Part 6: Noise Cancelling Headphone Review - The Sony MDR-NC500D

If planes, trains, and automobiles are good places for bells and whistles, the Sony MDR-NC500D will feel right at home while you're out and about.

While it doesn't get quite the amount of isolation that the Bose does, the Sony MDR-NC500D is terrific sounding and has the most comprehensive feature set and accessorization of all the noise cancellers we tested.Sony has been making sexy gadgets for a long time and the NC500D is no exception; this little pair of cans has really terrific looks and build quality. Sony engineers were also very tricky when they used a rechargeable battery in the headphones to keep them small, but included an accessory gadget that you can put two AA batteries in to keep running when the internal battery runs out of juice. Ear cushions on these cans seems a little stiff until you realize Sony is using some type of memory foam that quickly conforms to your head to provide an excellent seal without relying on too much clamping pressure; this delivers very good long term comfort, and a surprising amount of space in the ear-cup given their small size. The only significant drawback I found with the ND500D was that all the accessories makes the hard sided carrying case somewhat larger than the other headphones of this size. Can't have everything I guess.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="340" caption="Frequency Response of the Sony MDR-NC500D"][/caption]The NC500D is another of the very sophisticated digital signal processing noise cancelling headphones, and uses digital signal processing techniques to both to cancel outside noise, and to provide frequency shaping to the overall sound.While the mids are a tad withdrawn, these cans really deliver tight dynamic bass, smooth natural highs, and a nice sense of space. These headphones cost more than the rest, and they sound like it.

Visit HeadRooom's product page to purchase the Sony MDR-NC500D. Next up, the Monster Beats by Dr. Dre-----> First article in this series is here.