 | | The
headphones fold up for easy storage in backpacks or carry-ons. |
One
moment I was sitting in a middle of a loud concourse — babies screaming, people
yelling, engines roaring to life. The next moment the entire world was quiet and my music
(Chantal Kreviazuk, if you care) was all I could hear.
Sony's
MDR-NC20 Noise Canceling Headphones are a godsend for any traveler who values
a moment's escape from constant background noise. These headphones differ from
your run-of-the-mill headphones in that they feature a special switch that turns
on the noise-cancelation magic. In other words, they feature the reduction of
outside noise by more than 70 percent (10DB), permitting music to be heard against
a quieter background using the Noise Canceler On/Off switch.
So
if you still want to be able to hear your neighbor's conversation (hey, there's
nothing wrong with being a little curious) or want to make sure you catch your plane's
boarding announcement, you can always switch off the Noise Canceler and keep listening
to your music. But if you leave that special feature engaged, be warned — you
might not hear anything.
I
was unfortunate enough to have seat in the back of the plane with a prime view
of an engine on a flight back to Detroit. The noise was annoying, bordering on
unbearable. I hooked up my headphones (they fold up, making it easy to stow away
in a backpack or carry-on) to my CD player and within a minute, completely forgot
that the engine was only a few feet away. I couldn't hear a single thing other
than my music. It was bliss.
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