into this without checking the user reviews first. Boy, am I sorry now. I sadly bought them at full price as well. At least amazon has them $19.00 less than target.

Here are my list of complaints:

1. The sound is in fact terrible. Even without the noise reducer, these get incredibly shrill and warped high ends. Even the standard ipod buds are leaps and bounds better than these.

2. The so called noise reduction is in fact an audible electronic hum, with or without music being on.

3. Noise reduced music is actually even more shrill and warped at the high end, although I did not think it was possible until turning the noise reduction switch on.

4. The noise reduction switch is in the most inconvenient place possible along the cord, so if you are using these at the gym one false move could send your $400 ipod crashing to the ground (as happened to me twice).

5. The headphones will not work unless a battery is in the noise reduction compartment so be prepared with a fresh battery in case of emergency.

6. The back of the head earphones offer absolutely to adjustment for smaller or larger heads leaving for an uncomfortable fit.

In conclusion, truth be told, these are the worst headphones I have EVER owned...and that includes any headphones that came with other portable music devices.

This is the first (and last) Phillips product I will ever buy, Phillips should be ashamed of themselves for even putting these on the market. I wish I could give them less than a star.

Now sadly, I have to eat the $50 I lost and spend even more money on a new set of headphones.

Please, learn from my mistake and DO NOT PURCHASE!

These headphones do a decent job of cancelling noise. Nothing like the Bose headphones, but they are not nearly as expensive either. Sound is good as well. I have two issues with them though. First, the battery pack for the noise cancelling system was placed in a perfect spot to clip on a belt or shirt. Great for using outdoors or while working around the house. But not very good in an office setting where you are constantly taking them off. If you don't clip the thing to your belt, it is always dangling and getting in the way. Second, there is on/off switch for the noise cancelling system. It is very easy to forget to turn it off when you are done, especially when leaving work after a long day. Well, do this overnight twice, and the battery is gone. The system does not realize there is no music playing and has no auto-off.

When forst buying these, I was a little reluctant. I mean, $50 for headphones? But, after trial and error I finally bought them. SO GLAD I DID!! The bass is the best I've ever heard. My father bought $350 earbuds, and even asked if he could borrow mine. The noise canceling feature is also awesome. I play highschool basketball, and these headphones can block out the chattering of our JV and Varsity (teenage) girls' basketball teams. I don't know that else to say. They're comfertable, lightweight and WORTH YOUR MONEY!!!

I bought these headphones with my iPod and on the ride home, I was amazed by the sound quality. When I got home, I put the battery into the sound enhancer and turned it on. The next time I rode in the car, I noticed the sound "cracked" and distorted whenever the car went over a pothole or even a small hole. All of a sudden (not even 4 months later) the left side of the headphone just died out! Both of these problems seem to be common, so I do NOT recommend!

Contrary to what a lot of reviewers have said, I thought the sound that these headphones provided was pretty good. I listen to a lot of music with a lot of different devices (speakers, headphones, and uh... i guess that's it) and I can't fairly say these had bad sound. But the design of these is terrible. As much as I like how they sound, I can only wear these headphones for about 10 minutes before my ears start to ache. Also, the battery box is incredibly annoying, and the cable is far too short to have my iPod in my pocket and have the headphones on with any comfort.

I used these headphones on the bus and they do a decent job at reducing the noise level. You can't hear all the noise around you but if someone is sitting next to you talking you can still hear them. If the bus hit a bump or started to go fast the headphones started to break the music up, making the noise that headphones make when the cord is shot and not making a good connection. They are a little big on the head but the padding feels good against the ears. I own a pair of AIWA noice canceling headphones and although they are not as comfortable they do a better job at reducing the noise-level.

These headphones really hurt my ears. My ears have to bend in order to fit into these headphones, after about 20 mins my ears start to really hurt. Secondly, the battery that came with it died after a few weeks.. as someone else said, the battery thing is in the wrong place, it gets in the way, is heavy and weighs the cord down, and it gets tangled in stuff. I don't recommend this headphones.