Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Headphones

5 star:		(139)
4 star:		(177)
3 star:		(119)
2 star:		(76)
1 star:		(81)

 

 

Yeah, they feel cheap, they are cheap. But nonethless, and on the light of their price, this phones are quite good.

I've tested the Bose QC2 and owned the Sennheiser PXC300 noise-reducing headphones, both well beyond the $100 mark, and even more beyond this Sony's asking price, and that's what makes these a good offer. The Bose is tops, the Sennhaiser are just slightly behind. To tell you the truth, I like the Bose earcups quite a lot and that's what makes the difference for me between those two.

Contrary to several other opinions I've just read here, I found this unit's earpads quite comfortable, non-obtrusive and well designed. Maybe I have flat ears or something, but I don't suffer from them. Neither do I suffer from the pressure of the headphones over my head (I have a big head by the way). Granted, I struggled a little trying several adjustments before feeling really comfortable with the set on. What I find a little obtrusive however, is the location of the battery compartment, looks bad, feels bad, and makes you think they put it there as an aftertought. Construction seems adequate, for the price. Some materials seem higher quality than others though. The earpieces feel particularly fragile, but you get a set that's very light.

The sound, altough not great, is pleasantly good, specially when the NR circuit is on. I have an old pair of Sony Digital Reference headphones for this kind of tests, since they are some kind of a benchmark from the days when Sony made high quality products. So I put the NC6 through a series of good quality audio sources and the results were surprising. No audiophile, netiher digital reference studio headphones levels here, but a very good, satisfying experience. The bass is powerful but not overriding, the midrange is rich and well balanced, high frequencies just blend in.

Now on the NR feature. If you read the specs, the NR circuitry on this model works on the low part of the human hearing spectrum. They do NOT reduce high frecuency noises such as voices, TV, etc. What they do is reduce humming, vibrating, low frequency noises. And they do it well. I tested this on environments with some noisy A/C units, washing machines, seating on an airplane, and the results altough not on par with the costlier units aforementioned, are satisfactory considering what you pay. I could hear music from my iPod with a comfortable volume level on the plane, and enjoy it. This can't be said about most other alternatives in the price range.

With the NR circuit on, the source sound gets a little boost, this can hardly be annoying and otherwise can be quite positive since it allows you to lower the source volume level and in the case of battery-hungry hdd-based digital players this can give you a bit more from your battery charge.

As with others NR sets, white noise is mixed with the source to provide the "cancelling" part of the equation. Yes, this white noise can be heard on this set, and on any other NR set I've tried. A bit lower on more expensive models, but a perceptible compromise anyway. To some people, this can sound a bit artificial, and it somewhat does, but hey, consider the alternative withstanding a noisy plane cabin, A/C units, and other such environments preventing you from hearing and enjoying your music.

If you're evaluating NR for the first time, go with these. They are inexpensive, and will give you an idea of what to expect from better sets. For the price you won't regret it, since you can opt for something up on the model line later and keep these as some kind of an emergency replacement, or keep them at your office, shop, etc. Your non-audiophile kids will probably love them too and they won't be damaging their eardrums prematurely.

Accesories include an airplane adapter and a pouch, both standard quality items, no surprises there. The audio cable has what seems to me the correct length, unlike some other sets with miles of cables to worry about. Even better, the cord is single-sided so you don't get to struggle around untangling it. Battery life seems erratic, I got about 35 hrs with a mid volume level using alkalines. Rechargeables are challenging, lasting from 15 to 25 hrs, but when you are running out, the NR feature fades away fast, so keep replacements handy since it gets a bit hard to pinpoint your battery-life expectancy.

I give them four stars, they are very good for starters, and for evaluating the technology without making a big investment.

after 8hrs on the plane the past few days, i need to purchase a
second pair for my wife. for the price, the performance is amazing.
my only complaint (if you can call it one) is after a few hours
they seem to press kind of hard on my ears.
sound quality is fantastic. works well with my portable dvd player. have 2 more long trips coming up the next few months,

These headphones are exactly the same as
Aiwa HP-CN6 Noise-Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones.
Aiwas are for sale as of now for $17.
The only thing different is the design. As you can see even the model number is similar.
As you probably know SONY owns AIWA, if you look at AIWA package you can read (c) Sony.

I didn't realize over the ear headphones could sound so great. I tried these for the first time on flight to the west coast. They did a great cancelling out the noise on a loud commuter flight and were perfect for the jet flight. I could finally enjoy a movie on my laptop without the constant background noise from the airplane. Bass, midrange and trebble were clear and crisp. For the price, you can't go wrong.

These are a great pair of headphones for the price. I was nearly put off from buying them because of several of the complaints of other reviewers. Here's my experience.

When you turn the noise cancelling feature on, there is a slight hissing sound. Although at least one person found this irritating, I've found that once the music starts playing it's completely imperceptable. In 20-30 hours of listening, I haven't noticed it once.

Since the earpieces do not fully surround the ear, the circular soft foam rests against the ear. Again, one reviewer complained that after several hours, his ears were uncomfortable. I've worn them for more than eight hours per day for the past two days and have noticed no irritation. Note that I have a large head--my hat size scares even me. I also wear glasses. I'd expect that if anyone was to be irritated by a tight fitting pair of heaphones, it would be me.

One person also complained that the battery compartment, which is located on the right earpiece support arm, pressed into his head. I can nearly fit a pencil between the battery compartment and my head, so I certainly cannot echo this issue. I'm now wondering whether my head was compressed into an oblate ellipsoid at birth. Maybe its time to buy a large hat.

I've found that the sound is comparable to a pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones for which I paid more than $200. The treble is clear and sharp and the bass is strong enough to please.

Everything, however, was not perfect, but maybe I'm the issue, not the headphones. I made a dumb assumption when I bought these headphones. From looking at the pictures, I assumed that there was a center hinge and that they would fold up into a neat package for traveling. They don't. Although the earpieces swivel in a nearly universal fashion, they do not fold up in a convenient way for storage, as do another pair of Sony headphones that I have. Woe is me.

Notwithstanding that, I really like these headphones.

Well, even after reading all the reviews, I still purchased these headphones -- they seemed like the best bang for the buck, especially since I didn't want to choke on the highly-rated $300 price tag for Bose's acclaimed sets.

They have most everything I wanted... simple/compact'ish carrying case, fairly innocuous battery location, a simple on-off switch, a plane-adapter, and noise cancellation with a mic for noise sampling. Basically they were only missing an inline volume control, which realistically wasn't that high on my priority list, overall. My intention was to be able use these on frequent, long cross-country flights, particularly with the occassional red-eye.

Most noteably, the headphones are relatively light and don't weigh too much on your head. Overall, the noise cancellation is decent and does noticeably reduce plane roar... I mostly noticed that I was able to turn DOWN the volume on most sound sources and the headphones worked well enough that I could hear *other* folks' music and/or on-board movie (the headphones basically cancel out the constant drone of plane engines, but not so much conversations or other "more variable" noises). However, after an hour or two of these on my head, the pressure on my ear cartilage was almost painful -- keeping in-mind that I wear Aiwa's HP-AK100 headphones most of the day at work.

Overall, these are a good headphone... I'd suspect I'd like them more if they weren't so "tight" over the ears (or were more of an "around the ear" design like the Aiwas (not noise cancelling)). If you don't want to afford the Bose and are only using this, like myself, for travel... these might be a good compromise for you. If you're looking for a good, long-use noise cancelling headphone, you might want to think about looking elsewhere... though, again, these are a pretty good value in my opinion.

I use these when I'm on my eliptical cycle in the basement. It very effectively drowns out the noise of the eliptical cycle and the noise from the boiler. It does not drown out outside voices, however.

I find the headphones uncomfortable. The foam padding on the ears do not do a good job providing comfort. You can definately feel the hard plastic of the headphone directly on your ears.

I bought these headphones to use with my ipod while on a long flight. They feel comfortable on and they sound great. My only complaint: The noise canceling features don't really work. There was a small reduction in outside noise while on the plane, but nothing significant. It's better used as regular headphones.

I've been obsessively researching headphones for the last 6 months and have read that ear-canal earplugs can quickly ruin your ears and that music experts frown on the "closed" and noise canceling features as they compromise the brightness of sound. I concluded that I would stay away from those phones and thought I would have to spend at a minimum 100 dollars for the Sony MDR 7506 headphones, but then a student came to my class with the MDR-NC6, I asked if I could try them and he played his iPod. I was amazed. Far greater sound than other headphones I own (in the 50-dollar range). For me these headphones delivered the "wow factor," the feeling the music is really taking me for a magic carpet ride. My quest for a 100-dollar or more phone has ended as I am more than happy with the 35-dollar (on Amazon) MDR-NC6.

When I misplaced the trusty Sennheisers that go everywhere with me just prior to a two-week family vacation, I as forced to pick up this Sony set in an airport kiosk.

Imagine my surprise at the exceptional sound, which competes with headphones occupying much higher price point.

If it's sound you want, and you want it at home, these headphones would make a superb choice.

The big caveat: they are clumsy when traveling. The Sony MDR-NC6 has none of the stowability of my Sennheisers. They are big, bulky, and have not learned the exercise tha makes it possible for a giraffe to get to a zoo in a train car. They simply don't fold up.

You drop them awkwardly into a Sony drawstring-equipped bag and cart'em along with you. They would easily break on one of my flights.

So save some serious bucks and buy this set of Sony's if you don't need to wrap them around a mobile head. But if travel you must, upgrade to the Sennheisers for great sound and great portability.