Rating: 
Summary: I'm glad I have them, but they could be better
Review: I bought these headphones - two pair, actually - because we live in such a noisy neighborhood, and needed to have something to help kill some ... music that is played far too loudly, so that we could at least watch a movie or listen to music of our own (in our own home!) without having it supersaturated with the noisome air pollution... . But, complaints about my ... neighborhood aside, these headphones have worked admirably in that regard. I also use them now on the subway, to kill a fair amount of the ambient noise, and help reduce the air pollution of other, less human, subway riders who insist on broadcasting their music choice to the entire car. I also take them with me when flying, and if that was all I used them for, I'd consider the price well worth it. Wow! Planes are so loud, and these cut out a lot of the noise. And if you're playing your own music while sound cancelling, you can pretty well tune out every bit of ambient sound out there. The sound cancelling is also nice in that when using it, one does not need to turn the volume up as far as one normally would - thus giving your ears even *less* noise. When watching movies or listening to music late at night, it also means that the volume can be low enough that one's bed-neighbor will not need to suffer from noise bleed-through.Fidelity: the sound quality is okay on these. You wouldn't use them in a recording studio, but for tooling around town they're fine. Comfort: These are not the most comfortable headphones I have owned. They have a silly flat plastic top that does not fit around the head, and doesn't have the usual adjustabilty that one finds with headphones; nor does the plastic band hold the phones very tightly to ones head, so whenever I tip my head (say, to tie a shoe, or pick something up), they slide off. However, though they couldn't manage to get a snug fit on the head, these have a wondrous, too snug fit on the ears that becomes uncomfortable after a while. Quality of craftsmanship: This is where these lose the possibilty of earning five stars. The plastic band holding the ear-cups together is built somewhat flimsily, with no back-up support. Mine are already cracked from spreading the earcups apart only a smidgen more than their normal rest position. They fold up nicely into a small package, but there are a number of little hinges, all plastic, that I'm sure will wear out in the next year, and cause these to fall apart completely. For a "special" kind of product - that is, not a regular cheap headphone - I wish Aiwa had made something substantially sturdier. For the price, I actually was quite surprised at the cheapness of the plastic housing the entire unit. I do recommend these, but with the caveat that you will need to be more careful with them, and also the issues of fitting on the head. As stated, for tooling around town, watching a movie so as not to disturb your partner, and for airplanes, they're just fine. Noise cancelling headphones in general area an awesome idea. You could definitely do better than these, but for the price, these are a good deal.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall good headphones
Review: I bought these headphones for the purpose of reducing backround noise while I fly on airplanes, travel with the band on road trips, and jogging on the treadmill at home. The noise reduction is effective....on the airplane and jogging on the treadmill, the effect cancels out enough backround-noise so that you can actually hear the music. IN regards on traveling on the road..I was on a bus filled with bandmembers...since the headphones are designed to reduce backround noise (and they are open type headphones...so they don't cover the ear from outside sound) and not talking it was less effective. Sound quality-wise they are pretty decent..somewhat lacking in highs but with good bass and a fairly decent midrange. I would reccommend the Aiwa for those who intends to listen to music in enviornments with constant backround noise (such as the drone of the airplane, or the hum of the treadmill motor) and for (money) these were the most affordable noise reduction headphones I could find. Overall a good deal.
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected!
Review: I bought these headphones just before a long flight to Germany. When I received them, I was concerned over their design and possible discomfort of the plastic headband. I was pleasantly surprised at their comfort on that 10 hour flight. While not truly silent, the ambient noise was reduced to a quite tolerable level. These worked well with the on-board sound system of a Boeing 777, and my portable CD player and laptop. Battery life has far outlasted the 10 hours listed in the manual. For the price, they can't be beat. The little carry bag was very convenient for holding the headset and adapters.
Rating:
Summary: Decent performance, great price
Review: I bought these largely on the price. $... is less than half what the Sonys were and a sixth of the Bose. At the time it was a very small market. The performance was good, I used the phone daily in the New York City Subway and on many flights and they worked well. They do not isolate your ears (they sit on the ear rather than surrounding them) and this is a fundamental flaw as they essentially don't dampen sound that is directly in front or behind, but they did a decent job. After about a year of daily use they did finally die, but I think I got my money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: Good deal, but eventually uncomfortable
Review: I echo (no pun intended) the comments of many in that these are an exceptional value in noise-cancelling headphones. It was readily apparent that wearing them on an airplane eliminated much of the engine noise while still allowing me to hear the flight attendants. Additionally, I arrived at my destination much less fatigued and definitely more alert. They come with many adapters and fold up easily, so are quite practical for travel. My biggest complaint and reason for less than five stars: if I wear them a couple of hours, my ears become quite tender and sore, making further wearing difficult. I bear the pain anyway, since their noise reducing effect is so wonderful. If you elect to purchase them, you will enjoy flying more fully, as long as they are comfortable!!!
Rating:
Summary: Spookily effective
Review: I got these to cut noise from adjacent cubicles at work. The noise reduction is amazing. Even without a music source, voices are cut to a tolerable, though tinny, level. The air-conditioning rumble vanishes.
With music, the voices are totally masked.
The headphones add a bit of hiss and the earpads get sweaty, so they are not ideal. They also cut the bass of the music, but they are a sanity saver. Battery (single AA) lasts a long time, too. At least 100 hours. Even with the red LED growing dim, they remain effective.
Rating: 
Summary: Great until they get broken
Review: I had really been enjoying them and taking them on my business trip flights all the time until they got broken. I think that this model has a design flaw, and the plastic piece(s), which go over your head, cannot hold the tension over time. It looks that, due to the folding design, the tension does not get distributed well to the loop (constructed with two plastic pieces instead of one), and they eventually get broken off. One side of my set got completely broken off, and another side has cracks. I do not particularly have a small head, but....... I had been recommending the set to other people, but not anymore.
Rating:
Summary: That stuff quite beat my expectation
Review: I have read all kinds of reviews of this one on amazon before I placed the order. After I got the product, I'm so pleased that it depressed most of the ambient noise. I'm so happy that I don't even hear the buzz made by my desktop computer fan. It's just great for such price. And the sound is just ok for me -- I'm not an audiophile, I just use it to listen to MP3s. The only reason I didn't give it a full score is it is not so comfortable to wear it for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Aiwa HPCN5 Noise Canceling Headphone
Review: I never could listen to music on my portable CD player with its original headphone while I am cutting the grass in my backyard due to the very noisy lawnmower, until I got this headphone. Yes...it does not make the world quiet, but it cancel enough of the noise so now I can hear my CD and enjoy the music while I am riding my very noisy lawnmower. When I used it in my office I could not hear the phone ringing. The quality of the sound is excellent for the price, and it produces a very good bass. They come with a very nice bag for travel. The only problem I found is the comfort, they do not have padding on top so I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, other wise the quality is excellent and the price is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Works on the plane and not too expensive
Review: I only use these for watching movies on the plane. The noise cancelling works - not completely, but enough that you can hear dialog during soft sections of movies (which is impossible with normal headphones). It also seems to boost the audio, which also helps. Switching them on definitely reduces the low roar of the engines, but you are left with some noise in the middle and higher ranges (which you become oblivious to in about a minute). Also, cheap enough that I don't feel bad about banging them around constantly in the computer bag. Definite road warrior gear - not audiophile or cubie gear. I chose these after borrowing other higher priced ones from friends. On the ground, you get better sound if you pay more. But on the plane, you pretty much get the same no matter how much you pay - it's just a bad environment. Noise cancellation reduces the problems, but it can't solve them. So if the only thing you want to do is watch movies on a plane, save your money and go cheap with this model.
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