Noise-Cancelling Headphones

^^ allow me to use this opportunity to point out the the Sony headphones which Fitzcaraldo was so dissatisfied a moment ago were recommended by

MikeEnRegalia



P.S.: I would never recommend for in-ear headphones to be used on an airplane ... for the same reasons that you would not use earbuds. Another thing is that the "left ear problem" probably resulted from him not wearing the headphones properly ... the lead has to be behind the neck, which stabilizes the lead so that the weight of the player and the lead doesn't hang on that ear. Furthermore I'm a tall guy (180cm) and never had any problems with wearing the player on a belt (or in my trouser pockets). And finally: The noise cancellation depends on how well the earbuds fit. 

MikeEnRegalia wrote: ^^ allow me to use this opportunity to point out the the Sony headphones which Fitzcaraldo was so dissatisfied a moment ago were recommended by MikeEnRegalia P.S.: I would never recommend for in-ear headphones to be used on an airplane ... for the same reasons that you would not use earbuds. Another thing is that the "left ear problem" probably resulted from him not wearing the headphones properly ... the lead has to be behind the neck, which stabilizes the lead so that the weight of the player and the lead doesn't hang on that ear. Furthermore I'm a tall guy (180cm) and never had any problems with wearing the player on a belt (or in my trouser pockets). And finally: The noise cancellation depends on how well the earbuds fit.

Doh. Of course I wore them properly!

At the bulging junction where the main lead splits into two, there is a shorter lead for the left ear and a longer lead for the right ear. The longer lead for the right ear goes around the back of the neck.

Another cause of the problem is that the left lead, after the split, is too short.




Edited by Fitzcarraldo - September 22 2006 at 17:13

Some time after I bought the Sony Fontopia earbuds a couple of years ago I read a review on Amazon complaining of the same problem, so I'm not the only person who has experienced it.

I get the feeling that most of the problems you describe are common to all in-ear headphones ...

Just had a look on the US Amazon site to see what the reviews say for the Sony Fontopia MDR-EX71SL in-ear earbuds. These are just a few:

QUOTE
2. The placement of the 'cord extension' is obscenely awkward. Without the extension the cord is undoubtedly too short. With the extension, the cord is much too long. Also, the connector frequently separates causing unnecessary grief and annoyance. Lastly, the connector is surprisingly heavy; imagine having a small weight hanging from one ear, constantly.
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
The sound is fine, but the two-piece cord renders these a poor choice for active users because the earbud cord is too short to be used alone and too long if combined with the extension. Combined, they make a heavier length of wire than the earbuds will support if the user is active. I'm 5'9" and the short cord won't reach from my hip (where the iPod is usually clipped) to my ears without the buds getting pulled out. With the extension, the length of the combined cords and the coupler makes the whole assembly heavy and earbuds pull out easily.
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
My biggest gripe with this product is the poorly thought-out cord lengths. Without the included extension, the cord length is only 22 inches -- which is really only long enough to listen to a music player hung around your neck on a lanyard (or in a shirt pocket, if you're short enough). Connecting the extension cord adds a ridiculous 42 inches, forcing the average listener to lug around over five feet of headphone cable during typical use. The excessive cord length also makes winding the cable to store the headphones in the included clamshell case a bit tedious.

Also, before the left and right headphone wires join, the wire on the right is twice as long as on the left. Sony touts this as a convenience factor that moves the wire to the left side of your body. All it really accomplishes is to make the entire weight of the five foot cable hang from your left ear only. When walking or jogging, each footstep makes the cable bounce, causing you to hear an audible "thump" in your left ear.
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
2. The cord is too short to use for your MP3 player on your waist or holding it by your waist, unless you use the extension cord that comes with the headphones. But if you use the extension cord, it becomes too long-- even longer than the iPod headphone cord-- which is what I hated about the iPod ones.
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
Cons: main cord was too short to be useful to me unless I kept my music device in a shirt pocket or inside jacket pocket. With the extension cord attached, I felt the cord "weighing down" on my ears and it ended up being too uncomfortable for me to wear every day.
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
- the main cord is REALLY short; even using the neck lanyard with the shuffle, I had to tie a knot in the lanyard to keep the headsets from popping out of the left ear. But OK with that adjustment
UNQUOTE

QUOTE
The biggest problem with these headphones is the POS cord. I think a monkey could have designed a better cord! Not only is it incredibly long and fragile, but the way it hangs around your face is plain irritating. The left earbud has a short cord and the left has a long cord so the longer left side hangs down the front of you and then attaches next to your left ear. Then, the 6' of cord going to the player has a plug adapter in the middle of it which flops around near your abs.

If Sony took 30 seconds to redesign the cord, these would be 5 star headphones for the money.
UNQUOTE



I couldn't be bothered to read through any more of the 705 reviews on the product, but clearly I'm not the only person who finds the Sony Fontopia earbuds problematic.


Edited by Fitzcarraldo - September 22 2006 at 18:05

My apologies if I have been too brusque. No offense intended.



Edited by Fitzcarraldo - September 22 2006 at 18:23

Mike, I always try use italics when referring to forum pseudonyms - see my other posts in this and other threads. In fact, if you look at the earlier post in this thread I also put oliverstoned  in italics.

I simply "gathered evidence" to try and show that the problem I experienced, and one that ultimately made me look for an alternative, is not uncommon. I wish I  had been made aware of it before splashing out on the Sony earbuds, as I would have then not bought them. It is certainly not a "campaign".

Anyway, I'm sorry for any offense caused.

^No, it does not bother me. The trouble with communication via Web forums is that facial expressions, tone of voice and interjection cannot be used, so misunderstandings are easy. You had not realised I use italics for pseudonyms and so you thought I was emphasising *you* made the recommendation. *I* had not realised that you might think I was 'gunning for you', rather than trying to show that the left earbud problem was not confined to me. No campaign against MikeEnRegalia, honest!

Ghandi 2,

Looks like shapeless gelatine blobs to me...