Noisebuster (NB-FX) Noise Canceling Headphones by Pro Tech Communications, Inc.
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Digital camera reviews of Noisebuster (NB-FX) Noise Canceling Headphones
Digital camera Review: Best noise-cancelling headphone in this price range
Summary: 5 Stars
I owned the original NoiseBuster Extreme! model for many years. After much hard usage, they were beyond being held together by electrical tape anymore. That's OK, I got my money's worth out of them.
So I went looking for a new set. Before discovering this new Noisebuster model NB-FX, I tried the PlaneQuiet Latitude and NC-6 models. The Latitudes are priced at $20-$30 and are crap: sound quality is horrible, and noise cancellation abilities are limited. The NC-6, priced about the same as the Noisebuster NB-FX is better, but still lacking: sound quality is much muddier than the Noisebusters, and an audible hiss can be heard when the noise cancellation circuitry is on.
The NoiseBuster NB-FX isn't an audiophile headset, but it does produce reasonably clear sound, certainly clear enough for airplane travel and other noisy locations. I'm very happy with the bass, midrange, and treble response. The noise cancellation on this model does not have that audible hiss (even the old Noisebusters did), and does a fantastic job of cancelling out unwanted noise.
My only complaint is the comfort of this headset, but I usually have the same complaint about any set with a band of any kind. My favorite headphone style (for comfort) is earbuds, but I haven't found a set of earbuds acceptable for travel yet.
Digital camera Review: Excellent product!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent product! I was surprised how well I felt after traveling on some long flights recently. The elimination of unwanted background noise really made a significant difference in my general well-being. I had no idea of the level of stress that I had been experiencing until the background noise was removed. I wish I had purchased these headphones years ago. Great product, good price. I wholeheartedly recommend them to everyone who frequently travels.Digital camera Review: Good but not great
Summary: 3 Stars
These headphones are good and they impressed me the first time I used them. But after using them more than a few times, I am noticing a few things that I do not like.
1) Like others have already mentioned, they aren't terribly comfortable. After a long flight, yourt ears will likely be red and somewhat tender. But since NOT wearing them may mean you are deaf or crazy after ambient noise, it may be a fair trade-off.
2) When you turn on the noise cancellation, the headphones also amplify the sounds coming through the ear pieces. I think this is misleading. When I first purchased them, I thought "wow, the noise cancellation is so effective that it seems like my music is louder". Well, the music IS louder. Yes, the ambient noise is reduced, but the music is also louder so it makes you think the noise cancellation is more effective than it really is. When I turn on the noise cancellation, I would prefer only the noise to be canceled. If I want to turn up my music, I will do it myself.
3) When noise cancellation is on, there is a very faint and high-pitched "whoop whoop whoop" noise in the background (about 4 whoops per second). When your music or movie is turned up fairly loud, you won't hear it. But during a quiet passge in a movie or in music, you definitely hear it. It can be annoying.
So there you have it. These headphones are good, but they would be great if these issues were resolved. Reason #1 may be user-specific and everyone's comfort may differ. But reasons #2 and #3 should be address from a technology standpoint.
Digital camera Review: Great on a plane
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first set of head phones that I spent more then $20 on. I used cheaper ones on plane trips (DVD Player) and i had to press them into my ears in order to hear anything. After 1 trip with the NoiseBuster's I wonder how i ever lived without them. The noise canceling technology is a wonder, all i heard was the sound from the dvd player. Another great feature is the way they fold-up. Although it's not totally flat, it does fold down and fits into my laptop case quite easily. Well worth the purchase.Digital camera Review: Great price, good noise canceling, but . . .
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought these headphones less then 4 weeks ago and have used them moderately since then. A few days ago I noticed that a piece of the locking clip on the top of the headphones had broken and today I went to unfold them and the whole locking clip broke! The noise canceling ability of these headphones is great for the price and with a decent battery you can get more than 24 hours of use from them. I have never dropped them or done anything that would compromise the integrity of the plastic. So that leads me to believe that the plastic that they used to make them must be of a very low quality. The best noise canceling in the world is useless if you can't wear the headphones that have it.