Most of my co-workers in sales swear by their noise-cancelling headphones as a must have for frequent flyers. After researching this topic for way too many months, I finally decided on the Sony MDR-NC50 model. These are about half the price of the higher-end models, and since I wasn't quite ready to spend $300 on headphones, they seemed like a good option for the money. I got them over Christmas and so far, I really like them. I had read some reviews by audiophiles who felt the bass should be stronger so, I decided to give them my own test. I listened to "The London Symphony Orchestra's Symphonic Rock: The British Invasion," "ACDC," and "Barry Manillow." There was nothing lacking in sound quality or bass quality whatsoever. So here's my breakdown:
- Comfort: A+ (Nice, cushy ear pads, fit comfortably on my head, and my ears don't get hot. The headband is adjustable and also padded for comfort.)
- Portability: A (They come with a nice, zippered travel case. The housings rotate to fit the case. There's room to store an extra battery and adapter jacks.)
- Sound quality for listening to music: A+
- Sound quality for noise cancelling overall: B+ (But really an "A" when it comes to meeting my needs. These headphones don't block exterior noise 100% and, for me, that's a good thing. My goal was to reduce outside noise not totally block it. Why? I wanted my radar to still be active when sitting in airports or on the plane and not lost in total silence or lack of white noise. I wanted to be able to pick up on changes in external sounds in case I needed to raise my awareness of what was going on around me. These headphones meet my need without compromising sound or silence quality.
- External monitoring: A (The built-in sound monitor is activated by pressing a button on the outside of one ear pad. It works well. The music is paused and external sounds can be heard or communication can take place.