The headphones are lightweight and comfortable, delivering quality sound. Sony has installed several technical features to the headphones to ensure a quality listening experience. The thirty millimeter drive units deliver deep bass, low distortion and a wide frequency response range (16 - 22,000 Hz). Neodymium magnets give the headphones maximum energy at a minimal size and weight. These magnets also produce ample sound output with 99 dB sensitivity (NC on.) The detachable input cord allows you to connect directly to an audio source.

The headphones fold up for compact storage. The pivoting earpads are both comfortable and storable. To turn on the noise canceling system, simply flip the on/off switch. A red power LED light illuminates when powered-on. The headphones run on one AAA battery, which will run for up to forty-five hours (alkaline).

What's in the Box
Sony MDR-NC20 headphones, separate input cord and user's manual.

Here's what I found:

Comfort: Kind of subjective, but in my opinion they rank as follows: Etymotic, Sony, Aiwa, Sennheiser. The Etymotics are basically earphones built into earplugs, so there's no bulk to worry about when moving around or trying to sleep on a plane. How comfortable they are kind of depends on how you feel about having things shoved in your ears. Of the conventional `phones, the Sony's closed-ear design is more comfortable over long periods. The open-air design of the other two tends to squeeze your ears after a while. The Sennheiser loses because of an inexplicably uncomfortable pad in the top.

Noise Canceling: Etymotic, Sony, Sennheiser, Aiwa. The Etymotics have no noise-canceling circuitry and rely purely on blocking the ear canal to reduce noise. This cuts more noise than the others and does it across the entire spectrum-making it the only one that will silence the kid screaming in the seat behind you. In the conventional `phones, the Sony again benefits from the closed-ear design, passively blocking some high register noise that the others miss. The Sennheisers actually have the most elegant electronics, silencing low hums with less hiss than the other two. Remember that active noise canceling only works in the very low registers-like the rumble of an airplane.

Sound: Etymotic, Sennheiser, Sony, Aiwa. The Etymotics live up to their reputation of being one the best sounding `phones on the market at any price, though they can amplify body noises such as chewing. The Sennheisers sound really muddy with the canceling turned off, but with it on they give fairly crisp sound a bit lacking in bass. The other two remain kind of muddy sounding with somewhat sloppy bass which might make watching movies on a plane a little more difficult. Overall, the Sony and Aiwa don't sound any better than the cheap `phones that came with my MD player.

Convenience: Etymotic, Aiwa, Sony, Sennheiser. The Etymotics fit in your shirt pocket but are definitely harder to get in and out than the others and don't include an airline adapter. The Aiwas fold up quite flat, have the batteries in the headset and have a carrying case. The Sonys fold up (but are still bulky), include a carrying case, and have the battery in the headset. The Sennheisers don't fold, have no carrying case, and have the batteries in the cord. All three conventional units come with airline adapters.

So in conclusion, the Etymotics are pretty much light years ahead of the others, but only if you are okay with having them jammed in your ears (didn't bother me, but my wife had no interest.) The conventional units all have their pluses and minuses, so you'll have to decide what features are important to you.


Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones are GREAT!   September 1, 2001
 207 out of 210 found this review helpful

I travel a LOT. Fly on everything from TurboProps to Airbus A-320's and 757's. I've never been able to sleep on aircraft and lately, my tolerance for noise and screaming kids has gone to near zero. Well, that's what the Sony MDRNC-20 noise cancelling headphones have given me, ..... nearly zero noise on flights. My last two flights (this week) were on two SAAB TurboProp commuter aircraft and two A-320's and I could not hear the engines with these headphones on. I also use a Sony R70 MiniDisk Recorder / Player that was useless, due to in cabin noise, until I bought these headsets. I've tried the Bose (overpriced and cumbersome), Sennheiser and Toshiba units and the Sony's are the best. I highly recommend them for frequent fliers if you want to be able to function at the destination end of the flight. OH! Did I mention that we also use them while cutting grass on our diesel Kubota tractor with 60 inch mower deck and can't hear the tractor noise, but Bon Jovi comes through lound and clear from the Sony CD Walkman. The audio connection cord also has a convenient connector in it so your can disconnect the main lead and just use the headphones for noise reduction. I thought this a very convenient feature for those who want to block out TV noise, kids, neighbors, etc and not listen to music at the same time.
It might sound like I'm a Sony fan (which I am) but I'm also an audio engineer and my motto is "Specs first, price second". I was pleased to find a product that cost over $120 less than Bose and worked every bit as well, .... maybe better.
You need a pair of these if you fly a lot or just want some peace and quiet.


GREAT!! for the bus or plane, otherwise GOOD   September 2, 2001
 76 out of 77 found this review helpful

These invert ambient sound in lower frequencies, feeding the inverted signal into the speakers on top of the sound from your cd player, etc. The effect is that low frequency ambient sounds such as the roar of jet engines, the drone of bus tires against asphalt, traffic, loud airconditioners, etc. are cancelled. That lets you listen to music at a normal (non deafening) volume in an otherwise noisy environment. EXCELLENT for destressing a commute or plane trip. Compared to other headphones, I rate these GOOD but not the best. The Sony MDR 7506, for example, gives somewhat clearer and more accurate reproduction of classical instrumental music--piano, cello, acoustic guitar... but the 7506 lacks the noise cancelling feature you need to listen to such music in a noisy environment. FYI I tried the Bose and didn't think they worked any better than these, though they were $100 more expensive.


Fantastic Design, Great NC, but Sound is so-so   April 13, 2002
 34 out of 34 found this review helpful

I bought these headphones when i was Japan, and have been nothing but pleased. Some things to note:
1)They're made of plastic- I expected something better.On the other hand, they fold up into a neat little ball,so they are more breakage resistant that you might expect.Also, the design is great since the noise cancelling equipment is contained within the headphones,not in a clunky external box like other, less styling models (^_^)v Very very sleek and sexy.

2)Those of you planning to use these with an MD player/etc. w/ an inline remote should note that while the headphones have a "short cord",the plug is actually a stupidly useless *proprietary* sony design-and the included 1/8th adaptor cord is *very* long; that is to say,you'll end up w/ tons of excess wire you don't know what to do with.There is a short Sony minijack-to-1/8th adaptor which works great,however,I've never seen it sold outside of Japan.

I am incredibly happy with these headphones.However,as others have mentioned the sound is so-so.These are perfect for use with MD/MP3 or other compressed sound formats in noisy settings, but not so great for precise listening.But turning on the noise cancelling greatly improves the sound quality and I find that these headphones are more than adequate for all of my needs-combine this with the fantastic design,the awesome noise cancelling ability,a great-bang-for-your-buck value (except for the plastic),and I would highly recommend these to anyone looking for a good noise cancelling headphone.


I don't leave home without them!   August 2, 2003
 33 out of 35 found this review helpful

I bought the Sonys when the gym installed a new music system which blared out pop music--obviously the worst CDs in the customers' collection, to get rid of which they donated to the gym. For this purpose, they proved okay, not great, but at least good enough that I renewed my membership.

Where they really shine is on an airplane. The drone of the jet engines is cut by half or two-thirds, and you don't know how tiring that sound is until you've switched it on and off with a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Much the same is true in a bus or automobile, and I never travel without them. The Sonys come with an adapter plug for the airliners' audio system, so there's never any question of buying or renting airline phones. Shucks, I've probably paid for the Sonys in that alone.

Note that the phones work best on steady background noise, so they're great with turbojets but only fair with conversation. This has nothing to do with Sony and everything to do with acoustics. So the crying kid in the seat behind you is going to sound about the same whether you have the noise-canceling turned on or off. (He will be quieter simply because you have these earphones snug over your ears.)

For severe situations, like the MTV music in the gym, I've seriously considered using wax earplugs and turning up the volume on the Sonys, but most of the time they suffice, and so I've never gotten around to it.

An excellent investment in your hearing and in your sanity.