Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Forgot to bring my noise canceling headphones on a recent trip and decided to pick up a pair of those on the return leg.

The built quality is very good, it comes with a nice (but quite large) case and a full set of cables and adapters.

Although I'm skeptical about the claimed 99% reduction in noise levels I must admit that the noise canceling is very efficient, it's far better than that of any other headset I've tried.

They're comfortable to wear for extended periods of time and the internal battery easily lasts for a full flight. A nice touch is that it also works with AA batteries should you forget to charge the internal battery.

My only complaint is the size of the case, it's much to big. Other than that those headphones are great and I'd recommend them to anyone with a bit of extra space in their carry on.

I bought these headphones after trying them out at Narita airport in Tokyo earlier this year. I didn't have time to charge the internal battery before the flight, so I used AA batteries in the included adapter cable. That was the only time that I used the external battery. I've logged about 75,000 air miles using these headphones without a single problem.

The noise reduction is excellent, and the headphones are quite comfortable. The digital technology allows the user to adapt the noise reduction curve to the ambient conditions.

Yesterday I swapped headphones with a friend while riding in the back of a Canadair regional jet between San Francisco and Albuquerque. Those of you who have ridden in that section of this aircraft know that it's one of the noisiest rides around. I found that I could barely hear my iPod with his noise-canceling phones, while listening was easy and enjoyable with the Sony digitals.

Since they're digital, the phones are thicker than other brands. That's not a big problem for me. However, the huge case is a problem and doesn't fit easily in my briefcase, so I've started carrying the headphones in a stuff sack with another sack for the charger and other accessories. Everything now fits fine in my briefcase and carry-on.

Hello
I am an electrical engineer who travels extensively. I have used the Bose QC1 and QC3 for years and deeply appreciate noise cancelling headphones for flights (for the life of me, I cannot figure out why everyone isn't wearing them!).

On a recent trip, I lost one of the ear pads on my QC3, so I figured it was a good time to replace them with the new Sony digital Noise Cancelling headphones. I understand the technology well and expected a great product.

First, some complain about discomfort of these headphones. They are not heavy and I didn't find uncomfortable in the least. If my choice is wearing headphones versus listening to the drone of a A340, give me the headphones ANY DAY!

Now the good part: the noise cancelling is superior to anything that I have ever heard (though I suspect good earbuds, like Shure, are probably better. I am not a fan of ear buds). These Sonys are certainly better than the Bose. The sound quality is Sony-perfect and I could barely hear aircraft engines. Besides superior noise cancelling, the Sony blocked out ALL noise, including talking or those damn crying babies, whereas the Bose only cancelled out the engines, with little attenuation of baby noise. DSP to the rescue-Sony has done a superb job of noise cancellation!

And, now for the bad part: These headphones have a VERY annoying thumping problem that comes and goes. It sounds as if someone is constantly thumping on the headphones on a windown and it can be loud. The problem seems worse on aircraft but I am sitting in the basement right now and I can still get the thumping. There is a definite problem with the noise cancelling algorithm that causes the phones to start thumping at a low frequency. On a recent LAX-ORD flight, I found that the thumping noise could be influenced by pressing on the phones or even leaning back in the chair. Sometimes even the slightest pressure on the outside of the cans causes them to start thumping. To stop the thumping, you lift one of the ear cups momentarily.

I found that sometimes I could move my jaw around and start or stop the thumping. I think the thumping is also somewhat dependent on ambient noise. Right now I am in the basement and the only noise (absolutely, totally cancelled) is the furnace. The thumping is pretty much gone until I touch the cans. I might be mistaken, but it seems to me that the thumping starts whenever the actual speaker elements get close to my ears--leaving little air space under the cans. Maybe there is a problem with a microphone pick-up inside the cans?

Nonetheless, on the most recent flight, the thumping became so persistent and annoying that I simply took them off and put them away. I was disgusted! There is a design problem with these headphones and Sony needs to figure out how to fix their DSP algorithm. And I need to figure out how to unload these phones. Because, while they are, by far, the best noise cancelling headphones I've ever heard, the obnoxious thumping makes them useless!

For now, I am going back to my Bose QCs until Sony get's their DSP act together.

I have used the QC3 since the product was released. But reviews of the Sony digital headset compelled me to try them. I'm a person who loves emerging technology; no emotional attachment to Bose. I just returned the Sony set after a direct comparison between the two. The key differentiators: quality of sound, especially bass; comfort; noise cancellation; size. The overriding differentiator was quality of sound. Second was comfort. Bose was "clearly better." The Bose QC3's are smaller, and fit into a smaller laptop briefcase when the Sony will not. Key issue for a traveler on the move.

I own the Sony MDR-NC500D, and the Bose QC-1 & QC-2. At the bottom of the list is the QC-1. They don't reduce noise that well, and I've had the headband break twice, which Bose fixed, but shouldn't happen. In the middle is the QC-2, and the best of the three is the Sony. The reason why, is Noise Cancellation. The 500Ds have superior noise reduction, without debate. That is the primary reason for getting them, and they are several dB better than the QC2, at least on triple-sevens (one engine on each wing) and 747s (two engines on each wing, which is more noisy).

Now on to the other comments-

Comfort: I have a large head, so I adjusted them to the largest size and put them on. After a few minutes I could feel the pressure of the cups on the back of my jaw--they were much too big, and once adjusted 5 clicks smaller they were extremely comfortable, for those long SFO-LHR flights. If your head is small though, I am not sure they can be adjusted small enough.

Audio quality: Very good. The bass response is not as good as the QC2, but close. Far better than most headphones, probably very close to flat. The QC2s exaggerate bass (a bose constant) but for many (including me) we prefer more bass. So I tweak the bass a bit on my player, problem solved.

Battery life: More is better. There's a small pack for a pair of disposable AAs, but it isn't a nice as the Bose solution. And I have to carry a charger around for the lithium batteries.

All in all there's a lot of little stuff to carry around in the headphone case. Bose's QC2 is smaller. QC2s have better bass response, and have better battery life.
Sony's are just as comfortable, the bass response can be equalized, and batteries have to be carried anyway. But the Sony's are much quieter. If you are looking for the best noise reduction, these are unmatched. (even my etymotics don't do as well.)

I purchased this product in Oct 2008 with high expectations. I have owned NC Headphones before and travel about 100,000 miles a year on average. I listened to these headphones at the FA SO LA store in Tokyo. they canceled the noise extremely well. I purchased a pair. Once in the aircraft I put them on and noticed an annoying pressure on my eardrums and the sound canceling would be disrupted every time i moved. A " wha wha" sound kept going back and forth while listening to a movie. It was noticably annoying and distracting. My next trip back to Tokyo I exchanged them for another pair (a week later). The second pair did the same thing. On the ground they are amazing in their noise cancelation capablility. In the air, they end up hurting my ears after a couple of hours. I had to remove them due to discomfort!! I am extremely disappointed with these headphones due to this reason at ANY PRICE. The fact that they cost me $400 and I have this problem is expecially annoying!! I am trying to work with the duty free store and am getting nowhere due to language barrier and they state they work as advertised. I have switched to a much cheaper pair of Steinhauser headphones that don't reduce the noise as well on the ground but on the plane I can wear them for the entire flight. I hate the SONY headphones!! (YES, Hate is an extemely negative term that should be used sparingly) Also do not purchase anything from a duty free store that one could posibbly ever need to return!!

I had to add a review here to counter some of what has been written about these headphones.

I have owned these headphones for around 10 months and have used them on many flights during that time.

Noise canceling: the headphones really do a great job in canceling aircraft noise. Unfortunately, I have not used any of the Bose headsets to offer a comparison, but I can say that they do lower noise levels dramatically and allow you to listen to music at relatively low volumes. like others have mentioned, I have not been able to appreciate a real difference between the various noise canceling modes.

"Noise thumping": these headphones do produce a pressure-type sensation that is most noticeable when using them in a quite environment. However, this is far less noticeable when using the headphones during flights. Unlike other reviewers, I have certainly not found the pressure to be fatiguing on flights, nor has it ever made me feel "nauseated".

Battery life: fantastic. I recently used the headphones on 4 back to back flights covering almost 10,000 miles. The headphones lasted around 16 hours before running out of power. I was then able to switch over to the AA battery back which powered the headphones without any trouble for the remaining 4 hours or so of flights.

Size: as others have mentioned, the case which comes with the headphones is rather large. I think this is really unavoidable considering the number of accessories that come with the headphones: AC charger, AA battery power pack, cables, plug adapters etc. I have been able to carry the case around in carry-on luggage without too much difficulty. One advantage of the case size is that its big enough to also hold a ipod/ zune etc.

Value: definitely a little overpriced in this regard and marked down as a result. I was able to purchase the headphones new on ebay for around $100 off MSRP and feel that they represent a good value at that price

I had briefly a set of Bose QC 15 noise cancelling headphones that I exchanged for the Sony NC500D headphones. I did a back-to-back comparison at a Sony Style store before exchanging them and just got back from doing a back-to-back comparison at a local Bose store.

My benchmark is the Shure SE530 earphones which I really like but find not so comfortable after 10 hours in the air and the PTH gadget is ackward to use. I haven't had a chance to do a back-to-back test against the Sonys with them yet.

Noise cancelling
-Using the Bose store noise generator the Bose are noticeably quieter than the Sonys. But using the Sony store noise generator the Sonys are quieter so it's a tie.
-There seems to be less white noise with Bose in a limited test, though the Sonys let you pick the quietest setting if you want.
-In the air the Sonys are about as quiet as the Shures with worn foam sleeves.

Comfort
-Bose have softer pads and seem more comfortable than the Sonys. Haven't tried either one on a long flight yet, but I think either one will be OK.

Sound Quality
-Both seem to have the same equalization, but the Sonys have noticeably cleaner sound. They seem on par with the Shures, with better bass.

Use
-The Sony case is gigantic, too large to fit in a brief case along with a laptop.
-I haven't had the Sonys long enough to use up the internal battery, but I do know that the external battery is going to be a hassle to use, much like the Shure SE530 PTH module.
-I've never had a problem with Bose QC 2 battery life and you can always replace the AAA in flight.

I bought these in a Sony store. The booklet says the phones work with 2 AA batteries, or with the inbuilt rechargeable batteries. So far so good. Upon coming home, I find out that you can't insert 2 AA batteries into the phone (as with the Bose QC2 among others), but you need to attach an external battery case and cord to be able to do that. Who wants to walk around like that? So for all practical purposes you're dependent on the rechargeable battery which I have a feeling will give up the ghost after 2-3 years of use. Moreover, even brand new they didn't last the duration of a long flight. When I used the phones on a flight from LA to Singapore, they died on me after about 12 hours. Once the batteries are dead, you not only lose the noise-cancellation, but also the sound. That's exactly why I prefer batteries that you can insert yourself. Moreover, I carry enough junk around as it is -- last thing I need is another charger to drag along with me.

It's a pity because otherwise i find the headphones comfortable and the noise-cancellation good. As it stands though, I'd recommend the Bose QC2.

I replaced my Bose noise cancelling over-the-ear headphones with these Sony MDR-NC500D. While the Sony works quite well, I do not find the difference to be significant when compared to the Bose and would not pay any premium for them. At an equal price, the choice for me would be a toss-up. The Sony's are a little bulkier, but they are well-finished and do have the advantage of a rechargeable battery.