Philips SHN2500/37 Noise-Canceling Earbuds Review

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(More customer reviews)I got desparate just before taking a long flight, and purchased these for about $30. They did a good job of cancelling background noise on the plane, and for that purpose, I would highly recommend them. They even come with an adapter for jacks that require two plugs instead of one (like US Airways).
Overall, they sound pretty good. As with most earbuds, to get good bass, you need to make sure they are snug inside your ear.
When you turn on Noise cancelling, the volume increases, and this is typical because Noise Cancelling works by amplifying the sound and "subtracting" the outside noise that is being picked up. With a standard AA battery, you can get several hours of Noise Cancelling. When the battery begins to die, the volume actually drops, and it is much better to just turn Noise Cancelling off.
The earbuds fit well (there are 3 sizes included) and help to block a lot of external noise, so even without Noise Cancelling turned on you can block out of lot of unwanted noise.
And here is where Philips went wrong...They made the cable nearly 4' long (1.2 Meters), but in the middle, there is the bulky Noise Cancelling switch that holds the AA battery. Not a problem when you are sitting (eg. on and airplane, or at work) because you can just set it down. But for example, when you are walking, it hardly reaches your pants pocket, so you can't stand up straight, or it will pull the buds out of your ears. Leaving it hanging will do the same thing. In fact, this has been such an annoyance to me, that I never use these anytime I'm being active. And it's a shame, because they do a good job of cancelling lawnmower noise.
If you need a more general purpose solution and can spend a little more, I would suggest buying a set of Noise Isolation phones, which do not even require a battery. They are designed to completely block all external noises from getting into your ear canal.
However, if you plan to use them only for travelling, they are decent for the price. I have travelled with these for several months, and they still function well.

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Philips shn2500/37 active noise-canceling earbudsactive noise canceling eliminates unwanted external noise by 70% while enhancing listening pleasure; includes 3 sizes of interchangeable caps (s, m, l); neck strap enhances comfort & stability; freq resp: 40 hz20 khz; in-line volume control & noise control switch; cord length: 4 ft with 3.5mm mini-plug ; includes audio jack adapter.

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Lenmar AI-HPR Ultra-Compact Retractable Earbud Headphones Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my first review and I've written it in order to better describe these earbuds.
These earbuds should compliment Ipod Shuffles and other small MP3 players well, but not if you keep them in your pants pocket. The distance from the audio jack to the clip slightly exceeds the length of the Ipod Shuffle (which is about 3.7 inches), and it clips to my Apple lanyard in exactly the right spot. You can wear the Ipod Shuffle (or another small MP3 player) on a lanyard, plug the headphones in and clip them to the lanyard, and the ipod + earbuds will then hang from your neck with no loose cords dangling anywhere. As a matter of fact, when these earbuds are attached to the lanyard and dangle from the alligator clip (with the earbuds/cords retracted), the distance from the clip to the dangling earbuds is precisely the same as the length of my Ipod Shuffle.
If these earbud cables are extended when they are worn clipped to the Apple lanyard in the way that I described, then the length of the headphone cable is exactly right. I bought headphones with a retractable cable because the length of the original Apple OEM earbud cables were excessive for the way I used them and it was irritating to have to constantly untangle them, to stuff them in my pocket, or to wrap them around my shuffle for storage. When riding the subway in NYC, this is a real pain. I also found it irritating to have to untangle or pack those cables when sitting in a cramped airplane seat. Now my Ipod shuffle and headphnes can be neatly stuffed in a pocket or hung around my neck.
If you don't wear your MP3 player around your neck, on an armband, or keep it in a chest/breast/shirt pocket, then the headphone cables might be too short for you.

As far as comfort, these earphones are slightly bigger/bulkier than the headphones that come with the ipod shuffle. Because of the size/shape of my ears, this means that I cannot put the earphones very deep into my ear canal, and they might tend to slip out of my ears more easily when I get sweaty from exercise (Note: I haven't experienced that yet.)
As far as looks, well, they look okay but if you look (too?) closely you will notice that for no apparent reason they have little pointy chrome rocket ships attached to the ends of the earbuds themselves - or little silver bullets. I didn't notice this odd touch until just now - I pulled them out of my ears and looked very closely at them for this review. I don't think that most people will notice them but to me they're a pointless mystery. Oh wait - they make it easy to hold and manipulate the earbuds while they're in your ears.
I'm not an audiophile. In my opinion the sound quality is adequate and the original earbuds are louder, but this might be because these earbuds are too big to go very deep into my ear canal. (I know - that might be a good thing as far as preserving my hearing...)
I am giving this product 4 stars since it has minor flaws - none of them bother me but they might bother someone else.
To summarize, here are my criticisms of this product:
1) The earbuds could be smaller and should come with silicon sleeves to customize the fit of the earbuds for people with differently sized/shaped ears. Not including them might have been a marketing decision that decreased the price of the product, but I think that the slightly bulky design of the earbuds makes sleeves necessary, and not simply an option.
2) The cables are retractable so they should have a longer maximum length - some people may need longer cables. I think this was an oversight on the part of the designers.
3) Sound quality/volume is not as high as the original product. As an aftermarket product, it should be better than the original product it replaces, even if it IS cheaper.
4) The earbuds themselves look just a little odd in my opinion. Apple and Sony definitely had no part in their design.
In conclusion, these earbuds are a great replacement for the earbuds that come with an Ipod shuffle but might not be for everybody and may not be as useful to owners of larger MP3 players.

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Ultra-Compact Retractable Earbud HeadphonesGreat SoundCord Retracts for Convenient and CompactTangle Free Storage1 Year Warranty

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Sony MDR-EX81LP Bud-Style Stereo Earphones (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had Sony's MDR-EX51LP and MDR-EX71SL Fontopia headphones, and this are decisively better. The 52LP's at around $27 are still the best option for someone on a budget, but I'm very happy with the extra ten I paid for these. The sound quality is VERY similar to what you get from the 71SLs (which is lower bass than the 51s, but much more clarity), but the earhook design of these 81LPs overcomes a MAJOR design flaw of its forebearers. I've had a huge problem with the earbud coverings flying off into oblivion when the plug was pulled out on the othermodels, rending the unit unuseable until I found the extra buds (infuriating when they're in another state).
The earhooks on this one ensure that won't be a problem and are thus infinitely better for use at the gym and elsewhere. Of course the sound quality and clarity on all of these is excellent and although you won't get any directional audio, the plug design locks out surrounding sound like a champ, fuctioning just as well or better than any noise-cancelling headphones in this price range.

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10-22-2007 - Brand New Item. Description - SONY MDREX81LP/W Comfort-Fit Ear Hanger Headphones (White)

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ABLE PLANET NC200B True Fidelity Foldable Active Noise Canceling Headphones (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm an international traveler addicted to noise-canceling headphones. My most frequent travel these days is Houston-Los Angeles-somewhere in Australia. That's a lot of hours with the roar of jet engines. Recently I left my phones at home and couldn't bear the thought of not having them on the 14-hour ride to Sydney, so I visited the airport shop. (I know, not recommended.) I found these Able Planet NC200B phones for the MSRP of $99.99, which is as much as I was willing to pay. They definitely did not make me forget my Sony MDR-NC60's. Here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
1. When the battery was on, they canceled noise...a lot of it. At the end of the day, that was what I wanted and they did a reasonable job of it. On this trip I sat on the 71st of 74 rows. The roar back there is incredible and these phones really made a difference.
2. With the battery on, the sound quality is acceptable. Not great, but decent enough. It won't make an audiophile happy at all, but at 37,000 ft, it is ok. I didn't notice the hiss that some others have reported. The bass is good enough. At home without the noise, the clarity is not great, but on the plane you don't notice it so much.
2. These things are pretty solidly built. They feel and look like they will hold up for a lot of use.
3. The cord is detachable. This is nice on the plane because I can get up, keep them on my head but leave the cord behind.
4. The cord includes a volume control. This was a very nice surprise. (Wish my Sony's had it.)
5. Accessories include carrying bag, double-pronged "airplane" jack and 1/4" "home" jack. I wasn't going to buy something that didn't include a way to keep all the bits together, and this does.
Cons:
1. Like some other NC phones (but not all), you have to turn the battery on to get reasonable sound. I tried them in the gate lounge before the flight without battery. Urk! It was terrible. The worst, least expensive phones you can find would sound better. Don't plan to use these without battery.
2. The carrying bag is a thin, fabric bag. Yes, it keeps the bits together, but provides very little protection. My phones are carried in my backpack along with a lot of other stuff. If something were to get on it hard, the bag would not help.
3. I don't prefer the way these fold up for storage. The headband folds in the middle and the phones rotate to face each other. So instead of lying flat in a case, they make into a block with the headband protruding out a bit. This wouldn't be so bad if you were storing them on your shelf, but it doesn't work very well in the seat-back pocket on the plane. It is too thick and unwieldy.
As mentioned, these phones don't make me forget my Sony MDR-NC60's. They may not even be the state of the art these days for the money, but I will stick with mine and let the NC200B's be my backup.
Sony MDR-NC60 Noise Canceling Headphone

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True Fidelity Active Noise Cancelling Headphones. Ideal for creating your own personal space filled with clear sound or nothing at all. True Fidelity Active Noise Cancelling Headphones feature award-winning noise cancellation and sound clarity technology in a basic design that folds down for taking outstanding audio quality wherever you go. They filter out background noise and reduce distortion so you always hear what s in the headphones, not what s going on around you. Enhanced sound quality and speech clarity. True Fidelity s LINX AUDIO technology creates high-frequency harmonics that enhance sound quality and speech clarity of difficult-to-hear words or notes, which increases the perception of loudness without increasing volume. This means you get full, rich sound and better speech clarity even at lower volumes. The right fit for your listening style and your budget. With industry-leading noise cancellation and sound clarity technology, True Fidelity headphones are an excellent value for the price. A lightweight, adjustable headband plus full-size ear cups with soft, swiveling cushions provide hours of comfortable wear. Great for travel, compact True Fidelity headphones fold down into a protective carrying case and come with a 1/8-inch, +-inch, and dual-pin airline adapters, plus a 5-ft. removable cord with in-line volume control for easy adjustment to safe listening levels. Requires 2 AAA batteries (included). Great sound. Comfortable fit. Order True Fidelity Active Noise Cancelling Headphones from Brookstone today!

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