Review: Sonnenfeld's "Bring the Noise"

[Ishiyoshi]

Are you in the market for noise-canceling ‘phones? I thought some of you may find this review piece interesting. “Bring the Noise,” is a noise canceling ‘phones review written by film director, Barry Sonnenfeld for the Esquire magazine. Take a read:

Bring the Noise

Three headphones that pacify the worm around you

WHEN MY 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, Chloe, was a baby, she had a hard time falling asleep. I would spend hours holding her, hoping she wouldn't vomit on me, singing her my special lullaby, Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction": "My blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'.…/This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'./Ya don't believe, we're on the eve of destruction." Peacefully and eventually, she'd fall asleep. This month I've renewed my love of that song, testing a whole bunch of headphones--noise reducing and sound isolating--with my iPod rotating through 12 different versions of "Eve of Destruction." I also listened to some Philip Glass and Mahler and Eminem to test out the bass.

Noise-reduction headsets have a microphone built into them that analyzes the frequency of noise in the environment and aims an identical sound at it, theoretically canceling it out. In practice, a lot of what these headphones do is roll off low-frequency bass and replace it with a less annoying, but still audible, hiss. They really eliminate only constant, consistent sounds--not Mom's weeping and whining, for instance. The best place to use these headphones is on an airplane. I'm not what you'd call a happy flier: When the pitch of the airplane's engines changes at 35,000 feet, I grab Sweetie (the wife) and sob, "We're going down!" Sweetie insists I wear noise-canceling headsets on the plane, even if I am not listening to music. The [1] Sony NC50 ($200; sony.com) was the best of the noise-reduction headsets I tested. The seal around your ears is pretty tight, putting you in a pleasant cocoon. The hiss was minimal, and the headset eliminated the low rumble of the Citation X's engines.

The sound-isolating [2] Shure E4c earphones ($299; shure.com) fit snugly into your ears and go partway into the canal, reducing ambient noise and delivering an excellent dynamic range: The crackling of the vinyl recording of "Eve of Destruction" came through quite nicely, and they also produced better bass than most of the noise-canceling units. The Shures come with a variety of ear sleeves to choose from. I liked the little rubber mushroom things. The company knows who its market is: They are white and are excellent headphones for all the iPod users out there, though I wouldn't recommend them for jogging. They really do block outside sounds, and you'll never hear a car coming up behind you.

I also tested a pair of [3] Sensaphonics ProPhonic 2X-S custom-made earphones ($750 plus fitting fee of $25 to $50 per ear; sensaphonics.com) that required me to go to an audiologist in order to take a mold of my ear canal. Before he injected cold silicone into each ear, he inserted tiny cotton plugs with long strings to prevent it from dripping onto my eardrum. These were shoved in so deep that I was tearing up and involuntarily coughing. My audiologist friend then told me I had to sit with my mouth wide open "as if in a state of surprise." No problem. A week later, I got back the custom-fitted earphones. The sound is very good, including a decent amount of bass, but only if you place the clear molded pieces in the exact perfect position in your ear. If you're off even a little bit, the sound quickly becomes muffled and distant. These are excellent earphones, but they'll cost you, and you have to work pretty hard to make them live up to their potential. I'll have to make the Shures my overall pick of the month.

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By Barry Sonnenfeld

Barry Sonnenfeld is the director of Get Shorty, Men in Black, The Addams Family, and many other movies.

Sony MDR-NC50

Specifications

• Sensitivity --- when the power is off - 100dB/mW

• Sensitivity --- when the power is on - 102dB/mW

• Frequency Response --- 14-22,000Hz

• Impedance --- when the power is on - 40 ohms at 1kHz

• Impedance --- when the power is off - 100 ohms at 1kHz

• Frequency Range --- 40 - 1,500 Hz

• Noise Reduction --- Noise canceling ON/OFF switch (ON/OFF switch on housing)

• Type --- Closed, dynamic

• Driver Unit --- 40mm diameter, dome type

• Magnet --- Neodymium

• Headband --- Double band adjustable

• Headband --- Double band foldable (swivel)

• Cord --- OFC single sided, detachable

• Plug --- L shaped stereo mini plug (Gold)

• Power Handling Capacity --- 100mW

• Battery Life --- with alkaline battery approx. 30H

• Battery Life --- with manganese battery approx. 15H

• 10 oz (290 g) including AAA battery

• 1.5m cord length

Shure E4c

Speaker Type: High-Definition Driver with Tuned Port

Sensitivity (at 1kHz): 109 dB SPL/mW

Impedance (at 1kHz): 29 Ohm

Cable Length: 1.52m (60 inches)

Net Weight: 31g (1.1 oz)

Input Connector: 3.5 mm (1/8") gold-plated stereo plug

Sensaphonics ProPhonic 2X-S

Type: Custom-molded with soft silicone full shell

Frequency Response: 20-16,000 Hz

Impedance: 27 ohms nominal

Sensitivity: 109dB for 1 mW

Weight: 1 ounce

Cord Types:

1. Continuous Teflon: Standard 48"

2. Teflon with Break Away Cord: Standard 50" (custom lengths available)

Supplied Accessories: Hard case, shirt clip, cleaning tool, 1/8" to 1/4"

adaptor, pocket storage pouch