Excellent value
Written: Jan 17 '04 (Updated Jan 18 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Impressive sound quality, Great Noise-Cancellation for the price
Cons: Marginal high-frequency noise cancellation
The Bottom Line: Great for traveling, especially in the car. Decent noise cancellation for the price.
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| hc_ca's Full Review: Aiwa HP-CN5 Headphones |
Preface:
I've got to be honest... $50 doesn't make me confident in thinking that I'm getting a good quality set of headphones, let alone headphones with noise canceling. Little more than 5 years ago, noise canceling headsets were rare and very costly! Even today, finding a good quality set can go upwards of $300 or more dollars. $50?? Come on...
I was introduced to the world of noise cancellation with a friends Sennheiser Aviation noise-canceling headset. We were driving on a freeway and I noticed them in the back seat of his car. I asked if I could try them and he said "Sure." I picked them up, flipped the switch, and... "Holy Crud nuggets thats cool!" All of the road noise and the sound of the car itself was GONE! I was hooked on this fabulous technology and needed to find my own pair.
The Aiwa HP CN5
Sound Quality: 4/5
I have found it difficult to get a good set of headphones that reproduce bass and especially treble well. Almost every headset I have been through has either too much bass or too little treble.
Sound on these Aiwa headphones is actually surprisingly good. I'm impressed at how well balanced the bass and treble are. There is a good sound field as well, that sounds like true stereo sound rather than a monoural broadcast.
Noise Cancellation: 3/5
Honestly now, for $50, I would take anyones attempt at noise cancellation. I had no expectations walking into the purchase that these were going to be nearly as good as my friends Sennheiser aviation headset. Well, I was partially right... Upon turning the Aiwa on, I noticed a dramatic decrease in low frequency noise (i.e. road noise, computer fans, refrigerators, train noises etc...). As long is the sound isn't too sharp (i.e someone talking), the headphones can keep the sound out.
They aren't perfect however. They do a fairly lousy job at filtering out high-frequency stuff. I would estimate an average of 20-30% of this type of noise is removed, and a good 70-85% of low frequency noise. Again though, $50. The headphones are really ideal however for the car, train or airplane where most of the noise heard anyway falls into the low frequency spectrum.
Comfort: 3.5/5
Compared to my old Sony headphones, these things are bulky and a bit awkward, but comfortable... The top is really square and deceiving at first, but is quite comfortable once worn. The earphones themselves are a nice fit but covered with a cheap foam. The headphones adjust for both tallness of head and curvature of ear. They fold very flat for storage as well.
How it works:
Noise, or any sound is transmitted in wave form at a particular frequency (speed), wavelength (distance between wave crests) and amplitude (height of wave). In order to remove the noise, engineers realized that by sending out an opposite wave to that being transmitted, you would cancel the wave out. With noise cancelling headsets, there is a processor that analyzes the ambient noise, mirrors it, and sends it through the earphones. This really only reduces, not cancels the ambient noise. Theoretically, there is no way to remove all the noise. The processor would have to be infinitely fast and the sound dampening materials on the headphones would have to be perfect. Therefore, we settle for dramatic noise reduction. Because the processor is not infinitely fast in mirroring the wave signals, there is a discrepancy between the ambient wave and the artificial one. That delay or "lag time" means only partial cancellation.
Final word:
Looking back and realizing what I could have purchased for the money, I would have either chosen the Aiwa CN5's or the Sennheiser PC150's. Both are about the same amount of money, the Sennheiser being a bit more...
For the price though, under $50, these Aiwa's are a great choice for the casual audio listener, or traveler.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hc_ca
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Location: Lake Tahoe, CA
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 0 members
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