Home :: Audio :: Headphones :: Portable Headphones  

In-Ear Headphones
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Over-Ear Headphones
Portable Headphones

Wireless Headphones
Maxell HP-NC1 Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Maxell HP-NC1 Noise-Cancelling Headphones

List Price: $69.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: These don't work for me!
Review: Be careful with this product! The headphones are not bad quality, and though these headphones do provide some degree of noise reduction, there are some serious drawbacks -- at least for me. These include: (1) When you engage the noise reduction, noise is reduced, but so is the frequency range of your recording! (2) Either the headphones are relatively insensitive or there is an insertion loss even with noise reduction switched out. I assume the manufacturer assumes you'll be listening to heavy metal from a powerful amplifier. Well, I'm listening to classical through a flea-power anplifier. With ordinary headphones/earbuds, things are "adequate". With the Maxell, the volume is inadequate. And (3), with noise reduction switched in, the volume is even more inadequate. For my use, unusable. I wouldn't buy these again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: excellent
Review: I am very impressed by the Maxwell HP-NC1 Headphones that I own. Though rather pricey clocking in at about seventy bucks they are worth it to listen to the great sound which vibrates from these excellent earphones. Not just great music quality is heard, but also it provides a great insulation quality for sound to keep all of the sound that you hear purely to yourself so that nobody next to you or across from you can hear unwanted music. Great for plane rides, train, or just long car trips with your family. The only reason I gave the Maxwell phones only four stars and not five is definetely not the quality, but the price I believe is too high and it is agravating if you wish to get high quality sound for less.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Well worth the cost if you travel
Review: I had been considering purchasing noise-cancelling headphones for some time. When I saw these for such a low price, I decided to order. I'm glad I did.

The headphones are permanently attached to a small belt-clip unit about the size of a pack of baseball cards. The unit has an on-off switch (for the cancelling part) and a volume control. A 3' cord ending in a standard 1/8" stereo plug comes out the bottom of the pack.

The phones have great (but not excellent) response. They are designed as part of the N/C system and so have their best output at about 150Hz--which is great not only for rock and pop but classical as well. When you turn on the N/C, the sound is damped in the higher frequencies, which actually makes everything much clearer. Just don't use "Super Bass" on your CD player because the sound will get muddy. Without it, though, I was able to enjoy classicalon a recent plane flight without any distractions--which brings me to the N/C aspect of these headphones.

The noise cancelling is centered around 150Hz, which is the pitch of most plane engines but works quite well for cars and buses too. On my last plane flight, I turned the noise cancelling on as soon as we took off. It removed the engine noise so well that I started to get annoyed by the half-volume air-conditioning noise that it let through. By the time I turned them off, I really had forgotten how much they were blocking the engine noise and was surprised how loud it was.

The box says that it will run for about 22 hours on a pair of AAs, but I've had it running for over 30 hours without problems. It *will* run on rechargeables, but I strongly recommend NiMH if you choose to do so.

Overall recommendation: A high-quality set of phones, especially considering the price for N/C headphones. I recommend them for any frequent traveler.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Only one annoyance...
Review: I have enjoyed the noise reduction and sound quality of these headphones with portable devices.

When using them on anything connected to mains power (read: home AV units, a laptop on AC power, portable music players plugged into AC power... pretty much anything not running on batteries) there is a very distinct electrical buzzing/humming when the NC is engaged.

If I remove the device from mains power - for example, pull the AC cord for the laptop - the buzz ceases. Also, touching any exposed metal of the frame of any of these devices causes it to cease as well, making me wonder if it is some sort of grounding problem. Happens in buildings all over town, so it isn't just faulty wiring in the house...

No buzz if the NC circuit is off. Volume control has no effect on it.

It's an annoying problem, but since I use these headphones mainly on-the-go, it doesn't affect me as much as it might some people.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good value but you get what you pay for
Review: I have now used these headphones on a few flights and have found the following:

1. They help versus not using them, i.e. they make a difference
2. Battery life is very good
3. Price is great!
4. They are *not* very comfortable. My ears hurt after wearing them for the whole flight (longer than 5 hours)

Overall, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on such gadgets, get this one. If you want the best, get the Bose one!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: HP-NCII - Good only for certain applications
Review: I read other people about Maxell HP-NC1 and decided to buy HP-NCII ($29.99). Here're the short list of what I have tested.
a/ Normal/Quite environment - When the noise cancelling (NC)is on, the white noise is quite noticeable and there's no effect to other people talks. I feel better listening to the music with the NC off.
b/ Snow blower and lawn mower - At slow speed setting, there's little different when the NC is on or off. But at high speed setting, the NC will block off the loud noise level significantly; the noise level coming through is about the same as the slow speed setting.
c/ Vacuum machine (12Amp) - there's no effect to the vacuum machine's whistling noise.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Can't be beat for [price]
Review: I wear headphones while at work because I sit in a project room, listening mostly to MP3s on my laptop. Since other people's conversations can get loud at times, the noise cancellation is a bonus. It doesn't entirely drown them out, but it definitely makes things less distracting.

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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Can't be beat for [price]
Review: I wear headphones while at work because I sit in a project room, listening mostly to MP3s on my laptop. Since other people's conversations can get loud at times, the noise cancellation is a bonus. It doesn't entirely drown them out, but it definitely makes things less distracting.

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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Personal recommendation
Review: I'm ordering my third set today. Eveyone in the house wants one. The noise cancelling feature slightly affects fidelity, but it is not noticable after a few seconds. The volume and noise cancelling controls are on the body of the unit which attaches to your belt, so the controls of the CD player don't have to be adjusted or used as much. Even the single wire from the left speaker and the right angle of the jack have been well thought out. I'm happy with my purchase.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good noise cancelling headphone for the money!
Review: The fit is good, even though the ears are not covered completely, and they are comfortable. The sound quality is OK and they filter out external low frequency sounds effectively. I've tried other brands sell for 3 times as much, and this set works just as well if not better. For the money, these headphones can't be beat.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates