Sony MDR-NC7/BLK Noise Canceling On-Ear Headphones

by Sony

• Active noise canceling headphones reduce outside ambient noise by 87.4%
• Noise cancelation can be switched on/off and uses a single AAA battery
• Foldable and swivel design for easy portability; travel pouch included
• Neodymium magnet and 30mm drivers deliver powerful, detailed sound
• Includes airplane adapter for in-flight entertainment (stereo or dual jack)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 3.8 inches ; 4.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001EYU3L2
• Item model number: MDRNC7/BLK
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (584 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #97 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Headphones
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Color: Black

Amazon.com

Enhance your listening experience and reduce unwanted ambient noise by 87.4 percent with the MDR-NC7 noise canceling headphones. Featuring a convenient, foldable and swivel design, these headphones are perfect for travel or the daily commute.

Enhance your listening experience and reduce unwanted ambient noise. Click here for a larger image

Headphones feature a foldable, swivel design for easy transport.

Noise Canceling Technology

Noise canceling headphones reduce ambient noise to provide a quieter environment for audio entertainment. The headphones have an inside microphone on each earpiece that works with electronic circuitry to create oppositely phased sound waves that reduce, or phase out, the ambient noise sound waves.

The MDR-NC7 reduce up to 87.4% (9 dB at 300 Hz) of ambient noise when the noise canceling circuit is switched on, ideal for loud, noisy environments like planes, buses, dorms, etc.

Listen With or Without Noise Reduction

Convenient dual-use capability gives you the option of listening to your music with or without the noise cancelation feature, so you can enjoy unaffected music in quiet environments. This also allows you to keep using your headphones (minus noise reduction) when the batteries run dry.

On-Ear Design

Many of the noise canceling headphones out there are earbuds; these are ideal for someone who prefers an external phone. The phones rest gently on your ear, with an adjustable headband to get a good fit. And good sound--a neodymium magnet provides excellent power-handling, and 30-millimeter drivers deliver quality sound with a frequency response of 20 Hz - 30 kHz.

Ready for Travel

The MDR-NC7's noise reduction is powered by a single AAA battery, and when not in use the phones feature a foldable, swivel design. Fold small and compact and slip into the included carry pouch and you're good to go. An airplane adapter is also included for in-flight entertainment (stereo or dual jack).

MDR-NC7 Specs

Driver Unit:	30 mm
Frequency Response:	20 Hz - 30 kHz
Magnet:	Neodymium
Impedance, Power On:	33 Ohms
Impedance, Power Off:	100 Ohms
Sensitivity, Power On:	102 dB/mW
Sensitivity, Power Off:	100 dB/mW
Plug Type:	Gold, Stereo Mini Plug
Cord Length:	1.5 Meters
Weight:	134 grams (Including AAA Battery)

What's in the Box

MDR-NC7 Noise Canceling Headphones, Airplane Plug Adapter, Carrying Pouch, User's Manual

Comparison feature

	MDR-NC7 Noise Canceling	MDR-NC13 Noise-Canceling	MDR-NC40 Noise Canceling	MDR-NC100D Digital Noise Canceling	MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Canceling	MDR-NC300D Digital Noise Canceling	MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling
Driver Units	30mm	13.5mm	30mm	13.5mm	40mm	16mm	40mm
Ambient Noise Reduction				✓	✓	✓	✓
Digital Noise Canceling with Intelligent Auto Selection				✓	✓	✓	✓
Passive Listening Mode	✓		✓	✓	✓
Monitor Button		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Battery Life	25 hours*	50 hours*	20 hours*	22 hours*	22 hours*	20 hours*	15 hours*
Folding/Swivel	✓		✓		✓		✓
Design	Over-the-head	Earbud	Over-the-head	Earbud	Over-the-head	Earbud	Over-the-head
Carrying Case/Pouch	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Product Description

Enhance your listening experience and reduce unwanted ambient noise by 87.4 percent with the MDR-NC7 noise canceling headphones. Featuring a convenient, foldable and swivel design, these headphones are perfect for travel or the daily commute.The MDR-NC7 reduce up to 87.4% (9 dB at 300 Hz) of ambient noise when the noise canceling circuit is switched on, ideal for loud, noisy environments like planes, buses, dorms, etc.Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

393 of 407 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the price, not great November 23, 2008

By Kudah

Color Name:Black

Based on the price, I took the plunge. The construction is pretty solid and look good on the head. The pads are very comfortable with a soft "vinyl" type material. The "arms" of the headphones wrap around the head really well because of the hinge at the top of the headphones.

But to the most important feature: the noise cancelling function was not dramatic during flights - it worked well for a semi-quiet office environment, but my primary need for this is flying. And during flying I noticed only a slight change. Good for the price, but not if you are looking to use this while flying or similar environments investigate other options.

182 of 187 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the price, not great January 19, 2009

By R. Rehm

Color Name:Black

I waited to take a couple flights before I put in a review for these headphones. If I could give an extra half star I would because of the price.

Looking at other reviews for various models, I was surprised how many people think Active Noise Canceling will handle things like voices, phones, assuming they will encase you in a cone of silence (see Get Smart). This is not what they are for. They cancel out (but not NEARLY all the way) low frequency constant tones - car noise, aircraft noise, lawn mowers, etc. This made looking at reviews difficult because people who could hear their fingers snap while wearing the headphones gave a poor rating.

The overall sound quality is poor. My fifteen dollar Koss over-the-ear KSC75s sound worlds better than these. Strangely, they sound a bit better when they are switched on (some bass response compared to almost nothing while off). Since I bought them for use in noisy environments, I wasn't too worried about this. I won't be listening to any delicate sonatas on them.

Highway noise especially, as well as aircraft noise are reduced by an acceptable amount. Aircraft noise could do a little better. Some have complained in reviews that these phones squeeze your ears too much. If they squeezed MORE, their passive noise blocking would do better. Larger ear cups might be nice.

I bought these for flights, and my daughter ended up using them most of the time to watch cartoons on the plane with an iPod Touch. I wanted to be sure the audio didn't have to be turned up to dangerous levels to be audible on the flight.

They will make your ears warm and maybe a bit sore if you wear them for too long but they aren't uncomfortable. The battery lasts a long time, as long as you don't accidentally leave them on. They fold up to a nice small package that fit nicely in my DSLR/laptop bag.

If you need something more than a quick and dirty set for an annual family vacation, go with something more but for special use (lawn mowing?) secondary set where sound quality isn't a big issue these work well.

250 of 260 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than MDR-NC6 October 7, 2008

By Martin

Color Name:Black

Pros: Fairly good sound, smaller profile, great price point, comfortable, foldable, stylish

Cons: Non-detachable mini-plug, soft pouch (no hard case)

There are better noise cancelling headphones out there, but not for less than $50. At $49.99, these are great headphones for the traveler on a budget. I previously bought the MDR-NC6s and they worked pretty well for me. I originally got them to use while flying, but I also use them at work to remove the annoying hum from our company computers. The NC7 is a great upgrade from the older model. They noticeably cancel more of the ambient noise than the NC6. Also, there is virtually no lag time between when the noise cancelling is switched on and when it actually kicks in. The NC6 took a few seconds to begin actually cancelling ambient noise. Also, a common complaint that I've had (and read about) with the NC6 is that there's a faint, yet audible hiss while the noise cancelling is on. This has been greatly reduced to a hardly noticeable, faint background static with the NC7, which will probably annoy the audiophile, but doesn't bother me. These headphones are much more comfortable than the previous model. I must note that these headphones don't cancel out all of the noise, just the constant background noise, like the engines of an airplane or the hum of loud equipment. You can still hear people talking or the keyboard while you're typing (faintly), but they're not meant to drown out these noises, so keep that in mind when trying out headphones.

These are far from the perfect headphones, however. The mini plug is not detachable as with other, more expensive models. Also, they use a double cable design (one leading into each ear pad) as opposed the single line design of its predecessor. This might cause the headphone cable to get more tangled. Also, the case that it comes with is just a soft nylon drawstring pouch, as opposed the molded cases of more expensive headphones.

Bottom line, with only minor flaws, these are great headphones for an unbeatable price. I only wish they came in a wireless behind-the-neck "street style" version.