The headphones' noise-canceling circuit senses outside noise using tiny, built-in microphones and sends an equal-but-opposite canceling signal to the headphone drivers, effectively blocking solid-state (continuous) noise from 50 to 1,000 Hz. It's especially effective on noises like air-conditioning systems, freeway rumble, and airplane engines (from a passenger's perspective).

The switchable noise-canceling circuitry runs for approximately 60 hours on a single AAA alkaline battery. When noise canceling is off, the headphones continue to function for standard music listening (and with slightly better sound quality). An inline volume control lets you adjust the sound without having to access your sound source.

Product Description
Sony MDR-NC11 Noise Canceling Fontopia(R) Earbud Headphones - Don't be so shocked by the price, these are not your typical earbud headphones. Utilizing advanced technology the Fontopia(R) MDR-NC11 headphones has a high performance Noise Canceling feature. Turn the Noise Canceling switch to "on" and experience a near 70% reduction in outside noise! This is great for helping you enjoy your music to the fullest, or in situations where you need some extra peace & quiet. Like at work or while traveling. Frequency Response - 10-22,000Hz Battery - 1 AAA Battery (not included)

First off, they were extremely uncomfortable to wear. They go directly into the ear canal. And even though they have interchangeable pieces (for a better fit), they still had a tendency to fall out -- which was annoying.

The earbuds also block the ear canal completely. If you've ever stuffed cotton (or earplugs) in your ears, you'll know that this causes one's own breathing to become very noticeable -- which is exactly what happened! And if I turned my head and brushed the earphone cord against me -- I could hear that too!

As positives, the Sony's did a decent job of filtering the lows. But they did nothing to screen the highs (as do my Sennheisers), so things like room fans, air conditionings and dishwashers were still much more noticeable than I would've liked. The sound quality of my music, though, was excellent. And there was none of the hissing and buzzing I've gotten from lower priced noise canceling headphones from other brands.

Overall, I couldn't help but suspect that the tight fit of the earbuds was responsible for a large portion of the headphone's noise suppression capabilities -- and not necessarily the electronics.

In conclusion, if you're accustomed to earbud style headphones, you might find these Sony's to be an improvement over ambient. I, unfortunately, found them to be extremely uncomfortable to use and -- for the money -- hugely disappointing!


Great set of small NC headphones! Plays well with iPods!   August 5, 2003
 54 out of 61 found this review helpful

I am quite pleased with these little 'phones. I was given an iPod and since the included buds were just abysmal and since I travel a lot....well, it was a prudent purchase :-)

I have three sets of Noise Cancelling headphones (the others are sennheiser and panasonic) and these little MDRNC11's have a very similar ability to dim ambient noise in a MUCH smaller package - perfect for my dawn and midnight runs and they are great on the airplane, the bus and the office.

After a great deal of futzing with the included (and VERY comfortable) silicone ear moulds the sound is now fantastic on my iPod. I am still listenint to MP3's (or MP4's) so the sound is not audiophile quality but I am quite happy with what I hear.

In other reviews some of the folks has mentioned the bass-heavy nature of these drivers - yes, they are a tad bass heavy, but on the iPod the "acoustic" setting rounds them out very well.

The vast majoriety of music I listen to is classical and jazz. The opening track of "Jazz at the Pawnshop" is littered with lovely ambient noises that come through very well. As this is a pretty standard track for demoing audiophile sound systems, I would say that for $100 I got a heck of a bang for my buck :-)

Again, MP3's (even the ones from apple.com) still sound like MP3's, but these little buds reproduce the music with elan. If you need a personal Oasis in your daily life I can think of many worse purchases in the headphone market.

FInal tip, shop around :-)

-J


Very Pleased   August 4, 2003
 28 out of 32 found this review helpful

I just received my pair last week and couldn't be more pleased. Their size makes them as inobtrusive as regular ear bud headsets but they are light years away when it comes to noisy environments. Lately I've been doing a lot of work in Starbucks using their wi-fi access, and most times the noise was just incredibly deafening. Forget about using traditional ear-buds in these environments, you would do harm to your ears with the volume necessary to drown out the competing noise. The MDR-NC11 seems to block noise in two stages: 1st, the earbud fits into the ear canal with a self-sealing mechanism (I was extremely leary of this at first, but unlike the other reviewer I find the fit very comfortable and snug), this blocks a tremendous amount of noise, then the 2nd stage is the electronic noise cancelling unit, which works as well as any other I've encountered (haven't tried the Bose systems). The two systems work in sync to reduce more noise than I ever thought possible.

I love this headset and won't bother ordering the new Bose system. I wasn't looking forward to wearing a huge pair of noise cancelling headsets out in public & now I realize I don't have to.


My 2nd Pair   October 5, 2005
 25 out of 26 found this review helpful

What a bag of mixed reviews. I couldn't help but smile at some of them. For anyone considering the purchase of a sound reduction headset you have but two choices of any real consequence: 1) The MDR-NC11A, here by Sony for $59.50 or the 2) Bose QuietComfort 2 for $298.50. There are no other serious alternatives. I've tried them all.

However, the Sony at 1/6th price of the Bose is not for everyone. If you're claustrophobic or simply can't handle something inside your ear then you have no choice but to go with the Bose QuietComfort 2. Even with the beefy price tag, the Bose is only slightly better than the Sony set. Although the Sony requires a little care massaging properly into the openings of each ear canal, it's worth it. The combined ear silence of earplug and noise canceling technology fills the ear even before the music starts. Once it does, the depth of sound with its rich bass and the crystal highs are incredible for such a tiny device.

As for the negative reviews, this is my second pair, as I'm replacing an older version of these. For those stating it doesn't work, perhaps they should put down a buck for a AAA battery before writing a review. Yes, the noise cancellation technology requires a battery to power the reverse white noise that deadens reciprocating noises (engines, vibrations, etc). For anyone who just started looking, if in-ear plugs aren't a problem, buy a set. You can't go wrong.



Link in the evolution   November 3, 2002
 23 out of 25 found this review helpful

In my endless search for the perfect remote sound system for my iPod, I thought I'd try these. The goal was to have noise cancellation in vehicles and especially whilst biking. Yeah, I know, "Bikers need to hear traffic!" Well, I turn my head adequately and am situationally aware, to that's not a problem, so let's drop the lecture! What IS a problem for me is the ambient noise of traffic and noise created by wind blowing over the cables and units themselves, forcing me to increase the volume and damaging my ears. The results: no difference regarding the wind. The mics didn't detect what my ears were hearing. Neither did it block traffic noise. Driving in my truck was nice, however. I have a heater (I live in Alaska) that sounds like the business end of an F-15 in afterburn. This cancels that noise well. They also worked well in a passenger jet (MD-80). Babies and pilots, however, couldn't be cancelled.

The sound quality is 7 on a 10 scale. Bass is mediocre and high end definition weak, but for their size, surprisingly good.

My highest commendation, however, is the surprising comfort of the buds! The virtual "noise cancellation" was due mostly to the way the buds firm, yet comfortable fit in the ear canal, inherently block external sound--with or without the soundwave cancellation turned on! The cancellation technology, I'm afraid to say, is negligible in all scenarios. I was hoping for true isolation. My theory: this is where ALL noise cancellation headphones are at the present technological level and the future holds great promise. So, these are adequate for the time being, but I KNOW subsequent advancements will follow. I view this as an expensive link in the evolution of portable sound cancellation. I'd get a Sony EX70, which has no cancellation technology but blocks sound (due to stellar earbuds that seal the ear canal), less cumbersome and cheaper.