Hear the Noise, or not

Noise cancelling headphones have become all the rage over the last few years, particularly if you're a frequent traveler on airplanes. It's almost become a status symbol to tune out your seat mate. I think anyone that knows anything about noise cancelling headphones became aware of the phenomenon because of Bose. I have to be honest, I really wanted the Bose, but could not justify the price. So hence, I searched and searched, tried several pairs, and found this pair of JVC that are nearly as good.

The cups fit over the ears quite comfortably, and create a good seal. They are not too heavy, and do not press against your head or ears as to create any excess pressure or discomfort. You have the option of using the phones with either the noise cancelling turned on or off. The fidelity of these are good. If the Bose is a 10, these get an 8. As for the noise cancelling, I would recommend these for use on airplanes, and they do drown out about 70% of the excess cabin noise created by air flow and engine noise. If you want to listen to music or a movie, it's really a pleasure. However, it won't completely drown out the screaming baby behind you! I can barely stand to fly anymore without these; the noise drives me nuts. I keep them on whether I'm listening to music/movies or not. You will find your trip, especially long flights, much more relaxing.

They fold up very compactly, and come with a nice imitation leather bag with a drawstring. There is also an airline attachment plug for those airlines that still require the two pronged connection. The cord retracts into the unit when not in use, so the cord doesn't get all tangled when stored.

The unit is powered by one AAA battery. It does last a good long time, probably about 15-20 hours our so of use.

All in all, this is a very good unit, and is well worth the price compared to the alternatives out there, namely the Bose.