Sony MDR-NC20 Noise Canceling Headphones with Foldable Headband

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 7.3 x 8.8 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000DMA3
• Item model number: MDRNC20
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 28, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com

Retreat to a world of music, sleep on airplanes, or focus all your attention on study materials with Sony's stereo Noise-Canceling Headphones. They fit comfortably and have soft, high-quality speakers that completely cover your ears for an all-encompassing listening experience. Unlike lower-end models, these speakers don't pinch, leak sound, or cause pain with an in-ear insert. The noise-canceling feature blocks out 70 percent of all low-frequency sound. You'll still be able to hear someone speaking directly to you, but ambient noise--papers being ruffled, the rumble of an engine--disappears almost completely. Headphones plug into a Sony Discman, Walkman, and most other portable stereos or receivers. A mini jack allows you to plug the headphones into the standard jacks in airplane armrests, which will give you much better sound than the $5 disposables will for in-flight music services and movies. Sony's Noise-Canceling Headphones fold up for easy packing in a briefcase or carry-on luggage. One AAA battery is required to operate the noise-canceling function. --Cristina Vaamonde

Product Description

around-the-ear, sealed earcup design * up to 10 dB reduction of ambient noise * on/off switch for passive (standard) or active (noise-canceling) operation * accepts "AAA" battery (not included) for noise-canceling operation * 5-foot cord with gold-plated stereo mini plug *

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

482 of 493 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best of the conventional noise cancelers..., January 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC20 Noise Canceling Headphones with Foldable Headband (Electronics)

The fact that noise-canceling headphone reviews were all over the place made figuring out what to buy kind of difficult. I decided to buy the Sennheiser HDC451s ($80), the Sony MDR-NC20s ($120), and the Aiwa HP-CN5 ($50), and the Etymotic ER-6 ($130), try them all, and then return the three I liked least. Bose makes what are probably the industry standard but they weren't any better reviewed than the others and at $299, I wasn't interested.

Here's what I found:

Comfort: Kind of subjective, but in my opinion they rank as follows: Etymotic, Sony, Aiwa, Sennheiser. The Etymotics are basically earphones built into earplugs, so there's no bulk to worry about when moving around or trying to sleep on a plane. How comfortable they are kind of depends on how you feel about having things shoved in your ears. Of the conventional `phones, the Sony's closed-ear design is more comfortable over long periods. The open-air design of the other two tends to squeeze your ears after a while. The Sennheiser loses because of an inexplicably uncomfortable pad in the top.

Noise Canceling: Etymotic, Sony, Sennheiser, Aiwa. The Etymotics have no noise-canceling circuitry and rely purely on blocking the ear canal to reduce noise. This cuts more noise than the others and does it across the entire spectrum-making it the only one that will silence the kid screaming in the seat behind you. In the conventional `phones, the Sony again benefits from the closed-ear design, passively blocking some high register noise that the others miss. The Sennheisers actually have the most elegant electronics, silencing low hums with less hiss than the other two. Remember that active noise canceling only works in the very low registers-like the rumble of an airplane.

Sound: Etymotic, Sennheiser, Sony, Aiwa. The Etymotics live up to their reputation of being one the best sounding `phones on the market at any price, though they can amplify body noises such as chewing. The Sennheisers sound really muddy with the canceling turned off, but with it on they give fairly crisp sound a bit lacking in bass. The other two remain kind of muddy sounding with somewhat sloppy bass which might make watching movies on a plane a little more difficult. Overall, the Sony and Aiwa don't sound any better than the cheap `phones that came with my MD player.

Convenience: Etymotic, Aiwa, Sony, Sennheiser. The Etymotics fit in your shirt pocket but are definitely harder to get in and out than the others and don't include an airline adapter. The Aiwas fold up quite flat, have the batteries in the headset and have a carrying case. The Sonys fold up (but are still bulky), include a carrying case, and have the battery in the headset. The Sennheisers don't fold, have no carrying case, and have the batteries in the cord. All three conventional units come with airline adapters.

So in conclusion, the Etymotics are pretty much light years ahead of the others, but only if you are okay with having them jammed in your ears (didn't bother me, but my wife had no interest.) The conventional units all have their pluses and minuses, so you'll have to decide what features are important to you.

210 of 213 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones are GREAT!, September 1, 2001

By 

Jim Fowler (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC20 Noise Canceling Headphones with Foldable Headband (Electronics)

I travel a LOT. Fly on everything from TurboProps to Airbus A-320's and 757's. I've never been able to sleep on aircraft and lately, my tolerance for noise and screaming kids has gone to near zero. Well, that's what the Sony MDRNC-20 noise cancelling headphones have given me, ..... nearly zero noise on flights. My last two flights (this week) were on two SAAB TurboProp commuter aircraft and two A-320's and I could not hear the engines with these headphones on. I also use a Sony R70 MiniDisk Recorder / Player that was useless, due to in cabin noise, until I bought these headsets. I've tried the Bose (overpriced and cumbersome), Sennheiser and Toshiba units and the Sony's are the best. I highly recommend them for frequent fliers if you want to be able to function at the destination end of the flight. OH! Did I mention that we also use them while cutting grass on our diesel Kubota tractor with 60 inch mower deck and can't hear the tractor noise, but Bon Jovi comes through lound and clear from the Sony CD Walkman. The audio connection cord also has a convenient connector in it so your can disconnect the main lead and just use the headphones for noise reduction. I thought this a very convenient feature for those who want to block out TV noise, kids, neighbors, etc and not listen to music at the same time.
It might sound like I'm a Sony fan (which I am) but I'm also an audio engineer and my motto is "Specs first, price second". I was pleased to find a product that cost over $120 less than Bose and worked every bit as well, .... maybe better.
You need a pair of these if you fly a lot or just want some peace and quiet.

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT!! for the bus or plane, otherwise GOOD, September 1, 2001

By 

Willis Johnson (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC20 Noise Canceling Headphones with Foldable Headband (Electronics)

These invert ambient sound in lower frequencies, feeding the inverted signal into the speakers on top of the sound from your cd player, etc. The effect is that low frequency ambient sounds such as the roar of jet engines, the drone of bus tires against asphalt, traffic, loud airconditioners, etc. are cancelled. That lets you listen to music at a normal (non deafening) volume in an otherwise noisy environment. EXCELLENT for destressing a commute or plane trip. Compared to other headphones, I rate these GOOD but not the best. The Sony MDR 7506, for example, gives somewhat clearer and more accurate reproduction of classical instrumental music--piano, cello, acoustic guitar... but the 7506 lacks the noise cancelling feature you need to listen to such music in a noisy environment. FYI I tried the Bose and didn't think they worked any better than these, though they were $100 more expensive.