Sony's $400 digital noise canceling headphones

The age-old battle between the forces of digital and analog wages on, with Sony's new MDR-NC500D noise canceling headphones claiming to out noise cancel your totally old-fashioned analog pair. We don't really understand the audio alchemy explained in the press release ("the analog audio input signal is converted to a digital signal and sent through a digital equalizer to enhance the mid-range vocals and alleviate the excess bass"?) but if it means we can tune into whatever crappy movie they're playing on the plane while blocking out the roar of the jet engine and maybe even a crying infant or two, then consider our attention gotten when these things start canceling noise in February. For $400, we're expecting nothing less than a miracle.

[Fank @ Jan 6th 2008 8:35PM]

But if it cancels noise, you wouldn't be able to hear any music made in the past 10 years!

[Chris Macdonald @ Jan 6th 2008 8:38PM]

oh that's a knee slapper right there

[nerdtalker @ Jan 6th 2008 9:11PM]

Ahhaha, for that matter, you might as well wear ear plugs!

[Vanguard @ Jan 7th 2008 10:04AM]

Fank,

Not bad.
...Seinfeld.

Vanguard.

[William @ Jan 6th 2008 8:38PM]

Honestly, I think I will stick with my Bose. Proven to work, and 100 dollars cheaper.

[Paris @ Jan 6th 2008 8:59PM]

I use my power of concentration to filter out any unwanted noise.

[Reader @ Jan 6th 2008 9:20PM]

Yu soooo powawfulll

[Bobs @ Jan 6th 2008 11:35PM]

Every time i see these things, i just think that people are better off buying those ear protection things you wear at the gun range to prevent hearing damage, those seem to silence sound pretty well, not to mean that they are battery free and for the most part, comfortable.

[bobm @ Jan 7th 2008 9:59AM]

The real test of these things will be if I can listen to music while I mow the grass. I tried the Bose models and no way, if you can't drown out a simple lawn mower then it's back to the shooting plugs for me..

Too bad most of the tests with noise cancelling headsets are with low volume droning noises.

Ideally these things should be able to cancel out the crying baby in the airline seat two rows back and give me the ability to get rid of all external noise.

[aguiluz @ Jan 7th 2008 6:16PM]

Great... With the microphone near the speaker, would it not make "feedback noise?"