First class headphones for second class passengers

I try not to stare, but whenever I board an airplane I have to inventory the electronics in the First Class cabin.

On one trip I spied an Apple MacBook Air and two iPhones in the First Class cabin. The balance of these passenger were using Blackberries. I also saw two passengers, in their wide, squishy leather seats, with Bose QuietComfort headphones. I sit in Pilgrim Class, where squishy means the seat is wet.

My carryon has in it a corporate issued ThinkBrick and my personal headphones, Sony’s MDR-NC6 noise-canceling. I’ve tried the Bose QuietComfort and there’s no comparison to the Sony. The Bose are as light as a feather, as comfortable as a pillow and deliver astonishing sound. But are they worth $300? I don’t know, but I do know that Sony’s headphones are definitely worth it.

I bought these headphones on a whim at an airport about year ago. Paid $49.99, which is list price. I really had no great expectation that they would reduce sound, but needed new headphones and the price wasn't bad.

The Sony headphones operate on a battery, triple AAA (not included), in a small plastic compartment located on the inside of the headphones near the earpiece. The headphones work just fine without a battery, but the noise canceling function needs power. There’s a little button on the headphone earpiece that turns it on.

Sony says that the headphones have “active noise reduction from 40 to 1,500 Hz.” Folks, I have absolutely not idea what that means. I’m not a professional headphone reviewer; all I’m doing here is sharing my experience and that experience is positive.

Flip the headphone button on and in two seconds you will experience a clear reduction in cabin noise. The constant whoosh noise is cutback without affecting the audible quality of whatever I’m listing to, whether it is a DVD on the laptop, the airplane’s piped in music or my own MP3 player.

Comfortable? For me they are. I’ve read some reviews where people didn't like the flat earpieces and claim they are uncomfortable. I am sure that’s true for some people. But perhaps I have big ears. I read one review where the person complained that the battery compartment rubbed against his head. I don’t know how that is possible, but my head may be more elongated, alien-like, and that's probably why my photo isn't displayed here. I’ve worn these headphones, comfortably, for the better part of a coast-to-coast trip, and sometimes operate them without any music to reduce cabin noise.

I am rough on equipment. Although the Sony headphones come with a little soft carrying case, it's a useless extra that won't protect the equipment. The headphones get shoved into my bag and are routinely used on and off the plane. I can safely say that they are one of the most durable pieces of equipment I own.

The headphones are easy to store; the ear pieces swivel flat. (Here’s another reason I won’t buy a Bose. If you are going high-end, you will definitely to use the hard carrying case that Bose supplies, which, in my view takes up an unacceptable amount of space in a carryon.)

Sony says the battery last about 30 hours. I have no reason to dispute it, although it's very, very easy to leave the switch on or accidentally turn it on when carrying it around.

I actually see more MDR-NC6 available today then when I bought them. I suspect they are quite popular for the price, sound reduction capability and durability.