I was an early adopter of active noise canceling technology and over the years have had many a pair of ANC headphones. They did serve their primary purpose of hearing protection and I still have them in the garage for the occasional power tool moments.
For long commutes, however, these headphones are simply too bulky and heavy to be comfortable. The pressure on the ears becomes particularly unbearable with glass frames. Two years ago, I got a pair of Shure E2c Sound Isolating In-Ear Earphones Color CLEAR - E2C / E2 just for my daily rides on the rail. The Shure is light, convenient and good-sounding. It lacks the active NC circuit but the in-ear design dampens the ambient noise sufficiently on the train.
Once I started flying regularly for business, however, I went looking for a stronger solution. My first try was Aiwa HP-CN6 Noise-Canceling Over-the-Ear Headphones, which is much lighter than older designs and thus gives me some hope of less crimping on the ears. Unfortunately, the Aiwa's collapsible frame is hard on the skull and won't stay in place. The noise dampening is mediocre and the pressure on the ears remains too much for me. I began looking for a pair of in-the-ear set with good active noise canceling capability.
Surprisingly, there is very little choice available in the market. Although earbuds have a natural advantage in noise isolation, its small size poses difficulties for manufacturers, who need to cram microphones next to the speaker units. Panasonic's expertise in miniaturization comes in handy here, allowing the company to deliver a product of uniquely superior design.
I wore the Panasonic RP-HC55 on a recent trip non-stop for eight hours straight and loved it. There is little if any discomfort at all and the noise-canceling works well. It is so light and the cord is short enough that I simply unplug the connector and put it in my shirt pocket without removing the buds during the occasional visits to the restroom. I usually had a hard time falling asleep on the plane, but this time I was able to doze off for a couple of hours. The Panasonic is no doubt the best earphones I have ever owned.
Despite my high regards for this product, some nitpicking remains possible. I am used to wrapping the cords of the Shure backward around my ears and lock them in place by tightening the Y-junction against my chin. This is very difficult to do with the Panasonic because its cords are made of elastic rubber and its Y-junction is not adjustable. The range of volume control is fairly limited, particularly on the low side, so one has to look elsewhere if he wants to drop the volume temporarily without killing it altogether. But overall, this is a great product, especially for frequent fliers.
================================== Added 12/08/2009 ==================================
Consumer Reports appears to agree with my assessment. The 2009 Electronics issue rates this Panasonic the Best Buy among NC headphones. Panasonic RP-HC55-S Noise-Cancelling Earbud Headphones (Silver)
I bought these panasonic noise cancelling buds after the sony N/C buds I bought only worked on one ear. I use a lot of headphones, and I think the sound is pretty good, but not great, and the noise cancelling feature is good, but not great. They are comfortable, and use a rubber type bud that really helps to seal out the sound in addition to the noise cancelling.
I really prefer using buds, but the Sennheiser 250 noise cancelling are superior for not a lot more money, but if you are trying to use buds they are pretty good, especially for the money.
One annoying thing, the wire to the battery unit is just a little short for walking around with. I am pretty tall but this just hangs from my ears if I don't have a shirt with front pocket or placket.
These are the best bang for the buck! I bought them after reading Consumer Report's review rating them higher than the Bose and Sennheisers. I own a pair of Sennheisers and they're ok, but too big. This is my 4th pair of noise cancelling and by far the best. Previously, I've owned Koss, Sennheisers, Logitech and more recently Audio Technica, ranging in price from 35-$100 and by far these are superior in every aspect. These are also the first in ear I've owned.
The only downside is the bass is a bit disappointing. I'm curious to see how these match up to the dual driver phones Apple recently released.
Give them a 4.5/5 for sound quality, 4.75/5 for sound isolation, 5/5 for value!
These are pretty good earbuds. The downside is that the compartment that holds the battery is at an odd place on the cord, so it pulls the earbuds out of your ears (it's relatively heavy). It has a clip (like a pen) so you can put it on your t-shirt if you're working out, but it pulls pretty hard on your clothes. So it's just not quite as user-friendly as I'd like. In fact, I've gone back to using my old, regular headphones with worse sound because of the weight/awkwardness factor. - Noise Cancelling Headphones - Earbuds - Noise Cancelling - Noise Canceling Earbuds'
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