casualsuede's Full Review: Sony MDR-NC6 Consumer Headphones
When I finally became cool and took possession of an iPOD, I decided to spend alittle $$$ on some headphones. I had seen the Bose NC (noise cancellation) headphones and thought, "Woah, these are cool, but I can't afford a three digit sum to fulfill my can fetish" (I have 5 sets of headphones). I was about to buy a pair of v250's, when I saw these cans. They said noise cancellation and at $70 Canadian, I decided to take these over the $50 they were asking for Jensen NC headphones. Call me a snob, but I don't like Jensen and their name brand.
These units require 1 AAA battery, which provides you 30 hours of usage on a alkaline battery. You do not need to have a battery, as they will play unpowered.
They fit comfortably on the ears and apply little pressure. Since they are on ear type (not over the ear), there is some leakage. The headband is adjustable, but not really that flexible.
The sound is a little above average for the price. Comparing them to my dailies (Maxell HP-2000), they have a much more forward midrange. They are more spacious and do not have the suck-out that most headphones have in the mid-range,which makes them more suited for Dance Music. They are not that strong in the bass and the treble definitely rolls off the top, making them great for orchestral classical and jazz.
The sound volume is moderate but not louder than my Audio Technica ATH-P5's which require a little more power (they are far less sensitive). They did hold up better than the HP-2000 which tend to break up at high volumes. They were also fairly detailed, but the music lacked the sweetness than the P5's offers.
These are with the power turned off.
With the Noise circuitry turned on, it is a different story, but ultimately disappointing. The cans would block some noises, but not noise that radiate at lower frequencies. In the subway, I notice little difference, but on the street, it was a little better. I heard the Bose and the Sennheiser NC cans do this superbly, but maybe I was expecting too much at $70 ($50 USD).
But one thing it did do was make the soundstage louder. It was not necessarily a good thing because it was a little like that "hyperbass" circuitry you see in cheap portables. It may make it louder, but not more accurate.
In the end, I will keep these cans and use keep feeding my fetish by looking for my next set of 'phones. I found these Sony's to be a decent but disappointing mid-priced headset.....Rating: C+
Update: The cans no longer work. Something happened, maybe something fell loose. But no sound from multiple sources. Not something I expected from an set of 'phones that cost $80, but oh well.
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