 Great for flights |
| Review Date: August 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Emil A. Eklund, San Francisco, CA USA |
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. |
Best noise reduction I've seen
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| Review Date: October 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Grue, Albuquerque, NM, USA |
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. |
Great Noise Cancelation
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| Review Date: November 9, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Globochem, USA |
| Fantastic noise canceling. Bought these for my commute to Riyadh KSA every six weeks and they work great. No more wind noise. Now I can sleep, watch movies or play PSP games without blasting the volume. Very light weight, in fact I forget they are on after about a minute or so. These are much better than the NC60's in that there is absolutely no rumbling sounds. I bought them through ABT for $304.00. |
Good but the buttons could be better designed
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| Review Date: May 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: akinmpls, Minneapolis |
The product is great overall. I used to have the Bose QC3 in the past and was thoroughly happy with it, until the plastic bridge near one of the ears broke. The plastic used in the Bose was clearly of very poor quality. The Sony model on the other hand uses very lightweight metal (Magnesium-alloy or some light Aluminum-alloy) and that is a good thing, in my opinion.
The Sony carrying case is too big and bulky and thus unfriendly for portability. I tried to use my old Bose carry-case to carry this new Sony model but even though the Sony headphones themselves are small enough for the Bose case, the earphones don't fit into the Bose ear-phone slots and thus the case was not usable. Note: The successor model of this Sony, the MDR-600D that has already been released in Japan, has a small case like the Bose and thus this issue has been addressed in the next model.
I bought these Sony headphones for their noise cancellation ability and nothing else. The Noise Cancellation performance is really good and very calming. One area where Sony could learn from Bose is the way the buttons on the headphones are located/designed. The Sony has 3 different buttons/slider-button and since all of them are flush with the body, one cannot turn on the right one simply by touch, without actually taking the earphones off (if the phones are already on the head). I could turn the NC off and on, on my Bose QC3, merely by touch, since the single button that controlled NC was identifiable by touch very easily. Maybe this is a matter of getting used to the phones a bit and hopefully over time one will learn to do it by touch on the Sony model too - I just wish the design was just better in this regard, right at the outset.
I think since such products are fundamentally intended for business travellers, simplicity with good ergonomics should be the order of the day. One single button (easily identifiable by touch) that turns the headphone/NC on and off, and that should have been it. These sliders/buttons (2 buttons and one slider !) that are flush with the body, that simply cannot be easily identified by touch is not the best ergonomically, and that is an area where the Bose model is clearly better, in my opinion. They should just have eliminated the "AI NC mode" button altogether, along with the "Monitor" button and simply have retained one single "non-flush" (for easy touch identification) power button that controlled everything via their Digital AI technology and that should have been it (the power button is an area where the Bose model was better, in my opinion). The different user choosable modes for the different environments etc should just be eliminated for the sake of simplifying the user interface and only the auto mode (which auto controls the NC based on ambient environment) should be retained (thus eliminating this additional "AI NC mode" button). I like a lot of buttons and dials in my professional Digital SLR but in a device like the headphone, I like simplicity.
I believe its successor model, the MDR-NC600D has already been released in Japan several months back, but has not yet been introduced to the North American region but seemingly there are no real functional differences between the 500D and the 600D, based on a reading of the specifications. They have however reduced the size of the carry-case on the 600D to a normal-sized one, which is a good thing and probably done in response to user complaints on the size of the carry-case provided with the 500D.
Overall, I am happy with the Sony MDR-NC500D and can recommend it (specifically for its NC performance) and would buy it again. |
An Excellent Noise Canceling Headphones - The best out there.
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| Review Date: June 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: T. Joel, San Diego, CA |
| I usually do not take time to write an review, but I do read a lot of them to be better informed about a product. For this product, however, I am compelled to write an review to increase the product rating because the overall three stars for this item is not really an accurate description of the item. I own this headphone for about ten months now and use them everytime I travel across the country from Dulles to San Diego or Los Angeles, which is about once or twice a month. I always carry and use it on the plane. IMHO, it is the best headphone, better than Bose which I've tried. The sound quality, fit, construction are all superior. Particularly, I like the fit of this headphone better than any others I've tried, that includes Bose and Denon. The sides bridges do not protrude or stick out like the Bose and others headphones even you extend them to the fullest. Therefore, the design of it is the best and you look cool wearing it. It is the best headphone out there. The only complaint I have is the same shared by other reviewers. That is the case is too large. The case provided is designed to carry everything, charger and a battery pack, but I do not carry those because the battery last a long time. I've never run out of the battery. I wish Sony would provide a smaller case or at least the same size case as their less expensive model, which I had in the past before this model. Overall, this headphone is compact and elegant and the quality is definitely there. I like it so much, I recetnly purchased a second pair as a gift. But, please do not pay the retail price of $399. The Amazon sell for much less and it's worth it. |
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