The volume switch on my set isn't well built. Sliding it back and forth can cause you to lose volume in one ear only, especially at lower volume levels. The headphones fit really tight, so I recommend bending them a bit at the top to make them more comfortable.


Great price to performance ratio   July 30, 2005
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

As someone that has tried the more expensive Bose noise cancelling headphones, I can honestly say that the Maxell NC-II are well worth the money. I recently wore these headphones with relatively high expectations, and feel that they performed well for the money spent.

You can tell that these headphones feel/appear made inexpensively - lots of plastic components. Take care of them, and they should last. Don't forget to grab a couple AAA batteries, as they are not included.


Mixed Review   February 26, 2006
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

These are great headphones while they are still working. The noise cancellation is adequate (I have used them on an airplane and in other noisy environments and they manage to cancel out almost all of the environmental noise, and they are also manufactured in such a way that the band between the headphones has somewhat of a forward lean so that you xcan recline in your airplane seat and not be resting against the headphone band). However, having owned these headphones for almost 2 years, I had to replace them several times. This was precipitated by one side of the headphones suddenly not transmitting sound, so I would only be getting sound to my right ear and not my left. This might have been caused by the somewhat bulky battery case that is inline with the headphone wire itself and puts some strain on the wire whenever you wind up the cord to put them away. Luckily, Wal-Mart carried these for a number of years, so I was able to keep exchanging them whenever they ceased functioning properly. Overall, if you have $40 to spend and you're not planning on having these be your lifelong headphones, they are a good buy, and you won't be disappointed with the sound quality.


Better Than Bose!   February 15, 2007
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

We just returned from California on a Red-Eye flight to Ft. Lauderdale. The plane was just about full and included lots of children and two dogs in carry-on cages. One of the little yappers was right in front of me and one of the dogs was in my row. We had stayed with my son in CA, who owns the newest Generation Of Bose Noise Cancelling Headsets. We wanted to purchase two sets..and two Bose were just beyond our (retired persons) budget. So we bought two sets of The Maxell Noise Cancelling Headsets w/ Full Ear Cups at a nearby discount store. My husband, who is an Electrical Engineer and VERY picky, decided to do a test: He tried both Bose and Maxell hooked to our MPC player, in our noisy rental car (in neutral and revving engine), with grandchildren yelling. His final assessment was that the Bose had marginally better sound quality, but the Maxell had quite acceptable sound quality and BETTER sound deadening. We used the headsets on the 4-hour flight home and were VERY pleased with both sound quality from the airline jack hookup and THRILLED with noise cancellation feature. In addition, the comfort of the full ear cup headset was excellent. After four hours, my ears did not feel "mashed" or tender. So, must say that we highly recommend them for anyone who does not want to pay the extra $$$ for Bose.