Sony MDRNC22 In Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones With Monitor Switch To Hear Surround Sound

Amazon Customer Reviews

(4 out of 5)

Excellent piece of kit - if you look after them

These Sony headphones replace a similar set that I had for about two years that were in almost daily use. Sadly they failed recently and I looked for a replacement. Without hesitation I order up these new noise cancelling headphones and they are very bit as good as the old one.

Overall the sound quality is excellent and the mute button allows you to listen to announcements on `planes and trains without having to fiddle around looking for a volume control.

The treble is sweet and the bass deep.

Why only four stars and not five. There are two drawbacks. Firstly the fit on inside of your ear is good, maybe too good, that they do become a bit sweaty after a while. Secondly, woe betide you is you lose one of the rubber ends (you get three sets, small, medium and large) and need to order a replacement pair. Even Sony admits that, at a price of in excess of £12 (yes, that's right, twelve quid) for two tiny bits of rubber, is a total ripoff. However, they know that you can't get them elsewhere and they can make money on the spare parts.

So the message is: These are excellent headphones, but be sure to look after them carefully to ensure that they will give years of service.

(5 out of 5)

Awesome sound

These headphones are by far the best I have ever owned. They do an incredible job of cancelling atmospheric noise allowing me to sit in lectures completely oblivious to what's going on. I have used them on the bus, the train and in an aeroplane where they did a great job of removing the dull drone that aeroplanes make. I have reservations about losing the rubber grommets as the previous reviewer describes and the rubber protector has split around the outside of the headphone after a day in my pocket. All in all though, these really are quality pieces, the bass response is back to its best after the previous, non-noise cancelling, incarnations were rather tinny. I've heard things in albums that I'm familiar with that I have never heard before and I also find that I don't have to deafen myself anymore to enjoy my music on the bus.

(5 out of 5)

i dont know how these work but wow

These noise cancelling headphones are top notch have no idea how they work but when on the train or bus the background noise often leaves you with 2 choices either turn up the volume and annoy people on the bus or train or listen to your music with the interuption of background noise. with these you dont have to do either the noise cancelling means you can listen to music at lower volumes in public place. If you comute these are the only choice.

(5 out of 5)

would recommend, very good

I was dubious about how successful noise cancelling ear buds would be, got to say I'm converted.

I used them on a flight from US to UK. Excellent when listening to inflight entertainment, only complaint was from the wife who nudged me to say "you can't hear me can you"! Then even manged to sleep wearing them with music turned soft they kept out the background noise pretty well.
Point to note; Make sure you select the correct size bud to fit your ear (they come with three sizes) as it does make a huge difference.
Also make sure they are in firmly as this again makes a difference to how much noise is kept out.
I did read a previous review saying about the hiss noise when noise cancelling is on. All I can say is 'read the instructions' this is what they do initially. Once listening to something you don't notice it.
Would recommend. Wife now wants some.

(5 out of 5)

Excellent balance between price and performance!

I am a bit of an audiophile, and sound quality is important to me, as is style, performance, and of course price. These phones manage to brilliantly balance all of these factors, in a stylish design.

The sound quality is wonderfuly open, balanced, detailed and clear. Used with my iPod touch with equalizer set to 'Flat' the bass is perfect in a product like this, ie detailed and not too thick and deep, and the treble is open and sweet!

The noise reduction is very effective, though not as good as say the Bose QC3's, which I have owned. There is a noticeable hiss (significantly more than with the Bose phones) but it is the case that you would only turn on the circuitry in a noisy environment, when the hiss 'effect' seems to dissappear, and you truly benefit from significant reduction in low level ambient and annoying noise. You would hear some hiss in a quiet environment (which you hardly do with the Bose phones) but in this circumstance you can just turn of the noise cancelling, and they operate as a normal pair of good quality headphones (which the Bose phones don't).

So, if you want top notch noise reduction but thick and woolly bass reproduction (and don't mind paying over £300 pounds!!) go for the Bose QC3's. But, if you want top quality sound, smart design, portability, along with very good noise reduction (when used in appropriate situations), and want all of this for about £60 pounds only, definitely get the Sony's!!

A perfect balance of all factors in my view. Highly recommended!!