Sony Mdrnc22/Blk Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony Mdrnc22/Blk Noise Canceling Headphone (Black)
Digital camera Review: Good as advertised
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought an Ipod for my wife and she wanted a good set of headphones. They are great noise cancelling headphones!Digital camera Review: Good in certain situations
Summary: 4 Stars
Noise canceling is somewhat of a misnomer as it gives the impression that when you put these little buds in your ears all the noise around you will magically disappear. For example, when I first got them, I inserted them in my ears and banged on the table in front of me. Guess what, I could hear the sound of my fist on the table perfectly. I felt disappointment creeping in. Next I tried them at work; I work in a lab where there is a fair amount of background noise. The result was much better, about half the background sound disappeared, enough so that I could ignore it. next I tried it at the gym. While I sweated away on a tread mill I listened to a book on tape. About 20 feet away a few dozen kids were playing basketball, each with their own damn ball. Thud, thud, thud! All around me was the slapping of feet on moving belts, just like mine. With the MDR NC22 phones turned off, it was almost impossible to hear the tape I was listening to, with them activated the ambient noise faded to an almost imperceivable level. The effect was dramatic. The point is, the surrounding noise fades to a level you can easily ignore - don't expect to become stone deaf though.
Other tests I have done suggest they are less successful at muting close to traffic noise, TV or high pitched sounds, but they work well when the annoying noise is a constant background rumble with a fairly low pitch. I have not yet had the opportunity to try them on an airplane.
One thing I have learned is that it is important to have the earpieces fitting well into your ears. You can achieve this by licking the little rubber cups just before inserting them (gross!)- it will also remind you not to lend them to anyone else.
Would I buy them again? Yes. The store price of $100 is too much, but around sixty bucks is fine, especially as the sound quality from the buds (irrespective of the noise reduction effect) is really pretty good.
Digital camera Review: Good noise cancelling, but average audio quality
Summary: 4 Stars
For me, the noise cancelling feature was main reason to buy this earphone. I got mixed results. It worked really well for low frequency noise like humming noise from exhaust fan, but not for high pitch noise. On the plane, it worked well for most of time, but some types of airplane had high pitch noise also. On the package box, it says 75% noise cancelling. I don't know what exactly means, but I can tell it worked well for about 3 out of 4 times. When it didn't work very well, it was still better to have the noise cancelling turned on.
The audio quality was a little disappointing since it was not as good as my regular earphone SONY MDR EX-71 when it was quite. Though, it still did much better on the plane with noise cancelling on. When you turn off the noise cancelling, you can use as a regular earphone.
If you make a lot of travel or work in noisy environment, it is a very good earphone, especially if you don't like bulky headpnones. If you don't care about the size, over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones from panasonic or Bese will be better choice.
Digital camera Review: Good product - but do your homework before you buy
Summary: 4 Stars
First: I have read some reviews on the NC22 complaining about "weak noise cancellation" and "hiss".
Current noise cancellation technology works on specific frequencies (in the low range, but not very low), on specific types of noises (continuous or cyclic) and has a limited effect (15 to 20 dB).
The circuitry does induce a subtle hiss. And here's why: since neither the earbuds or the noise cancellation can block high frequencies effectively, this hiss, which is made of white noise, helps to mask unwanted sounds. This same principle is used on white noise generators to make an environment seem less noisy.
Of course, for US$ 150 you could get an over-the-ear which will block all sounds so it will have no hiss. But the NC22 goes for less than half their price and is much more discreet to use in the metro or in a bus.
How loud is that hiss anyway? Well, my laptop fan is louder than that (I have tested). If the hiss becomes an issue, it means that the environment is so quiet that you can certainly turn the noise cancellation off.
Plus, if you listen to music instead of just putting the earphones on, the hiss will become unnoticeable very quickly. This is because the brain will ignore weak, continuous sounds in the presence of louder, variable sounds.
But not all hiss is induced by the earphone. Some is residual noise. Objects cutting through air (airplane, trains, cars) will generate noise in a wide range of frequencies. The lower frequencies are cancelled, but the higher remain, and that sounds like a hiss. About that, there isn't much to do, except wait for the next generation of affordable noise cancellation circuits.
I have used the NC22 in a carpool, in the metro, in the bus, in an airplane, and for walking.
I use it with my Sony Ericson W880. Bass is very nice if you turn the MegaBass (Sony proprietary) feature on. Otherwise, it's ok. Other frequencies are good. It sounds pretty much like an EX81 for me.
Walking was definitely the worst experience. If it's windy, even just a little, the microphones (which are external) will capture the sound of the wind blowing on them and the circuitry will try to cancel that. Because this sound is not actually heard by you, only by the mics, this will create more windy sound instead. This is a very unpleasant artifact. The only solution: turn noise canceling off.
The carpool and the bus were about the same. It cancels the engine noise nicely (not totally, tough). Other noises will remain. Some low frequency, rapidly changing noises (e.g. tires on concrete) generate mild high frequency artifacts. The solution: listen to the music a little louder (volume 3 1/2 was enough, I use 2 for the metro).
In the metro, it works very well on the surface, and well enough in the tunnels. In the airplane, it works very well.
On the wishlist department: the circuit could be detachable from the phones. Would make untangling easier. :)
Bottom line: Good product, great value. Don't buy if you plan to use it outdoors.
Digital camera Review: Good sound quality, mediocre noise-hushing ability
Summary: 5 Stars
I've never owned a pair of noise-cancelling headphones before, but I can say that the nc22 does a fair job of cancelling out noise by about 15-25%. Unlike Shure's passive noise reduction, which silences all external noise, these only cancel some of the midrange frequencies. Yes, it does leave a hiss in the background, but this shouldn't be a problem, since, if you're in a noisy environment, you won't hear the hiss. If you're in a quiet place, the remote control included lets you turn the noise cancelling circuitry off.
Sound quality wise, the NC22 does an excellent job. I previously owned the mdr g74SL, and compared to those, the G74 has a flat, midrange-heavy sound. The NC22 has very crisp and clear treble, combined with noticeably better bass that's not too overpowering or muffled. I also had a pair of earbuds that came with Sony's W800 cell phone, and compared to those, the bass isn't as strong. The W800 earbuds' audio was bass-heavy and flat, with muffled treble.
Keep in mind that these are earbud headphones, not over-the-ears like the Sennheiser and Bose that was mentioned in the previous review. And, it's much, much cheaper.
My only gripe, then, is the external remote control and the wires, which can get easily tangled. If your mp3 player also has a remote, that means you'll be carrying 2 remote controls around. On the flip side, at least this remote control has a clip :)
Overall, though, a good pair of headphones for the price