Kensington Noise Cancelling Headphones ( 33084 )
by Kensington
|
List Price: Our Price: $24.73 You Save: $15.27 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kensington Noise Cancelling Headphones ( 33084 )
Customer Review: Portable Noise Reduction You Might Actually Use
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall, while I agree with most the positive reviews out there, I do have a few things to add/reiterate/clarify after using these headphones for the last few months. Before reading this review, understand that I used these headphones soley in airplanes and I believe that is probably where they would shine the most.
Their best feature is their portability. They fold up very nicely and fit easily in my briefcase. If it wasn't for this feature, I probably wouldn't bother trying to squeeze them in there. Either there wouldn't be room or I would be afraid they might break. Unlike a few of the other reviewers, I never had any problems with the headphones accidently being turned on.
The second most important feature is how comfortable they are. If I couldn't wear them for extended periods of time then it wouldn't matter how well they reduced noise. Luckily, on my coast-to-coast flights, I didn't experience any discomfort. That's no easy feat either, because waering headphones typically tends to annoy me pretty quick. In fact, these are the most comfortable headphones I own. They don't pinch my head and they allow my ears to "breathe" since the earpieces don't fit snugly around or in them.
Lastly, they do a decent job reducing the ambient noise on airplanes. Like one reviewer mentioned, they reduce noise well enough but get no where near cancelling it. I used them at first when watching DVDs on my laptop and then took them off when I was done. However the noise difference was so great that I ended up leaving them on even when they weren't hooked up to anything. When watching DVDs, I didn't notice any negative effect on the sound quality and it sounded much better than similar headphones without noise cancellation because it filtered out a lot of the cabin noise. When I had them turned on, but wasn't listening to any audio, the noise reduction was about the same as wearing earplugs. As for the batteries, after about 3 months and 30 hours of use they seemed ready for another. That seemed acceptable to me since leaving the battery in there the whole time would slowly deplete it.
Basically, these did exactly what I bought them for and the price was right. Best of all, because of their portability and comfort, they'll actually get used.
Customer Review: Recommended over Bose's QuietComfort
Summary: 5 Stars
If Bose's "Quiet Comfort" was the only game in town, a useful but dispensable item like noise canceling headphone probably would have remained a luxury item that's beyond my reach. Luckily, the ultra greedy Bose is not the only player. Kensington's entrance into the noise canceling headphone arena took a completely pragmatic and value-centric approach - quite refreshing when contrasted with the THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR QuietComfort, which more or less do the same thing as Kensington's 33084. The biggest bone some users seem to have with 33084 is the complaint that the headset amplifies internal noise, such as tape hiss. I have no way to verify if the claim is true. But for most people-myself included, this would be a non-issue. I have used 33084 with my iPod, laptop, as well as plane audio system. For all these common systems, mechanical movements are minimal or negligible. The noises from these sources are practically non-existent to begin with, and 33084 certainly did not amplify any noises for me. However, if you're really old school and insisting on getting your tune fix from a hissy old tape deck, I don't think any headphone will pretty up the audio quality of granddaddy walkman to CD level. The actual noise cancellation part is also very decent. I've used the headphone on planes as well as next to an operating dryer, ambient noises do drop to a very comfortable level, while the music is maintained at near-original quality. Another thing I like about these headphones is the fact that they have very decent bass. The only fact I don't like about these headphones is the placement of the on-off switch. As another reviewer has mentioned, the on-off switch gets toggled in the bag too easily. But at less than 10% of Bose's price, I ain't complaining.Customer Review: And it's Really Compact as well as doing what the name says
Summary: 5 Stars
There are already some excellent reviews here that I don't need to repeat. I have previously bought two other noise cancelling headphone sets that cost a lot more than the Kensington. They were both of the full-cup design that totally encloses your ears, good for accomplishing the noise cancelling process, but big and bulky. That is not at all desirable on airplanes anytime and even moreso now. In fact, that was largely the reason for the loss of the first and most expensive set. The plane hit a bump at the moment I was trying to levitate out of my seat with the big clumsy headphones in one hand and hanging on with the other. I landed on the seat on top of them. The Kensington folds up small and can be safely tucked away. Two years ago, when I saw the Kensington headphones at such a reasonable price, I couldn't resist and have not been disappointed. They pack into my laptop computer bag which makes them even more useful.
They are lightweight and comfortable to wear in almost any position. I feel the noise cancelling function is equal to any other I have tried. I don't believe ANY consumer grade headphones exist that cancel across the whole sound spectrum. That would be something for the laboratory, not an airplane. These are very effective where it counts.
Would I recommend them? I just did. Today, a friend asked my opinion and this is what I told him, so I thought should post it here also.
Customer Review: Very useful on long flights
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used these headphones on several trans-pacific (e.g., 12-14 hour) flights and they really cut down on jet engine noise. The headphones use a AAA battery to generate some white noise, which itself is not very noticable. You can turn the noise cancelling on or off. When you turn it off, you notice a large increase in the amount of background noise that reaches your ears. Thus, it is clearly effective. It is not as good at cancelling intermittent sounds, such as a noisy conversation, but it does help a little bit with that also. For example, I have to turn off the noise cancelling or take the headphones off to hear the flight attendant ask me which of the two lousy meal choices I prefer. The AAA battery lasts a long time. I used one battery for a round-trip from the U.S. east coast to China (approx. 35 hours of flight time) and that same battery still has power. I have not compared to other headphones so there might be better ones, but I find this one provides satisfactory results. I have used these headphones with my iPod and with the inflight sound systems, as well as with my laptop iTunes library, etc., and the sound quality is good. I prefer the full coverage over the ear to an earbud type of headphone. Your preference/mileage may vary.Customer Review: Perfect for road trips
Summary: 5 Stars
Traveling with children is lots of fun when you have a dvd player and head phones that actually fit the younger children! These Kensington headphones are perfect for that. We have bought so many pair of headphones and none of them stay on the childs head and earbuds don't fit in the childs ear, but these have a strap that keep the headphones in place. I bought my older child a pair of earbuds from Phillips to use with his Ipod & in the car but after seeing the ones his little brother got and how well they fit we had to buy another pair!
The noise cancelling is excellent for a cheaper pair of headphones. You can still hear some background noise which is to be expected, but it is muffled out so well that now I can listen to the car stereo while the children watch a movie and not get the "Mommy turn it down, we can't hear the movie!"
These are definetly worth the $35 and they fold up and come with a carry case so they can be kept in the vehicle when not being used and no one is tripping or stepping on them.