JVC's HA-NCX77 in-ear noise-cancelling headphones... What'd you say?

JVC's no stranger to noise-cancelling headphones, but their new HA-NCX77 have that streamlined in-ear appeal and effectiveness that traditional muffin-top 'phones just can't swing. A secure fit in the ear blocks ambient sound while more intrusive background noises are reduced by up to 80 percent (more than 14dB at 120Hz). The power supply looks manageable enough, has a mute switch in case you quickly decide you need to hear something, and takes one AAA battery that provides 70 hours of juice -- and at a suggested price of $79.95, you can actually treat your ears to the sound of silence without zapping your savings.

[Tony @ Mar 9th 2007 2:56PM]

Meh, I got a pair from Sony 3 years ago that are just as small with the same features. At the time they were 120.00 but now they are 59.oo I think. They're very comfortable too.

[Tony @ Mar 9th 2007 2:56PM]

Meh, I got a pair from Sony 3 years ago that are just as small with the same features. At the time they were 120.00 but now they are 59.oo I think. They're very comfortable too.

[constantnormal @ Mar 9th 2007 3:29PM]

the acid test for me is -- can you mow the lawn while using these without having to crank up the volume high enough to damage your hearing?

[bradyo @ Mar 9th 2007 4:02PM]

They're on sale over at buy.com for $41.99. Cheap...if they're any good.

[Juan @ Mar 9th 2007 4:09PM]

Is there anything like this built into an MP3 player? I can't imagine jogging or working out while carrying two little boxes.

[dee-dee-deetarded @ Mar 9th 2007 4:40PM]

had one of these
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3936044
30$ and are great. the box is about as thick as 2 and a half nanos and is as tall and a little thinner. after the hoeadphone cord (the ones leading to the actual headphones) got ripped out (i was trying to pull them out of my desk drawer), i decided to dissect it, and it was no surprise to me that the actual 'microphones' were in the ear piece.

[Beddoes @ Mar 9th 2007 5:17PM]

Has anyone else experienced minor discomfort using sound cancelling headphones? The inverse 'anti-noise' effect of some i have used feels as if it is putting extra pressure on my eardrums.

[spil @ Mar 9th 2007 5:31PM]

Beddoes: there are two types of noise-cancelling headphones: active and passive. A passive set does not have an "anti-noise" feature, so it does not require a battery, and only use a seal around the ear (for cans) or in the ear (earbuds) to cancel the noise. Active noise canceling headphones are the ones that need a battery to use the anti-noise feature. I don't know about feeling extra pressure on your eardrums, but I can hear the anti-noise, and that might be what is causing the pain (who likes hearing an unchanging high-piched whining while listening to music?). I guess it means that you can hear to a higher frequency than most people if you can hear that, so it is kind of a good thing if you look at it that way.

[joe @ Mar 10th 2007 12:20AM]

i've had the same problem as beddoes. i'm actually thinking about buying a pair of jvc noise cancelling cans. the only pair i've ever tried were some random pair at sharper image, which tends to be a lot of expensive pieces of junk. i don't know if it was just those cans or if they are all like that. i guess i'll find out after i shell out the money.

[jolx75 @ Mar 11th 2007 7:45AM]

I do not know how well they sound but they do look "classy"!

I would get one if they were available in Europe.

Is 80% noise reduction solely for the active noise reduction, because for in-ear phones i must say
My sennheiser CX300 seems to offer ( passively )better noise reduction than my PXC 300 with Noiseguard on!

[mike @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:09AM]

I fell for it and purchased a pair of these. They're crap. Check out the reviews on Amazon before you buy.

[jolx75 @ Mar 24th 2007 5:33AM]

Hi Mike,
i ve checked the reviews and i am rather surprised for
bad ratings.
Would you care to developp a little more what you didn't like?
Because i believe in-ear phones provide better passive sound isolation than noise cancelling headphones,
so having both in-ear + active noise reduction should be a winner!
What about sound quality?
I suppose you will return them

[mike @ Mar 24th 2007 10:13AM]

I thought the same thing, problem is that the noise cancellation simply doesn't seem to work.

Compared with my Shure e3c's (which are obviously much more expensive)they are less comfortable, have less effective passive attenuation, and don't sound as good; compared with the Bose QuietComfort ... well they simply can't be compared. Most telling, however, is that there really doesn't seem to be a material difference regardless of whether the noise cancellation is turned on or off.

[jolx75 @ Mar 28th 2007 7:21AM]

Too late i ve already ordered them because i though i couldn't wait and so it will
probably be a huge disappointment!

I currently have sennheiser PXC 300 which is not always good at blocking noise and a CX300 which is sometimes a bit better.
Both headphones have good sound though

[Alistair Davidson @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:29PM]

Just bought a pair at Fry's. Frankly, if they use active noice cancellation, i.e. sending out a signal to cancel ambient background noise, it is certainly not noticeable. I am taking mine back. Complete garbage.