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stars
"Over rated" on by juan tabasco
Pros: Can't think of any
Cons: Many: Uncomfortable, poor noise cancelling capabilities, bulky, poor sound
Summary: OK, I know that everyone thinds these things are great, but I don't.
I bought them based on the opinions read on this site, but, from my perspective, this headset is vastly overrated.
1. It's uncomfortable..not on my head but on my ears. Since this headphone does not surround the ear lobes, but rather sits on them, there is a tendency to compress the lobes, creating a very uncomfortable feeling.
2. Noise cancelling capabilities are poor. I wore them on a recent flight and the reduction in white noise was minimal (better than nothing) but minimal.
3. Sound quality was not great. I have used a cheapy pair of ear buds which sound a lot better than these headphones
4. Bulky power unit which was ungainly to carry/wear. If you're going to buy a noise cancelling set, don't buy one with a power/control unit that is separate from the headphone. Between carrying the iPod and the power unit on my belt, I looked and felt like I was hooked up to a polygraph.
I can't comment on the competitors but I can't imagine many of the less expensive models being very much inferior in capability when compared to the Sennheiser.
I recommend a potential buyer consider another brand.
- 3 replies to this review
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Juan is right about the noise canceling ability. The problem is that in order for an active noise-canceling headphone to be effective at low frequencies, it has to be capable of producing low frequencies at high volume levels, and this headphone is just not capable of doing that. As for its sound quality, other than being a little weak in the deep bass, it is excellent. I also found it very comfortable, although no headphone that sits on the ear will be comfortable for the duration of a long flight. Having the battery and the electronics in a separate housing is both good and bad. It makes the headphones lighter, but then you have this extra thing that you have to hang from your shirt pocket or belt.<br><br>Since this headphone's primary intended purpose is for noise cancellation, and since it is incapable of doing that well when the ambient noise includes low-frequency noise, I have to give it a thumbs down. If you don't care about the noise cancellation, and only want a portable headphone with excellent sound, this will be an excellent choice for anyone who does not mind having the hang the other part from a shirt pocket or belt.
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VERY effective noise cancelling circuitry and quite comfortable on long trans-continental flights like the one I just returned from. I leave them on for the entire flight.
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When I first got the Sennheiser headphones, I loved them. Although they don't compare to Bose in terms of total isolation, they do a very good job of cancelling noise, and as a plus they're much more compact. And I actually like being able to hear things like a flight attendant trying to talk to me.<br><br>So what's the problem? Wearing them for extended periods can become downright painful. One other commentator mentioned the pressure on the lobes, and there is that, but there is also a feeling of pressure within the ear as well. <br><br>I'm not a sound engineer, but my guess is that higher levels of noise cancellation waves required for headphones that don't totally enclose your ears, like Bose headphones do, means higher levels of energy going into your ear, even if you can't hear it. Thus the feeling of pressure.<br><br>Even if I'm totally off base, the feeling is there, and it goes from annoying to painful over a period of time. Another thing is, if you travel on United Business class, they have noise cancellation in their regular headsets anyway, so if you're going to bother to bring your own set, it might as well make a significant difference. I'm switching back to Bose.
