Rating: 
Summary: Good Audio, Works Without Battery, Folds Nicely, BUT...
Review: I simultaneously compared these headphones at home with the QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headset QC-1 from Bose and with the Noisebuster Extreme! NB-EX from Noise Cancellation Technologies. The Bose is comfortable on the ears, reduces a lot of external sound, has earcushions that completely cover the ears (i.e., reduce noise passively, unlike the other two products), has a padded carrying case, and has very good audio quality ignoring the active noise reduction. But the Bose does not work when no batteries are installed, is bulky (e.g., does not fold), and is VERY expensive. The Noisebuster reduces almost as much external sound as the Bose Quiet Comfort, works (without noise reduction) when no batteries are installed, and is relatively inexpensive. I am neutral on the Noise Buster's folding (although it is small to begin with) and comfort on the ears. Minuses for the Noisebuster: it is difficult to find, there is no carrying case, and its audio quality was only fair compared with the other two products (e.g., the bass was weak). The Aiwa has good audio quality, works (without noise reduction) when no battery is installed, folds nicely, and is relatively inexpensive. I am neutral on its basic carrying pouch, the location of the battery on the headband (unlike the external battery packs of the other two products), and the fact that it applied a lot of pressure on my ears (since I do have a big head). But the Aiwa's plastic head band appeared easy to break, and it did not reduce as much external sound as the Bose and Noisebuster.
Rating: 
Summary: this is great, keeps out noise and good sound!
Review: I use it to listen to dvds on my mac laptop which has the worst speakers in the world. Crystal clear and can go in plane or car. I am very happy!
Rating: 
Summary: A complete disappointment
Review: I was hesitating whether I should be giving one or two stars. I chose one, because I failed to actually pick up a single good feature in these headphones.First, the noise cancelation, which most likely is the main feature of these headphones. It is poor. The open-air design does let too much ambient noise in, and the noise canceling mechanism is not effective enough in decreasing it to a bearable level. It does attenuate the ambient noise, yes; but don't even dream of using the noise canceling to block out anything else than the sound of low, humming sounds or motor noises. It won't help too much with music, speech, or high-pitched noise. In addition, the noise canceling feature adds a considerable amount of hissing. So much in fact, that listening to music in a silent environment with these headphones is almost equal to listening to music on normal headphones on a bus or local train. If you are listening to something else than death metal or trance, or you are using the headphones anywhere else than on a plane (which has a very high ambient noise level), you will notice the hissing. Aiwa's distributor was contacted about this issue and they admitted that this is a known feature of the product. The construction of the phones is flimsy. When putting them on, I was constantly afraid that I would snap the plastic. There is no metal to back up the plastic. The folding design of these phones is average, but at the same time, it does not feel too solid. The size of the headphones was too small for my head. They squeezed my ears so much that it almost hurt. All in all, not recommended. I brought the phones back to where I bought them. If you are looking for noise-cancelling headphones, be sure to try them out in a store before buying, or make sure you have a money-back guarantee.
Rating: 
Summary: They hurt -- and they buzz!
Review: I wish I had checked the Amazon customer reviews before I purchased these Aiwa noise canceling headphones. The tension in the headband was too high, so they hurt my ears when I wore them. More importantly, they tended to buzz (electronically) when I used them with my laptops -- totally defeating any noise canceling benefit they might've provided. I was looking for a less expensive alternative to my Sennheiser HDC 451's, which are excellent. I guess I should've known better.
Rating:
Summary: medieval torture device cutting into your scalp, sums it up!
Review: I wish I would have read the reviews. I have tried foam, pillows like another reviewer and a clean diaper and still too painful to wear! I can't believe how uncomfortable these things are!
Rating:
Summary: Not good for high-frequency noise
Review: I work in a server room where we have 40 racks full of computers and hard disks roaring away, and I bought these headphones hoping that they would offer some relief from the noise. First off, the cord is way too short -- only 3 feet and 7 inches. So I had to move one of my computers closer to me so that I could listen to my music from my computer's sound card, and even then, I could not move my chair around too much. Second, I found that I could still hear the high-pitched whine of some of our disk racks. A closer look at the technical specs printed on the cover of this product revealed that the active noise attenuation frequency range is only 40 to 2,000 Hz, and the attenuation level is only 10 dB at 400 Hz. That's a very poor spec, considering that the human ear can hear noises from 20 to 20,000 Hz. There are far better products out there, like the Maxell HP-NC1 which offers about 15 dB of maximum cancellation, and has a cancellation frequency range of 20 to 15,000 Hz.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't beat the price
Review: I'm on planes a LOT and bought these specifically to use to watch DVDs when flying. I love 'em. They are snug but not in the least uncomfortable and easily wipe out 50% of engine noise and amplify the sound well. They do create a hiss when the noise reduction switch is on, but I think that's the point- it cancels out some of the planes ambient noise and after a couple of minutes I'm used to it and don't notice it at all. I also thought they were fine regular headphones with the noise reduction feature off. Keep in mind that I'm not a big audio buff, but I shopped around and thought that these were a good deal and still do.
Rating:
Summary: The finest in audio discomfort
Review: I've been a fan of Aiwa since I worked at an electronics store in High School. I'd tell people that Aiwa was pretty much the same as Sony but cheaper. That still holds true -- a co-worker of mine has the exact same headphones with the Sony label and they cost him exactly twice as much. So these are a good value. Unfortunately, they're painful to use. I simply love the idea of having a battery strapped to my head but couldn't they at least put it on the outside of the band? The compartment juts out on the inside, as you can see in the picture. The padding on the ear pieces is also quite thin and doesn't provide much comfort. I won't comment on the audio quality since I haven't had the opportunity to use them on a plane yet. It doesn't cancel out the background noise of my co-workers but it probably would if they started talking at a lower frequency. I'll try to get them to do that.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid these headphones
Review: I've had these headphones for about a year. And they are truly awful. They sound terrible. They buzz when noice canceling is turned on. They are very uncomfortable. And they don't work very well at cancelling the equipment noise in my cubicle. A coworker who tried them jokingly suggested that the buzz was the "noise canceling" feature, because he couldn't here the equipment fan noise in his office/lab because the buzz masked it. My experience is the buzz just adds to the noise. I've tried to give the headphones away twice. Both times my coworkers have returned them. I'd recommend that you seriously look at other noise canceling headphones.
Rating:
Summary: Best Headphones On The Market
Review: If you're searching for a way to hear music on your daily commute to work, on an airplane, or on a trip, than look no more. Produced by the creative minds at Aiwa, the "HP-CN5 Noise Canceling Headphones" are the perfect piece of technology to have around. Utilizing noise-cancellation technology, these headphones block all sources of outdoor noise and interference such as an airplane engine, a car motor, or screeching rails when listening to your portable radio/compact disc player. I first had the experience of using noise-cancellation headphones on a flight in 2000, and have always loved the quality of sound they have given me. Many companies, such as Sony and Bose have also produced their own versions of these ingenious headphones, however if price is a matter to you, than I would stick with Aiwa's version (Sony and Bose have priced their headphones over $100). While these headphones are great because they can easily fit into your bag, purse, briefcase and come with leather case, there are negative aspects to them. The fact that the cord is too short doesn't help me when I want to use these headphones when jogging or working out on a treadmill. Also if exposed to plenty of wear and tear, the headphones tend to break easier than traditional headphones. However, compared to their headphones, I wouldn't trade these for ones that will not give you the same quality of sound as Aiwa. In conclusion, these are great headphones to have period. Aiwa has produced another winning product in their long line of audio products.
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