Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 4.1 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002T3UQ0
• Item model number: MDRNC40
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)

Product Description

Shut out up to 80% of the ambient noise around you with the MDR-NC40 noise canceling headphone. Great for work, traveling or just when you're trying to sleep in a loud place, they provide a calming atmosphere no matter where you are. The pressure-relieving cushion offers premium comfort, and the lightweight, folding design makes storing them a breeze. Includes a premium travel case and "AAA" batteries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine product, November 10, 2008

By 

Ronald K. Goodenow (Northboro, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) (Electronics)

I travel a great deal and have a drawer full of noise canceling headphones by Panasonic, Kensington, JVC and Sony. Each had limitations -- not enough high end, poor construction, poor noise reduction, or in the case of lesser Sony's I bought several months ago, pretty good sound, but rather inadequate ear cups and poor portability (they wouldn't fold up to occupy as little as possible space in my briefcase.)Always worried about losing or damaging something while traveling I did not go for the full kahuna and buy Bose.

So, having seen these around some local shops and taken a listen I bought the NC40 and immediately took them on a trip.

By and large they are fine. When turned on (don't even try to listen to them when off) the sound is rich and clean; lovely base and good high end, which is important to my tired ole ears. Plenty of mid-range. Nice volume. I'm not sure they are world beaters in terms of overall noise reduction, but they certainly take the edge off and from my same old seat near the rear of a Southwest jet, they provide a relaxing and easy to take listening experience. One WANTS to use this extremely comfortable headset, whether noise reduction is needed or not. I hear things I didn't know my MP3 decoder put in a file. Oh, I listen mainly to jazz and classical music.

Oh yes, they fold up neatly and I like the on-off switch/battery holder, which lives by itself on the connecting line and has an override button that works beautifully.

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Performance, Nice price, September 30, 2008

By 

John Hook (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) (Electronics)

As a frequent business traveler, I was looking for some noise canceling headphones but did not want to spend the chunk of change on Bose. After reading some of the reviews on these Sony's here and other places, I decided to give them a shot. I'm glad I did! Now, I'm no audiophile, nor do I have much to compare these to from a noise canceling perspective, but they do their job well. Yes, you have to have them turned on for them to sound decent, but the battery life seems very good. I've made 3 trips to China and a few domestic trips with the original battery still in them. Probably 60 hours conservatively (I only use them on the planes). I can keep them on for a 13 hour flight with out any discomfort, and I am very pleased with the degree of noise canceling.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Item for the price, Just know what you are buying it for, September 7, 2008

By 

Irv Miller "Mr Defense" (Berkeley Springs, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) (Electronics)

I find it funny when I read other people's reviews and they complain about the sound of these units with the power turned off. These units are noise canceling headphones. They were not meant to be "hi-end listen to all your music all the time type of headphones." There are tons of other headphones to choose from that will surpass the performance of the Sony MDR-NC40 for everyday use and for a lot less money.

The NC40 are a noise canceling headphones. They were meant to cut the constant drone of airplane noise or the constant sound you get when riding in a bus or a train... and they do work.
I guess what I can honestly say is if you travel 5 or 6 times a year on a plane then this is a great choice. I have not listened to the Bose models, but I can tell you this, no matter what I can afford, there is no way I could justify 3.5X the price for the Bose headphones to travel with a few times a year.

The NC20 sits on the ear, it does not cup the ear. You can still hear when people talk to you at normal levels. If you are dealing with a screaming baby behind you just crank up the volume of whatever you are listening to and it will drown out the unwanted sounds.

These are great if you use them for what they are intended. You can buy the NC40 here on Amazon and then get a set of Bose TriPort Headphones for regular every day listening and still be at less than 1/2 the price of the Quiet comfort headphones.

The bottom line is I would recommend the NC40 to anyone who travels, but not to some one who just wants headphones to use at home.