Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

In noise cancel mode, these headphones sound great. They have a flat response and sound very natural. The highs are not too crispy and the lows are not too boomy. They block out external mid and high range noise effectively, though some lows might creep in and you cannot use noise cancel in the wind. They sound awful with the noise cancel off and are useless in that mode. I drive a diesel truck and I have no regrets at buying these headphones. They have soft pads and are lightweight and comfortable and I very much appreciate the sound quality. I found Phillips earbuds to be way too crispy in the high end and returned a set of Koss QZPRO because they sounded terrible.If you are looking for good sound in a noisy environment, these Sony's will do you good.

I've had these headphones for about 9 months. I wanted to wait to review them, because headphones sometimes fall apart and this is obviously relevant to their value. And while this set isn't on the high end price-wise, it isn't cheap either. But I can say that I have had no problems with them so far.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with headphones. Yes, I love them for the music, but there's always something about them that is uncomfortable or obnoxious. I listen to music while in transit, so I need a pair that is comfortable, but most headphones don't seem to be designed for comfort! Comfort means: doesn't hurt your ears to wear, and doesn't slip off. But this is usually a tradeoff; it's so difficult to find headphones that aren't a nuisance to wear in one respect or the other.

In fact, for a while I wore earbuds because they tend to hurt less than headphones for long periods of listening, and they don't slip off if you have them in securely. But the problem is I found that although they wouldn't slip, they'd get yanked off easily if my arm or another object brushed the cord. I also tried a pair of "in the ear" headphones and the problem was any movement of the cord transmitted up into my ear, which was very distracting.

I have none of these problems with Sony MDR-NC40. Actually they are very comfortable, so comfortable that at work I couldn't wait for a break to put them back on. The padding feels great, does not put painful pressure on the ears, but is snug enough that the set stays on if you lean forward or back. And while I won't say that they're the coolest option in the summer, they are very light so they are cooler than larger alternatives that can make you hot.

The sound is really great. I cannot compare to high end headphones, but I can certainly say that the sound is richer and clearer with these than with the Sony MDR-NC6 I wore before them. Another reviewer mentioned that one can hear singers more clearly, which is the first thing I noticed. Being outdoors, it's difficult to understand lyrics, but I can actually listen to audio podcasts now at a bus stop with cars rushing by - without cranking up the sound. This is in part due to the noise cancellation, which is excellent, and to the sound quality. I could make out not only words, but instruments that couldn't be distinguished with other headphones.

Others have mentioned that music does not sound good with the noise cancellation off. My only complaint is not so much about the lower base with it off, but the tunnel quality of the music. And with the cancellation on, wind is made very loud. Indoors this is obviously not a problem, but if you wear them outside as I do this means you sometimes have the tradeoff of music quality or wind noise. Maybe there's nothing they can do about this, and in any case I consider it a minor complaint.

I'll say this much about the noise cancellation, though. Even in the quiet of my apartment I love to retreat into the music with these. I can listen without even the minor distractions of the hum of the refrigerator or the low conversations just barely heard in other apartments. And while it won't let you completely tune out obnoxious people, I've worn them on the bus, the train and the plane and the cancellation eliminates much of the engine noise, making the ride a lot more pleasant. There may be better out there if money is not a limitation. But for the price, these headphones are a real gem.

Sony Mdr-Nc40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)
As long time audiophile (30 years) I still find digital fiddling with music a little disconcerting, but these headphones do the job at the price point intended. Even though advertised "iPhone compatible" I was worried until the jack fit perfectly in the iPhone, a problem to date.

While some may scoff, I have never heard a set of speakers or headphones that didn't benefit from a "white noise break-in" which I will commence this evening. My initial impression bordered on 5 stars, but the extra bass bump with the noise cancelling on, dropped it down a star. I have been listening to my iPhone with the $100 in-the-ear-canal VModa earplugs and was concerned my high frequency hearing was deteriorating faster than I had thought. The VModa's must roll off at 12kHz...These Sony phones brought out crystaline delicate highs I haven't experienced for years. I suppose my old Sennheisers and Yamaha headsets were in need of replacement long ago...

I have tried the Bose noise cancelling phones and they did a very good job...of filtering out the music and feeling like a pair of socks were placed in my ears. I know there are many Bosse fans out there, but audio equipment has always been broken down into two major categories for me: Realism vs.Drama (Bose being dramatic, like the old floor standing speakers with the equalization box). I come from the Linn Sondek realism school, but that is a different story for a different time. Anyway, the Bose noise cancelling phones, were horrid, unmusical sound control devices. If I would have been forced to choose that day (at the Bose Store), I would have purchased the convential Bose headphones. I know little of the digital processing for noise cancelling save the generation of an inverse (out of phase) wave of the "detected noise" to cause cancellation. Automotive companies are/have experimented with this concept to eliminate exhaust system noise.

The Sony's are a bit bass heavy in the noise cancel mode without flattening out the highs however. Turning off the noise canceling removes the bassiness, but I can live with the fat bottom end as this is the more preferrable setting if again forced to choose. These phones image spectacularly and handle vocals with a smooth easy, effortless swweetness. You can actually understand the singer and what he/she is singing. Mind you, I still am getting used to the lossy MP3 encoding after years of analog addiction, but the Sony's for the price are a great buy. Note I am saying $100 is well spent.

After a few weeks of white nosie on these guys, I can bet they will get better. My acid test will be on my home system with a DMP label CD recording, the closest thing to analog available. To this date, no one understands digital recording and production like Tom Jung and Co. I will report back as I am fascinated to see if my $100 love affair lasts.

RCK

I recently purchased these for a trip to Europe. I tested them out on a flight to California. I found them to be quiet and comfortable. I wear glasses, so some earphones grind the earpieces into my head. These did not. I am extremeley happy with my purchase.

I report a comparison of the Sony MDR-NC40 headset Sony MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) to the very popular Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 pair Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones. My background is scientific and technical, but I am not a serious audiophile. I have no particular allegiance to either brand.

1. First impressions
The Audio-Technica (A-T) headset struck me as much more solid, larger, and more padded on the headband. The Sony looks less substantial, is definitely lighter, and has a battery pod halfway down the cord that stands out right away.

2. Fit, comfort, and size
The Sony is on-the-ear, while the A-T is over-the-ear. I was expecting to prefer the A-T for that reason, but find that the ear cups have overly small openings. In addition, the ear cup padding, for some mysterious reason, has a seam located very close to the lip of the hole for you ear. The inner material is not smooth, and I find that the seam touches my ears, despite all attempts to adjust the position. I have a large head (always XL hat sizes), and I have to max out the headband on the A-T. The Sony has spare adjustment when I have it set to my liking. The A-T is certainly heavier and larger, the Sony less so. The over-the-ear A-T protrudes further back, potentially bumping seatbacks or pillows more easily. Finally, the Sony folds at three hinge points (one on top and one above each ear cup), so the folded result is very compact. The A-T can be adjusted to smallest headband length and the ear cups rotated to fit flatter within the headband for storage. The Sony on-the-ear pads feel quite comfortable with a good amount of pressure, but push just a tad on the rear part of the ear. Whether they may bother over long periods is a matter of individual preference.

3. Noise cancellation
This is a tough one. I played music through speakers and used both of them with no music playing through the headphones, but noise canceling on. The A-T have more passive noise cancellation being over-the-ear, and eliminate a lot of sound, particularly mid- and low-tones, not as well in the high tones. A very, very slight hiss is heard with no music playing. I didn't think I could hear any hiss on the Sony pair until I squashed them against my ears and was just able to hear a bit. I was unable to hear any hiss with music playing on either of them. The Sony also eliminates some mid- and low-tones, definitely noticeable, but I give the edge here to the A-T.

4. Sound quality
This is very difficult to quantify. Let's just say that both, with power on, seem great to me. I have good hearing but am no audiophile. With the same input, the A-T is slightly louder. Turning the power off, both sound muted, duller, less 3-dimensional, with serious loss of all frequencies, but especially treble (highs). While the Sony starts out quieter with power on, the A-T volume drops much more with the power off. I judge the Sony usable with power off (in a pinch), and the A-T less so.

5. Cords and plugs
Both cords are identical in diameter, very skinny an unsubstantial looking in my opinion. The cords appear to be the same length, but the Sony connects to both ears, while the A-T attaches only to the left earcup. The Sony has a right-angle plug that almost doesn't fit into my computer speaker receptacle. The A-T has a cord with one straight and one right-angle plug, usable either way. It can also be detached when using the headphones for noise canceling only. The Sony has its battery, switch, and mute button on a pod halfway down the cord. The A-T has a switch on the left earcup. I find the Sony pod a bit annoying while using it at my desk. It is in just the wrong spot so it wants to fall off the desk. The A-T includes a two-prong airline adapter and one of the really large stereo plugs. The Sony also has an airline two-plug adapter that has a swiveling prong so it can be either one or two pronged. Not sure why one needs it to swing out of the way when the plug is the same as on the cord, and has a right angle to it already.

6. Mute button
The Sony has one, the A-T doesn't. Seems very handy for when the flight attendant asks what your food and beverage choices are.

7. Carrying case
Both have zippered cases. The Sony is foldable, with an oval shape about 4.5" wide x 5.5" high x 2.5" thick. The A-T case is about 7.75" wide x 8.25" wide x 2" thick. While slightly thicker, the Sony case is about 1/3 the frontal area of the A-T case. Both cases have a spare battery holder, and both have one battery included.

8. Packaging
My Sony pair came in one of those indestructible plastic shell packs. If you cut it carefully all the way around the perimeter near the back, it opens up very cleanly. The A-T comes in an absurdly large box, because the case is separate from the headphones so they can be seen. The box is unusual, with top flaps that open to the side first. I felt stupid almost tearing it apart to open it, but there are no instructions other than small thumb holes as a hint.

9. Conclusion
I'm not saying which one I kept. I think it is too much a matter of individual preference. I give both models 4 stars because I did not experience that "sigh of contentment" with either of them, but they are both solid contenders.

I bought the first set of these a few months back.I was impressed with the sound. The noise canceling works to a degree, well enough for me and I liked the way it also creates an EQ curve that eliminated some of the midrange honkiness that many smaller headphones have. However, one side simply stopped working only a couple of weeks after I bought them. I returned them to the store and got another pair, thinking the problem might have been just with that pair. The second pair lasted a while longer, but one side (the same side) has now stopped working in these. The problem seems to be related to the circuitry in the small switch/battery compartment. At this point, I've given up on them. I have cheap old headphones that came with some junk cassette player I bought 15 years ago that still work, guess it's back to those.

I have looked at other noise-blocking headsets and purchased these from Sony because of the great value. They are slimmer, sleeker, and just as effective as the much more expensive, bulkier ones. I have been using them almost daily and have been very happy with them.