Sennheiser Wireless Headphones: JVC HANC250 High-Grade Noise-Cancelling Headphones Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I travel fairly frequently on work and the long international flights were getting to me.I'd originally bought a Solitude Plane Quiet II headset which I was fairly happy with except for:
1. Quite tight around the head, difficult to wear for long periods of time.
2. Good sound quality, particularly bass, but an annoying hiss and missing treble and highs during audio playback.
3. Fairly heavy owing to needing 2 AAA batteries.

A colleague at work bought the JVCs and we did a comparison.Initially I was skeptical because my Solitudes were around the ear vs the JVCs which are over the ear.We went into a very noisy server room to do the test and I have to say the performance of the JVCs was astoundingly good.
All three issues that I had with the Solitudes were absent.
1. Extremely comfortable and light.Great build quality.
2. Even better noise canceling performance despite the over the ear design.Even with the active noise cancellation off, merely wearing the headset provides good sound insulation.
3. Great sound quality, very balanced bass and treble, zero hiss.
4. Better battery life than the Solitudes despite needing only one battery.

In addition, the JVCs have some of the benefits of the Solitudes over the industry's most famous headset (Bose).
1. Conventional cable (not proprietary like Bose).
2. Audio passthrough even when the battery dies.
3. Single AAA battery, non-proprietary (if you forget to charge your proprietary Bose battery, your headphones are dead).
4. Great price/value tradeoff compared to the Bose QCII or III.

The only negatives of the JVCs I could perceive are:
1. No volume dial control on the headset itself which is less of a convenience as you now have to turn down the volume from your ipod or computer rather than just reaching up and dialing down.
2. Headphone cable is fairly short (43in) so its difficult (not impossible) to use it with home stereo equipment.
3. Replacing the battery is a bit difficult and involves popping the right earpiece out.

Update (Jan 2008): I was able to compare these against the Bose QC3s.The Bose sound quality (you will not believe this) is really bad compared to the JVCs.Specifically the sound of the QC3s is muddy with extremely muffled treble.I am even happier now that I bought these instead of the Bose.

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Product Description:
The new JVC HA-NC250 combines outstanding sound quality with advanced noise-canceling and isolation technologies to provide a superior listening experience. The HA-NC250's noise cancellation circuitry includes feedback technology that constantly monitors the noise cancellation process. As a result, the headphones eliminate up to 85 percent of extraneous background noise. To further block noise, the HA-NC250 offers two JVC innovations that help isolate the listener from outside sounds. First, each earpiece employs a double housing structure for an extra sound insulation layer. Second, JVC developed a new technique for attaching the headphone's smooth memory foam cushioned ear pads to the housing that helps isolate background noise. The smooth pads also enhance comfort. These sound isolation features, for which patents have been applied, are especially important since the HA-NC250 can be used with the active noise cancellation switched off. For the best possible sound quality, the new headphone uses a 40mm neodymium driver in each earpiece. For comfort and portability, the JVC HA-NC250 is one of the lightest headphones in its class, weighing just 5.3 ounces. It folds flat, and when folded is slimmer than most competing models. Included with the HA-NC250 are a slim carrying case, a four-foot detachable cord, airline dual plug adapter, and ¼-inch plug adapter for use with many home audio and video components. The headphones use a single 1.5-volt AAA battery for powering the noise cancellation circuitry. Battery life is rated at about 50 hours.

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