babyeddy7's Full Review: Sony MDR-NC11 Consumer Headphones
Adjacent to each 9mm earbud is a tiny microphone. They allegedly determine the trough and crest of the noise present and tell the headphones which frequency to emit. By releasing a sound with the opposite trough and crest, noise-canceling headphones are able to muffle sound. Do not expect them to entirely eliminate outside noises.
The noise-canceling unit has a volume control dial, triangular toothed clip, red LED and on/off switch. It runs on one AAA battery.
Accessories include an audio adapter (microphone and stereo plug) for planes, black felt drawstring case and three pairs of interchangeable earplugs for small, medium and large ear cavities.
Sound quality
These headphones sound the best at higher volumes because the treble balances the excessive bass. Low frequencies delivered by these headphones are due to the hermetic design of the earbuds, and midrange and treble suffer. The NC11's sound quality will satisfy typical users.
Comfort
Like the similarly designed but superior MDR-EX70LP, the NC11 is comfortable. Some users do not like the earplug feeling of the design, but this isn't a problem for me. Try these.
Positives
The NC11 is one of the few noise-canceling headphones with earbud design. Even with the battery, the NC11 should be lighter and more portable than all other noise-canceling headphones.
The earbud design is also great because it is subtle and will allow you to listen to music even when you aren't supposed to. Wearing the NC11 won't mess up your hair or interfere with anything you might be wearing on your head.
I have used the NC11 for about two months. Each time I use it, the noise-canceling switch is on, and after this time, the red LED is bright as when I first used the battery.
Despite the NC11's cheap feel, it is actually very durable.
Having a volume control dial on the noise-canceling unit is a handy feature if you don't want to constantly hold your portable audio device.
Negatives
One of my first experiences with these headphones was pretty peculiar. The battery in my smoke detector was running low, and the obnoxious alarm went off. I switched on the noise canceling and put these on. Muffling the beep of the alarm made me appreciate the NC11, until I realized the same noise canceling could be accomplished with a few cotton balls.
The whole noise-canceling concept seems sophisticated, but don’t be fooled; the NC11 relies on the hermetic 9mm silicon earbuds to cancel noise rather than the attached unit. I own the Sony MDR-EX70LP, which have the same 9mm earbud design, and they are nearly as effective as the NC11 in canceling noise. The EX70LP is also higher quality, made in Japan, and has much better sound.
Made in Korea means cheap. The country does not have the resources or the expertise to create high quality products, and it is forced to improvise. The two headphone cords are adjoined in an old fashioned way. Unlike other Sony headphones, the cords feel a lot harder because they are brushed differently. Surprisingly, this seems to reduce tangles, but it also makes the NC11 feel cheap.
The NC11 may be light, but the position of the noise-canceling unit hampers portability. I don’t think the middle of the cord is the best place for the unit; it isn’t high enough to be clipped to a shirt pocket nor is it low enough to clip to a belt and still have enough length.
I wouldn't recommend this pair for active users because the headphones come out of the ear easily when tugged.
Conclusion
The MDR-NC11 is the only disappointing Sony product I own. Considering that I am one of the company’s greatest patrons, my dissatisfaction of this product should be a clear cue that these headphones should be avoided.
If you're still interested in purchasing
Online stores are the best place to get the NC11 since they are pretty rare. If you want to see these in person, I doubt many retailers will have them so I would suggest going to the Sony store in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa or Las Vegas.
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