Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)

Other products by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 12 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001786D5A
• Item model number: MDR-NC500D
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Headphones > Noise-Canceling Headphones

• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 4, 2008

Product Description

Product Description

The lightweight, MDR-NC500D headphones use digital technology to more accurately reduce stress-inducing noise from planes, trains and busses while providing the high-quality audio expected from Sony.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for flights, August 4, 2008

By	Emil A. Eklund (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NC500D vs Bose QC3, December 29, 2008

By	William K. Royster "Kirk" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best noise reduction I've seen, October 11, 2008

By	Grue (Albuquerque, NM, USA) - See all my reviews

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.