Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Headphones by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Headphones
Digital camera Review: An Excellent Pair Of Headphones, Very Low Price!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Cancelling Headphones are a very
well-built pair of headphones! They have a noise cancelling feature that works very well. They also do not have to be "conditioned" for months and months.
<Sound Quality>
5 Stars!!! Excellent!!! The Overall sound quality is very good.
5 Stars!!! Excellent!!!The bass was beating in my head like a tribal drum!!
<Treble>
4.5 Stars!! Very Good!! These heaphones have a very good range!!
<Comfort>
4.5 Stars!! Very comfortable!! The only reason I don't give them 5 Stars is because they do not have leather earpads. The foam, however does have extra padding, and I am not disapointed.
The 1 AAA battery compartment looks very uncomfortable but actually balances the headphones on your head and is not uncomfortable. The headband has no padding but is durable and, wierdly enough, comfortable. Overall vey comfortable.
<Noise Cancelling>
Ths is a cool feature which cancels out low frequency noise, and can be used wwhile playing music or, not,which is also known as passive mode which I use frequently. When I purchased these I was somewhat worried about the "white noise", which, is hardly audible or inaudible. They do cut out basicly all road noise, and make me want to get some sleep. I have yet to try them out on a plane, although I hear they work very well.
They don't cut out the high range noises such as younger brother/sister screaming, but seem to somewhat dampen it.
<Additional Features>
-Very nice drawstring carry bag
-Spin-swivel earcups - Very handy
-Airplane plug adapter
-Only 1 cord coming out of the earcups instead of 2
-Lightwieght
<Other Headphones>
The only other pair of headphone I would consider for around the $100 range are the Sony MDR-NC20. I read up alot on the
JVC HANC100 and finally came to the conclusion that it was just too much to pay for a pair of headphones that everyone says is too uncomfortable and such bad sound quality. If I had $300+ to spend on headphones I would buy the BOSE QC2, But I don't think I will ever be willing to spend that much on a pair of headphones.
<Where To Buy>
The cheapest place to buy these headphones is right here on Amazon.com, with the exception of maybe ebay if you can get a good price. But Basically the lowest price on the web is at amazon and eBay is $45 including shipping.
-I Would Definitely Buy These Headphones Again-
Digital camera Review: An excellent value - rich sound reproduction
Summary: 4 Stars
Having compared this model with its rivals costing three times as much, I concluded that Sony's MDR-NC6 Noise-Canceling Headphones are by far the better value. While I think the noise-canceling technology (for all brands) is improving with each new release, I found it difficult to justify spending the extra two or three hundred dollars for the "Cadillac" branding. For the money, there was no need to wait another year or two for improved performance (from any brand) at an attractive price.
Digital camera Review: Are they serious?
Summary: 1 Stars
These don't cancel anything. I bought them for a plane trip, and even if I could stand the pain of wearing them for very long (they press very hard against your ears), there is nothing noise-canceling about them. My 10 dollar earbuds block out more noise than these. Honestly, sometimes I think people will fall for anything-- I think Sony just put "noise-canceling" on the label so they could charge more. And with some folks, if you say it is so it must be so I guess.
This is my first and only venture into the noise-canceling headphone arena, but my guess is that if you want headphones that actually do that you're going to have to go with something in the 200+ dollar range.
Digital camera Review: Average At Best
Summary: 2 Stars
Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Headphones Review
By Lewis Leong
Written in memory of James Kim
Introduction
In the continuing quest for a world without external aural distractions, I picked up the Sony MDR-NC6 noise canceling headphones to experiment how well noise cancellation technology actually works. I already have a pair of Sennheiser CX300 noise canceling ear buds which still impress me to this day with clear audio quality and superb passive noise canceling. I was curious to see the difference in performance between the passive noise cancellation of the Sennheisers and the active noise cancellation of the Sonys. While the Sennheisers rely solely on a silicone plug to isolate outside noise, the Sony's active noise cancellation technology relies on microphones located on the headphones to pick up ambient noise and cancels it by producing a counter wave.
Packaging
These headphones, along with many other headphones, are packed in the dreaded blister pack where you get severe lacerations just trying to unbox it. After the brawl with the packaging, you will find the headphones, airplane adaptor, "leather" pouch, and instructions/warranty information. The pouch is made of a synthetic plastic which feels soft and flexible with a velvet-like finish on the inside. I would have preferred a sold case for travel and storage but the pouch will do for keeping the headphones clean and dust free.
Design
The design of the headphones is contemporary and quite pleasing to the eye with its silver body and chrome accents. I especially enjoy the tasteful plastic on the outside of the ear cups that accent the Sony logo and advertises its noise canceling abilities. As with many noise canceling headphones, there is a need for an external power source to power the microphones which, in this case, comes from a single AAA battery. The battery compartment is located on top of the right ear cup and the on/off switch is located on the right ear cup as well. The switch is easily accessible by using your thumb even though it is located behind the headphones. Initially I was worried that the battery being on one side would throw off the balance of the headphones but they did not, since the headphones as a whole are so light. The headphones use a single wire design which reduces the chance of tangling and helps to balance the headphones by being on the left, acting as a counterweight for the battery.
Performance
If I had to sum up the Sony MDR- NC6s in one word, it would have to be average. The sound quality is average at best, providing better clarity and bass, than stock headphones but not enough to truly satisfy and audiophile. High frequencies are reproduced without any distortion or discomfort but lack clarity. Low frequencies are also reproduced without any distortion but lack the punch that you would get with higher quality headphones. Even with the equalizer adjusted for maximum bass, I was craving more. One major criticism I have about these headphones is that in certain songs, the drums and cymbals sound very distant, as if the drummer were sitting a different room.
I was anxious and curious to see how well active noise cancellation worked but was severely disappointed. There is minimal difference between having the noise cancellation circuit turned on or off. The only difference can only be detected when there is very low frequency ambient noise and of very low decibel. It will get rid of wind and tire roar if you are listening to your music in a car, hopefully not while driving. The thing I find counter-intuitive about the NC6s is that when you switch on the noise cancellation circuit, the volume increases noticeably. Isn't the whole point of noise canceling headphones to listen to your music at a lower volume without having to blow your ear drums out from cranking up the music to overcome ambient noise? It even advertises this fact on the box.
Conclusion
I would not recommend these headphones for sound quality or noise cancellation but if you are fashion conscious, they might be for you. Everything about these headphones is average and I was not impressed by them at all. The sound quality is similar to that of Sony's less expensive, passive headphones and the noise cancellation circuitry is rubbish. If Sony designed these headphones to passively and actively block out ambient noise, NC6s would have been a much better pair of headphones. If you paid more than $30 for Sony's MDR-NC6s, you horribly overpaid. For those who are serious about getting rid of ambient noise, I would recommend ear buds that plug your ear canal such as the Shure E4Cs, Etymotic ER-6i's, etc.
Digital camera Review: Average Noise Canceling Headphones
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this headphones a mnth back. Here is my take on it:
+s
Sound Quality is quite good.
Some low intensity disturbances like CPU noises etc...get canceled quite well
-s
A lot medium and high intensity noises, disturbances which are not constant engines revving, conversation..etc..etc DON'T get filtered out, rather you'll notice that there is 20% raise in volume/bass to counter them!
These headphones are a bit heavy, quite a lot of discomfort when you wear it more than 1hr at a stretch.