Sony MDR-NC6 Noise Canceling Headphones

I do some traveling and wanted some light headphones that have noise canceling. I stumbled upon these by accident at a store and they were on clearance. I looked over the specs on it and found that for the price, they were actually really good. I bought them for like [...] bucks so a little better then what amazon sold them for.

Anyway, when i got home, i was supprised that it didn't come with the battery for the noise canceling, which kind of upset me because usually you would get all the parts with a product. But thats not the reason why i gave it a 4 star. The reason is that the actual headphones feel kind of cheap and everytime you hold them in your hands, they would break or something.

But the sound quality, is amazing!
If you are looking for sound quality, these definatly have it. Not as much bass but the highs are amazing and the sound quality is very good. When you turn on the noise canceling on them, they do work. You just sink into the music that you are listening to.

Another reason why i bought them is because I do travel around and i wanted to have headsets better then the ones that you get on the plane. Definatly recommend getting this product

I'm from the generation that remembered Sony as a quality product. No more. Like several other Sony products I've purchased recently, they disappoint. Right away, the headphone jack began to fail and rendered the product useless.

I have been using these forever it seems and any other headphones don't really got the same kick I was looking for and mine have been used for almost 2 years with nothing wrong. Unless your really careless you should be able to keep these phones in shape and ready to go, I love that these sound so loud and yet the distortion is there but I'd rather it be loud then tiny and the comfort level is not as good but its not bad just decent and the fact they don't fold like the aiwa before is kinda dissapointing but all in all for the refurb price thier a steal you get loud sound ok comfort and decent noise canceling. So I recomend these for someone looking for some cans that are for the average music listener cause they'll be ok with it but the hardcore always try to find something wrong with it and it won't be good enough lol unless thier around 100$ thier not gonna be close to top notch so if your on the budget these are great to own and since i got some refurb one I can say they last for a long long time . : )

It's not a BOSE but I don't NEED to spend hundreds of dollars on a headset that can get lost, stolen, or broken on a plane flight for a little better sound quality. Too much else to be concerned about. It does the job of giving me pleasurable music, etc. and does a stand up job of filtering out unwanted noise especially when I am trying to sleep. They do start to feel uncomfortable on my ears after a couple of hours of use though. I just take a break from using or reposition them a bit. I was amazed the first time I used them because of the noise filtering effect now I won't travel without them...good value.

I can't really comment on any of the attributes as I returned this product without opening as my needs changed.

Great headphones, but the plastic silver part on the side of the headphone cracks easily. I'm on my second pair. I wish they would make the frame stronger.

We got several pairs of MDR-NC6 at the company I work for. 75% broke in less than a year. The side where the battery is located had the most problems.

And yes, Sony's customer service doesn't care for these kinds of products, and they basically tell you that you need to buy another pair because they can't do anything about it, or you need to pay a lot for them to look at them.

What a waste of money; we need to buy more headphones but it is going to be a different brand.

I bought set at Target in 2005.But unfortunately the left channel went dead recently.Warranty expired.Sony in Tejas wanted $33.00 to restore.Decided no. Bought a pair of Panasonic noise cancel through mail.And didn't like em. Didn't even fit on my fat head and gave them to relative.

Don't want any phones now except NC6. Even if I have to buy a new set every few years. But they are not for action and not for travel either.They take up space in bag and are fragile.No excercise either.Ergometer? Forget it! Walking/jogging no way! Picks up wind pockets and sounds like a hurricane while outside.No water or perspiration,Plugs for jogging/walking/biking.

NC6 is for at home.The midrange and high end.It's authentic bass, not for phoney rapp bass garbage.A real jazz/classical enthusiast will appreciate.

I bought these headphones about a year and a half ago. The first time I tried them on they felt great on my ears. The padding was very comfortable and adapted to my ear shape easily. My ears do start to feel hot after several hours of use. The band that connects it is great and sturdy. I have tossed this thing around a lot in my book bag and there is no sign of wear and tear. The single wire is great because it avoids those annoying tangles you normally get. The adjustments are good for any person (I have a big head so this is a must). The 90 day warranty is also a great plus.

The sound quality itself is superb. The bass is low, but you can still feel it and know it is there. The high treble is great for distinguishing sounds. The actual volume is a little low compared to Skullcandy or iPod headphones but that's okay because the quality is great. The noise canceling, to me, seems to only make the sound louder and not really stop incoming noise. But it's an OK plus.

The right speaker completely died on me a year in for no discernible reason. I can live without it but it's an annoyance. I would definitely recommend these headphones to anyone looking for a cheap set of noise canceling headphones. They also come with a plane adapter and a leather pouch which is nice to help prevent damage. But if you want something smaller the Skullcandy Ink'd ear buds are a great choice.

Pros-
Very low, but 'feeling' bass
High treble (Distinguishes sounds well)
Sturdy build all around (Feels flimsy but is not)
Leather pouch + airplane adapter
Single wire (Avoids tangles)

Cons-
Ears get hot after long uses
Noise canceling not so good as expected
Not really meant for portability
Might die with no cause

All in all, it's a superb set of headphones for the price. Definitely the most bang for your buck.

I got my pair at the airport.Sure,they were overpriced,but I was stuck IN THE AIRPORT! These are great,but after about 2 years,the noise cancelling went out,but come on! 2yrs is a long time,but I thought I'd let people know.The price my reflect that quality,where as a higher priced pair might last longer.

Compared to SONY MDR 150 ,for $20 they are not better in clarity, not noise canceling as advertised, a bit flimsy and easy to break since they swivel. The SONY MDR 150 are a much better buy , sit better on the ear, have better sound ( I realy love ) and the noise isolation is exactly the same if you turn of the amplifier of those.
Really not worth the extra 30$, I gave them back and bough a couple more MDR 15o's for my kids for the money I saved on those and everybody is happy.

Cheap noise-canceling earphones like this seem to simply change the nature of the noise. A loud AC is the perfect noise for noise canceling technology since it is so invariant. These earphones simply change the nature of the sound while giving your ear the impression of being buffeted. I would recommend getting something else.

The bass is a little weak, but on the whole the music reproduction isn't bad, except for the uncomfortable feeling of listening to loud music without actually hearing loud music.

Also, the battery compartment presses up against the top of my head which makes it doubly uncomfortable to wear.

On the plus side, it comes in a nice little bag.

I purchased last november five MDR-NC6 for my company. The left side on two of them don't work any more, and the noise canceling is a joke.

I just called Sony; no much help: I can send mine and pay $25 for a refurbished/used pair. What a waste of time and money. The C/S guy at Sony didn't even care that this was an ongoing problem with this model. I had just ordered 6 more sony headphones but I am going to cancel the order.

I am so happy that I had these headphones on a recent international trip. I was completely stunned at how well they work. After shoving them in my carry-on and now my laptop bag (back and forth to the office) I can report they are in perfect shape. I think you would have to work hard to break them - if you are relatively kind to your electronics, don't be scared off by other reviews that say they break easily...

With the downturn in the economy - Bose wasn't an option. For a tenth of the price - I am glad I bought these!

Great product. Removes most of the jet noise in an airplane even if your sitting right next to the engine. Light on your ears and very comfortable to wear. Great for the price. Long on the battery life too.

I bought the N6 in Nov of 2008. They went on a few airplane rides and now they don't work. They didn't reduce the noise level very much. Its white noise that it produces is way too much background noise. It hardly canceled any noise on an airplane. They are still in warranty but get this. Sony said its a 24$ exchange fee. So you pay shipping to get it there. I paid 30$ to buy them . Forget this unit and pay more and get more. Like something that actually WORKS.

I barely remember how well these worked. Within a week or so the swivel on one of the ear cups, the metal broke. No way of possibly repairing them. In my opinion poor design. I ended up buying the Audio-Technica highly recommended on this site - they are worth the price and I don't think they'll break.

These are by no means the best headphones in the world. And now, after about a year of ownership, i think the wires may be coming apart.

However, that's really the only bad things about these headphones. They have quite good sound quality. The noise canceling feature works well, if not perfect, but is a godsend on airline flights. I queue an album or two on my mp3 player, put these on, and sleep like a rock. I really can't imagine flights without these. They're well priced, and are pretty comfortable. When I bought them, I thought I'd only use them on plane trips. But they've become my default headphones for my computer and movies.

Not perfect, but definitely worth the purchase.

Sound is OK, certainly good enough for a plane or bus ride. They get uncomfortable on me after a while. Problem I and other have is that they break easily. In my case, the speakers work, but the noise-cancelling function is disengaged unless I twist the right phone so that it is at a 90-degree angle to my ear. Not really easy to use like that! The wiring connection inside this right channel must be bad, as the reviews here and elsewhere cite many problems with the right speaker. I used to think of Sony as a quality company, but my experiences with their stuff over the lat 10 years has caused me to rate them just above Radio Shack, and that's not saying much.

Works well to cancel noise. Probably the best on the market for the price. I bought a refurbished headphone with no problems. The plug, wire are under designed and will not take a lot of abuse. The head bar is plastic, and feels like it could break. I broke my pair at where the plug goes into the Mp3 player. Knowing now that it is a very breakable product, I would not take it to the gym, or work outdoors in the yard with it.
I switched to a cheaper, but stronger headphone to wear to the gym, and to do my gardening work. Even if I break a cheaper headphone, I am not out of much of a dollar loss.

I was very excited to have this product when it arrived. I travel a lot and needed a good noise cancelling headset for all the airplanes. It started off really good, and then the right ear speaker only worked on regular sound (not noise cancelling mode). Now both earpieces only work when it's not in the noise cancelling mode, not good. I would have had them replaced but it was after the warranty, go figure.

I had a pair of these for about 2 years before they broke. Used them on long airline trips, mostly, & I travel by air maybe 3-4 times a year on average, so I didn't put a lot of hours on them. While they lasted, I was satisfied with their performance. They blocked low frequencies very effectively, higher frequencies not so much. That was OK with me; it helps a lot on a plane. A few days ago I discovered that the right audio channel had gone out. (Note to self: in the future, check that electronic equipment is working before packing it.)

These are awful, period. There is barely noise reduction let alone cancel.

These are an uncharacteristically bad product for Sony. I was very surprised, as they were not cheap (way cheaper than Bose, but now I see why).

I've had these for less than a year and the left side just doesn't work any more.

There are some noise-cancelling headphones that deliver superior performance but the price point is not commensurate with the quality. The Sony MDR-NC6 is an excellent choice for someone wanting solid performance without breaking the bank.

The headphones, while seeming a bit light and fragile, stand up well under daily use. I built a home theater several years ago that my wife tends to frown upon, so most of my DVD watching takes place while wearing headphones. I have found them to be comfortable and nearly unnoticable while being used. The sound quality does not approach my Nakamichi Open-Air headphones, but then I paid almost $100.00 for those nearly thirty years ago.

The only criticism I have is that they tend to chew through batteries quite rapidly (of course maybe I watch too many movies). My home theater being situated in the basement has a de-humidifier which is barely noticable while wearing the headphones, so it is possible that the circuitry is working extra hard to cancel the noise of the surly beast.

All-in-all the Sony MDR-NC6 is, in my opinion, a fine choice for the frugal. Delivery both quality and comfort at a reasonable price.

The noise canceling was not quite as good as the Bose Quiet Comfort phones, but these are a heck of a lot cheaper. I used them in a hotel near a busy-ish street, in a busy airport and aboard a plane. In each case, they noticeably reduced environmental noise with an almost soothing, faint hiss. Still, for music enjoyment I could do without the hiss.

The sound quality was quite good for the price. The bass wasn't particularly deep or full and mids/highs do not have the detail and clarity of more expensive phones. I didn't expect them to for the price.

I like that the battery compartment and electronics are integrated with the headset and don't have a dongle hanging off of them.

My biggest complaint is in the comfort department. I'd rate them somewhere between very uncomfortable and downright painful to wear for long hours. Some folks have no complaints about the comfort in this design, but I sure did. Maybe my ears and head are shaped strangely, I don't know, but I've owned lots of other on-ear and over-ear types that were a pleasure to wear. These were not.

If they were more comfortable I'd give them 4 stars due to their decent sound quality and noise cancellation for the price.

Pro's:
1. They sound really good!! Better than my Koss headphones did.

Cons:
1. They are a bit too heavy.
2. They begin to hurt my ears after I've worn them awhile with my glasses on & I have to wear my glasses in order to see well.
3. They feel too tight on my ears no matter how I adjust the headband.

I didn't buy these for the noise cancelling as I really don't need that. All I wanted was a set of headphones that sounded good. The Radio Shack salesman (they cost $49.95 plus local 8.25% tax) tried to sell me a 4 pack of triple A batteries as well as a service plan but I stood my ground & walked out with just the headphones. I'm glad I did because these headphones are uncomfortable after awhile. I didn't know that when I bought them.

The plus side is the nice sound quality. The highs are great, the midrange is very good & the bass is not overpowering although I wish it was a bit stronger. Even though I prefer to play them at a low to moderate sound level they can be cranked up to full volume with my portable CD player or even louder with my computer without going into distortion the way my Koss headphones did when played on the computer.

I guess I'll either try to find some foam padding so these headphones stay comfortable on my ears with long use or spend the money for a set that sounds as good (or better) that these plus has good foam padding. It's the way these should have been made in the first place. Not with thin material over the cans!!

A headset canceling only low-frequency noise is like sunglasses that cut glare only in the red. Better than nothing, but leaves you wanting more. Otherwise quite good. Sound quality is great, and construction is fully adequate for normal use - unlike others I've seen reviewed, these appear unlikely to break in the near future. I use them on public transport with moderate success. One feature I haven't seen noted is a boost in the volume when the noise canceling is turned on. At first I thought this was just a way of cheating (increasing signal to noise by increasing signal), but I've found it helpful - quicker than going to the MP3-player volume control. A suggestion for Sony: a noise-canceling headset that also keeps your ears warm in cold weather, for waiting at the bus stop.

The headsets were received in just a few days, and they work great. I have to be careful when I put them on, because I can't hear anyone in the house trying to talk to me.

Bought these headphones about 3 weeks ago and have found that I can only wear them for about 15-20 minutes max. The NR feature has a high pitch tone that drives me nuts when there is no music playing. When music is playing I can tolerate it for a little while. I have found that using the headphones with the NR feature off is a little more comfortable for me but the headphones do tend to push hard against your head getting very uncomfortable for long play listening. They do produce a nice sound if you can overlook these two things.

This product cancels noise great and allows both my boyfriend and I to enjoy two different listening situations without interfering with each other. They are heartier than others I have purchased in the past.

I wish description indicated type of headphone covers. Headphone covers are fragile foams. With $35 price tag, I was expecting more durable and easy to clean vinyl covers. Two weeks after purchase, Target offered same item at $29. I couldn't figure out how to request price match refund from Amazon. If Amazon indeed has this option, it must be well hidden somewhere.

The headphones do a great job suppressing most of the engine noise when I fly commercial.

I have this product only for a couple of days, and I bought this because it is cheap, has active noise cancelling feature and it is from Sony. And I am not disappointed. The sound quality is excellent. I run it with my iPod and with my computer... both sounds surprisingly great... in all frequencies. And it looks great too, and fits very well.

My only concern is the noise cancelling feature. The active noise cancelling works very well for low frequencies, as advertised. But, I get a persistent hissing sound all the time the noise cancelling is turned on, which is annoying. The manual describes that the hissing is normal for quite environments, but I get the hissing everywhere, quiet or not.

But, overall, for the price, the phones with its sound quality, stylish look and great noise cancelling capabilities, is an excellent buy for the price.

The head phones were clean & in excellent condition. I guess I expected then to cancel all the out side noise & they didn't.

There is a slight reduction in regular, low-frequency noise as in air travel, but these are not nearly as effective as Bose or Audio-Technica. Additionally, these are very picky about how they are positioned on your ears -- it has to be Just So to work.

Sony in general has been disappointing in every field lately (don't know about Sony Television Channels). It is accessible, no doubt about it, but it has no consistency. It starts fairly well and after 1 hour of flight, it is clumsy, undistinguished sound. Definetely not worth. Fortunately it doesn't cost like a Bose, but it has nothing to do with a Bose. Ergonomics also is a failure. Battery life a question mark, you never know. It hurts the ears after a while. Worst of all, NO GOOD SOUND QUALITY. Even without ambience sound like air travel. Even sitting on a temple, without anyone around, sound does not convince. I do not recommend it at all, although it is low cost. Buy I would recommend it only if in an emergency. BUt remember, it won't last. Everyday it passes it gets worse. Very short useful life.

I don't particularly like the fit. It's a little straight over the top of the head and is a little iritating. When you turn on the noise reduction feature it enhances the sound which is really nice however, the noise reduction must work on a microphone feedback to some extent because when the wind blows it's noisy in the head set. It does not reduce the surrounding noise of mowers and such to any extent to where its useable. I do like the sound though and if you're just working around the yard or in a room it's fine.

i bought these headphones about a year ago, and was hoping for something for an airplane ride. the first thing i noticed was that they hurt your ears if you wear them for about 2 hours. now, coming back from paris, the right noise canceling went out! it was so annoying. also, they do not get loud enough if noise canceling was not on.

EXCELLENT VALUE. Cost about 10% of BOSE nc headphones. Guessing to be better than 60% as effective. Wife is also very pleased.

These headphones do produce satisfactory sound. However, they do not satisfactorily reduce ambient noise. Also, these headphones do not have a sound level control on the plug-in line. Turning on the ambient sound filter increases the sound level of the earphones. Finally, the earphones are large, cumberson, and look ridiculous worn in public.

I bought these for the noise cancelling and I am very pleased with them for the price. It allows me to hear voices clearly and at normal volume but cancels out all the hums, buzzes, etc. that come from fans, flourescent lights, etc.

I wasn't wow'ed by the quality when I got them and then mine died within the first month. :( I went out and bought a twenty-dollar retractable pair and I've had THEM for nearly a year now, obviously the quality is what I expected but at least they WORK.

I was very unhappy with these. They look great-very slim design; however, I wore them on the airplane and they barely hid the jet noise. Additionally the battery compartment is on the inside of the headband. It dug into my head. It actually gave me a headache. I would not buy these again or recommend them to anyone.

These were my first pair of Noise canceling headphones. Quite honestly, I expected a lot out of there headphones and that's what I got. Opinions may vary, but I thought that these headphones were quite ugly. The phones themselves stuck out. It makes one's head look quite like a football. I actually found them uncomfortable for extended use. I took a nine hour flight from San Francisco to London and during the flight, I had to take them off a few times because they were hurting my ear. I'm not sure which part specifically, but my ears were just sore.

Time for some pros. The quality is really good. I'm not an expert at listening to music, but I can tell the difference between the free headphones that airlines provide and these. the noise canceling works decent. It's totally useless against voices. All it does when someone is talking is basically turn their base down. Everyone talking has a similar, monotonous, robotic type voice. With that said, these headphones were not designed for that purpose. they were designed for transportation such as airplanes. And performance on an airbus was astounding. It canceled out pretty much all of the noise. When everyone else set there in flight entertainment volume to 7, mine was set to 1/2. My ears are very good though. It made me feel a little guilty though. :) The sound quality was pretty good. I thought that the bass could be a little deeper, but that's it.

Sadly, after around a year and a half of use, they broke. Well, not the chassis. I'm suspecting that the wiring came loose or something. The sounds played were distorted and odd. When watching "Burn Notice" on my PC, I was not able to hear voices. And yes, I did try my other pair of headphone on my PC and they worked OK, so the problem was the Headphones. I guess it was because I dropped them too frequently. I also stuffed them into tight backpacks, etc... So it was my fault rather than a manufacture error.

Overall, for the price, I really liked them. I would say that my largest complaint would be the fact that it made my head look fat. And no my head is not deformed. I'm quite handsome actually :)

I have used these on several international flights over the past few months. The noise cancellation is just "okay"; you get some small reduction in the background engine noise, but not as much as I got from my last pair of inexpensive NC headphones (sorry I don't remember the brand; they were a gift) that I used until they snapped in half along the folding hinge. The Sony didn't have the annoying hiss that the other pair had, which is a plus. It was somewhat more comfortable as well. It didn't squeeze my skull like the other pair did, but after a few hours, my ears still hurt, which may be due to them pressing against my eyeglasses. Overall I would say these are okay, better than nothing, but could definitely be better, especially in the noise cancellation feature.

This is the first time I am reviewing anything here. I bought a pair just yesterday, and I am far from happy with them.

The ear cushioning is minimal and uncomfortable. Even worse, the wind rushes by between your ears and the headphones and drowns out whatever you're listening to. This might not be so bad in a plane, but makes it hard to walk around in them.

The noise canceling feature is also minimal. I had another set, so I know what noise canceling headphones can do. I don't expect it to cancel out all noise, but you do expect it to minimize the din and roar of trucks, trains, and other engine noise. I could barely tell the when the noise canceling feature was actually turned on.

I bought these because they were fairly cheap, and I expected good things from the Sony name. I don't know if I can return them, but I will try. My advice is to spend the extra money (about $100) and get a good pair. Also look up David Pogue's column on noise canceling headphones and see his review. The prices have dropped significantly since he did his review about six months ago.

I recently bought these headphones because they were on sale and I am a fan of Sony products. However, I was disappointed with the noise canceling feature because when you turn the switch on, you get white noise, that is still audible when you have music playing. I think the purpose of the white noise is to help block outside sounds, but to be honest, I find it more annoying and would rather listen to street noise. This white noise would only ever be appropriate if I were trying to block out a large parade. Case in point, these headphones are not noise cancelers, but rather, provide an alternative sound to override the outside noise.

They are a nice pair of headphones though, and when not in their noise canceling function, they do give a high quality of sound, and I don't require as high of a volume as with my other headphones. I am also disappointed in that they are not easily foldable. I would not buy this again, but I do plan on keeping them as a basic set of headphones. May be better on planes.

I bought the headphones to use on summer vacation for my daughter and I. While using the headphones in the airport and riding on the airplane, the headphones noise canceling function worked great. It basically cancels out the lower sounds (ie. airplane engines), so you can hear either your ipod or dvd player. Our flight was about 2 1/2 hours long, and the headphones were comfortable enough to wear without hurting our ears. I am sure there are better headphones, but for the price, these work terrific!

Great product and great value for the money. My 2nd pair. My 20 year old son liked the 1st pair so much that they walked off with him. Also very useful if you travel by airplane as well. Highly recommended.