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LASplash.com: Tech Talk Sony MDR-NC500D Headphones Review - World's First Digital Noise Canceling Headphones By Cassandra Holmes
I have been waiting for the Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphones my whole life. I was so excited to try out the new headphones when they arrived in the mail. First of all, they come in this cool carrying case that is soft but sturdy. It holds its shape so that everything fits inside and won’t get crushed. Inside the case, besides the headphones, there is an AC power adaptor for charging the internal lithium battery, a unimatch plug adapter, two AA batteries, an inflight plug adapter, a connecting cord x3 (.5m stereo mini, 1.5 type stereo mini, cord with battery case), a startup guide, and a warranty card. Velcro straps hold the cords in place so that they don't go everywhere.
I pulled out the headphones and immediately noticed the cushiony padded band that fits on top of the head and the thick, urethane foam padding surrounding the ear pieces to reduce pressure and pinching on the outer ear. The outsides of the earphones are a stylish glossy black lacquer and the plastic sides have hinges that allow the headphones to swivel forward. Finally, I put them on and was amazed at how comfortable they were. My head is small and usually I have to wear headphones at the tightest setting, which is not all that comfortable. The shape of these, however, is comfortable for me and I even needed to make them a little bit bigger. When I turned the headphones on, a pretty blue light switched on and abruptly went off. Realizing that they were not charged, I grabbed the adapter, plugged it into the headphones, and then plugged the headphones into my computer to listen to some music and check these babies out. Wow! I was blown away. I heard my music like never before; no background hum or white noise, something I have experienced with earlier models of all brands of noise canceling headphones. With these headphones, nothing accompanies the silence. It is like having all the sound sucked out, except what you have opted to listen to. When there is no music, there is just a lack of sound.
Flying with these headphones is an enjoyable experience. I just took a flight, and these headphones were amazing. I situated myself on the plane and put on my headphones to listen to music while the other passengers boarded. I was reading, and when it was time to take off the flight attendant was trying to tell me to turn everything off for departure. She eventually had to lightly touch me because I could not hear her. I explained about the headphones and she was impressed. I could not believe how loud it had suddenly become without the headphones on. When I was finally able to put them back on, I kept playing with the monitor switch to see how much noise they actually cancelled, and it was amazing. I was still able to hear some things like a voice or something occasionally but that was the exception not the rule. I highly recommend these headphones to travellers or those that just want some peace and quiet. While they may not be the headphones to get if you are an audiophile, they are really good at doing their job of canceling noise and the sound is really impressive for what these are. Features The Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphones reduce up to 99 percent of ambient noise at 160HZ, which is the peak frequency of a jet engine. A unique digital noise canceling software engine and a set of digital filters located in the built-in digital signal processor increase the rate and accuracy of noise reduction in these six-ounce headphones. The noise canceling process begins with a microphone found inside the ear cup of the headphones, which takes an analog audio reading and converts the sound to digital. At the same time, the analog audio input signal is converted to a digital signal and sent through a digital equalizer to enhance the mid-range vocals and alleviate the excess bass -- two features that can be negatively affected in most noise-canceling headphones. The audio signal is compared to the noise signal, and the DNC software engine uses a digital filter to remove ambient noise that registers in the desired frequency range. The resulting signal is converted back to analog and sent to the headphones' driver for sound reproduction.
The software offers three distinct noise canceling modes optimized for different environments, such as the noise due to an airplane, train/bus/subway, or an office. On the outside of the right ear piece there are 2 buttons, the AI NC ( Artificial Intelligence Noise Canceling) button and the monitor button, and the on/off switch. Pressed once, the AI NC button automatically selects the optimal Noise Canceling mode. The headphones scan the ambient noise profile and intelligently select the best mode to cancel out the highest amount of unwanted sound. Each mode uses a different digital filter in the digital signal processor, which has been specifically tuned for effective noise reduction in these different sound environments. It is also possible to manually select the mode by holding the AI NC button down. It beeps once for airplane mode, twice for train/bus/subway mode, and three times for office mode. The monitor button allows for temporarily suspension of the noise cancellation feature and it mutes the music. I found this feature helpful when I needed to answer a quick question but it was also helpful for flight announcements. The MDR-NC500D headphones will be available March 21st for about $400 at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges, and authorized dealers nationwide. Specifications • Digital high quality noise canceling • Up to 99% ambient noise reduction at 160Hz • Headphone Type- Closed, dynamic • Cord- 3 (.5M stereo mini plug, 1.5M L type stereo mini plug, connecting cord with battery case • Cord- Single-sided cord connects to left earpiece • Magnet- Neodymium • Headband- Adjustable, Foldable (Swivel) • Type of Use- Noise canceling • Design- Premium over the head, Noise canceling • Driver Unit- 40mm diameter, dome type • Sensitivity- 102dB/mW (on) • Frequency Response- 5 - 24,000Hz • Impedance- 40 ohms at 1kHz (on) • Selectivity- 3 distinct noise-canceling modes for use in three acoustically different environments (Airplane, Bus, office) • Power Handling Capacity- 100mW • Battery Type- DC1.5V- 2 size AA battery, DC 3.7V -built in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery • Battery Life (Approx.)-16H (with built in fully charged battery)1 28H (with fully charged built in battery and 2 fresh AA batteries)1 • Cord Length (Approx.)- 1.5m -L-type stereo mini plug, .5m stereo mini plug • Weight (Approx.)- 6.9oz/195g (including built in battery) Accessories Supplied • Premium Carrying Case • AC Power adaptor for charging internal battery • (2)AA Batteries • Inflight plug adapter • Unimatch plug adapter • Connecting cord x3 (.5m stereo mini, 1.5 type stereo mini, cord with battery case) • Startup guide • Warranty card Published Mar 8, 2008 © Copyright 2003-2004 by LA Splash.com |
