Acoustic Research doles out ARNC01 noise-canceling earbuds

Audiovox's extravaganza is closing up with the introduction of the Acoustic Research ARNC01 ($59.99) earbuds, which promise to use whiz-bang active processing to reduce noise for airline addicts and those with a crib full of rambunctious youngsters. The circuitry is housed in an in-line module with an On / Off button and a compartment for a single AAAA (yes, AAAA) battery, which should last you around 50 hours. You know, plenty of time to head off to Akihabara and back for a few new Japanese exclusives.

[Cody @ Sep 18th 2008 7:08PM]

Noise-canceling earbuds are good and all...but I don't like using them because of the in-line module. If someone could make the module smaller than I'd be sold. Course regardless of the module size the headphones are still good for plane rides and stuff...I just mean I don't like to use them regularly.

BTW Did anyone else notice that this and the previous posts were all posted at 7 pm? Site glitch or just quick posting? :P

[Cody @ Sep 18th 2008 7:09PM]

Meant to say "then" not "than"...didn't catch that when I first read it for some reason.

[JKT @ Sep 18th 2008 8:12PM]

Considering that the module uses a(n) AAAA battery, I can't imagine it's all that large.

Me, I'm in for a pair of these. I love earbuds and noise-cancelling headphones, but have never (until now) been able to get them both in the same unit. $60 seems a wee bit steep at first, but if they work they're worth it. (That's the key--my most recent set of noise-canceling phones from RCA only block mid-range frequencies, so they're hardly worth using. But the Sonys died after just 2 plane trips and I won't pay $100+ for Koss.)

[mymaclife @ Sep 18th 2008 8:37PM]

Never mind the noise do they have a Sarah Palin setting?

[Mitch @ Sep 19th 2008 3:42AM]

I have always had the idea. Why cant the circuitry be embedded in the iPod!!! Then (a) no need to charge headphones and (b) no big dongle.

New iPods have line in, i think Apple and Bose should team up and put that line in to good and make software noise canceling. I don't see why it wouldnt work?

[black @ Sep 18th 2008 7:29PM]

AAAA? Ive never heard of that format. I wonder if these earbuds actually work though. Most noise canceling headphones cost more than this.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Sep 18th 2008 7:36PM]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duracell-Ultra-AAAA-count-Batteries/dp/B00008JNWT

[Valicore @ Sep 18th 2008 7:30PM]

Thank God, finally a use for all of those spare quadruple batteries I know we all have laying around!

[Josh @ Sep 18th 2008 7:32PM]

Can i ask what the need for active noise cancelling is?

The difference between having active and a decent pair of silicon/rubber/foam buds (like Shure and others offer) is going to be minimal. My E110's are basically completely noise cancelling and that's just because the foam bit that sticks in your ear creates a nice tight seal.

The price is ok, but the concept is a bit wasted on earbuds.

[Gnaget @ Sep 18th 2008 7:49PM]

My only problem with the passive noise canceling is the difficulty in getting the earbuds in. I have a pair like that, and I have to rub it down (heh) put it in my ear, then hold them while they expand. It is far too difficult when I have people coming to my desk every half hour

[Fabulist @ Sep 18th 2008 8:42PM]

If you are stuffing something in your ear anyway, there is no real advantage to having active noise cancellation. A good pair of over-the-ear headsets with noise cancellation give you most of the noise cancellation of an ear plug without the constant ocean waves in your head sound.

[Juice5942 @ Sep 18th 2008 7:37PM]

It's not a glitch, the editors don't type these articles and hit submit like most people do on their personal blog. They type an article out the Queue it for a certain time so it seems like the blog is getting updated with new articles all day and night.

[Gnaget @ Sep 18th 2008 7:44PM]

Random hijack of the thread, but I am in the market for a good pair of earbuds (headphones potentially to if I can't find a good enough pair). Sub $300 range, but preferably in the $100-$200 range. Active noise canceling, and of course great sound. Having trouble finding the right pair, so anyone have recommendations? I was thinking about sending an email to ask engadget.

[Taurus @ Sep 19th 2008 2:51AM]

@Gnaget

I'm currently using JVC HA-NCX77 (although the left earpiece just died this morning x( )
(http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/jvc-ha-ncx77-noise/4505-7877_7-32385757.html)

They have very nice sound quality, quite effective noise cancelling (well, the rubber pieces do most of the work, the cancelling unit just adds some more, 20% at a guess) and they are not too expensive.

Although, I'm a little disappointed in the build quality. The noice cancelling unit is quite big (I opened it once and I think, apart from the battery, this could be made much smaller!) and the way the headphone cable are connected to the unit is quite error-prone. I've used them 1.5 years approximately (nearly every day), and about 1 year into it a problem occured with the headphone cable producing scratch and hissing noise because the connection of the headphone cable to the noice cancelling unit was not good anymore (dunno what exactly caused it).

Well, to sum up: I don't know if I would recommend them. The sound and noise cancelling quality is really nice, but the bulkyness and the build quality (in a long term use perspective) aren't too good.

[Dahk @ Sep 18th 2008 7:50PM]

We all make mistakes buddy. Besides, my eyes totally skipped that.

Usually with blogs, people either retro-post (post with a previous time/date) or write something and have a delayed publish to a specific time. So... I'm assuming this is the case. It just looks nicer when things are posted at the 0s and 30s lol.

[what4 @ Sep 18th 2008 8:56PM]

Specs on the Audiovox website say it comes with "2 AAA Energizer batteries" and does not mention any AAAA battery.

[James @ Sep 19th 2008 6:11AM]

I'm in for a pair. I currently use Shure E2Cs and love them. The only grip about them is that the cables are stiff, and the casing has cracked in a couple of places. I have mended them by thinly coating with JB-Weld and cross-wrapping with a light nylon thread. They still SOUND great.

About the Quad-A battery: I have a LED pencil light purchased off the Snap-on truck that uses 3 of them. The light is no thicker than a standard Bic-pen, but really lights up the night.

Did you know: If you carefully peel apart the metal case of a standard 9v battery you can get 6 AAAA batteries out of it? Pretty slick. they are only a tiny smidge of a hair shorter, but would work very well in this device, I would guess. The 'harvested' AAAA don't work quite as well in my flashlight because you have to stack three of them. You get 3X the shortness, and it adds up to the need for a small piece of metal to make up the difference.

Here's a link to a video of the trick: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/360955/9_volt_battery_hack_youll_be_surprised/

[Bobsley @ Sep 18th 2008 9:34PM]

I need this! Just in time to listen my new album of Saturday Lo-fi...

[Roni Solomon @ Sep 18th 2008 11:36PM]

I liked AR better when they made actual audiophile grade products (AR-3, AR-91, AR-XA). These new AR products are totally cheesy, and a far cry from the great products Henry Kloss had pioneered during the early days of the brand.

[B.C. @ Sep 19th 2008 1:11AM]

I have a set of Phillips noise cancelling ear buds. They work alright on my motorcycle in conjunction with my GPS, better than in-ear buds alone did. Still I would be game for these if they worked even better.

Anyone actually try these things around machinery or engines??