OK Noise Cancelling Headphones - Good for the money spent.

I bought these headphones about a year ago and i spent around $40.00 through amazon.com. I am one of those people who dream of owning the Bose QC 2,3 or even 1 (actually i can't remember the QC 1) but don't want to shell out the money for the Bose -- i really just wanted to spend less than $100 bucks. I read up on a few of the noise cancels and decided to try these as they were cheap and had pretty good reviews. For $40 bucks there's practically nothing to lose.

I travel/vacation like 2 to 3 times during the year and the noise cancelling function would be very useful with the engine noise during flights. I normally would not wear these for outside use but on occasion i will wear them at home.

Accessories included:

"leatherette" Pouch - fancy word for pleather... with ties - i have to say that the pouch ties never stayed closed.

Airplane Jack - very useful - the reason i bought these was for the plane.

Attached retractable cord - (not exactly an accessory) - the retractable cord is great - very convenient but the wire is really spagehetti almost angel hair thin. they will on retract when the headphones are folded.

Noise Canceling Function -

The package (as i recall) boasts 75% noise reduction - initially i tested it with the noises from the clothes washer and dryer and performed quite well. The low hum of the dryer and washer was cancelled considerably but the higher pitched sounds was still pretty clear even with the N/C on.

I think as with most noise cancel headphone the purpose is to cancel out the lower frequency sounds (roar of the plane engine etc etc)

The first time I used it on the plane i was pleasantly surprised and switched the on / off button just for the hell of it. For $40 bucks I think it does it's job pretty well in reducing (not totally cancelling) the noise - voices can still be heard however. Sometimes i would take the noise cancellation function for granted -- take them off and believe how loud engine noise can be.

As with most noise cancelling headphone - when the N/C is on there is a definitely HISS when listening to the quiet passages.

Audio Function -

i am by no means an audiophile and i listen to mp3 compressed to 128 -- that said i thought these headphones was able to produce pop and rock songs pretty well. I thought i handled the Bass well - some headphones have muddy bass and i dont' think these were muddy at all. I also don't blast my music. I thought they functioned well for MP3 with a Creative mp3 player.

Problems -

after a couple of months using them i noticed clicking noises coming out of the left side of the headphones. when i turn off the N/C it would not be a audible however it is annoying for obvious reasons... a pair of N/C headphones that cancels the outside noise but makes it's own. I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this problem.

i noticed that when i adjust it on my ears - i would "mash it" or push it firmly against my left ear and sometimes that clicking noise would disppear. I am wondering if because the headphone cable is coiled up in there it is building some kind of electro-magnetism and therefore making the clicking sound. Other than that I have not found any problems worth mention it is performance.

Comfort -

I thought the padding was soft - these phones are quite small and your ears do not exactly get enveloped in them.

If you have a big head these aren't the phones for you. Even for me it is snug and after a while it hurt the upper cartilege on my ear because of the pressure.

Looks -

I didn't think these were the most attractive headphones but they aren't ugly either...

Conclusion -
These phones are ok - they are GOOD for $40 bucks except for that darn clicking that comes and goes.

but i am ready for a new pair - i was thinking audio-technica - or even the $300 creative with the new X-Fi technology but again those are $300 phones and i dont' think i want to spend that kind of money.

these headphones can still be had for $35 - $40 - for the person who wants a decent pair of N/C headphones on a tight budget.