Sennheiser PXC 450 - NoiseGard Active Noise Canceling Headphones

I am writing this review in Australia, two days after flying here from the UK with my Sennheiser PXC450s. I've added some more notes to this review back in the UK following my return from Oz.

I can confirm that they performed brilliantly and were an absolute lifesaver. Engine and cabin noise was reduced to a distant and quite soporific whoosh, while the sound quality from the on-board entertainment system and my own SanDisk MP3 player was excellent.

I wore the headphones more or less continuously for 7 hours from Gatwick to Dubai and a further 12.5 hours from Dubai to Melbourne and they were extremely comfortable. No headache from the close fit, slight sweatiness around the ears from wearing them for so long, but a price *well* worth paying. Also wore them 4 hours Melbourne to Perth then a further 11.5 Perth to Dubai and 7.5 Dubai to Gatwick.

Sound quality is slightly richer with the noisegard function off, but more than acceptable with it on, especially for the trade-off of wonderful peace and quiet. It is startling to switch them off and be hit by the roar roar of the engines and general cabin hubbub. I suspect any reviewer suggesting otherwise is either an unrealistic hi-fi nut or had a dud pair. Having returned from Oz and listened to a lot more music en route, I think the frequency range was actually excellent in noise-cancelling mode - full, rich bass and plenty of strength across the range - quite remarkable, considering the difficult job they were doing of cancelling noise without killing the music. The noisegard works best on lower frequency sounds, so you can still hear crying babies through the phones, unfortunately (unless one of them is yours), but knocked far enough back that they don't drive you crazy.

The talk-through feature is simply brilliant and well worth the extra cost over the cheaper model PXC350, as it means you don't have to take the phones off to talk to other passengers or the trolley dollies. You really can almost forget you've got them on.

Build quality is excellent - the phones feel very strong, with key structural components made of metal, not plastic, yet they are light and compact. The flat storage case is semi-rigid and includes an airline socket adaptor for the twin mono sockets you find on some planes. You can unplug the short connecting lead if you only want to use the phones for noise reduction.

Battery life: what can I say - 1 AAA battery lasted the whole journey and was still going strong as we came into land at Melbourne - that's amazing. And yes, I did switch them off as asked before we started our descent, although I think it's highly unlikely they could interfere with the plane's avionics - pilots have been using similar phones for years. The first battery only gave out during a subsequent flight from Melbourne to Perth and the second was still going after I got back to the UK.

I don't think I would want to fly anywhere without my PXC450s now - they are an essential flying accessory if you want to keep your sanity, especially in cattle class! These phones are also much more effective and comfortable than on-ear models as they shield your ears from more of the ambient noise by surrounding your ears. Some sound reaches your ears by conduction through your skull and no phones can compensate for that, but the PXC450s are undoubtedly the state of the art. Make the investment - you will be glad you did!

I've always liked Sennheiser products, and the PXC 450s are no exception. But first, let's get priorities and expectations straight:

> These are noise cancelling headphones. They are not noise elimination headphones. You will not be enveloped in some magical cone of silence. However, ambient background noise, especially low frequency drone of aircraft engines, air movement devices, and machinery are greatly reduced to a point that vastly reduces fatigue caused by the din. Certain voice pitches are well smothered, but you will still be distantly aware of screaming toddlers. Inane announcements by flight crews offering lottery scratch cards and duty-free rubbish are dealt with nicely.

> They are not the ideal tool for generating massive volume levels with MP3 players, as they require a higher impedance level to drive them, which aircraft headphone jack sockets can supply. Consequently, volume levels with an iPod will be noticeably lower than the standard piercingly loud in-ear bud-type earphones, but loud enough to satisfy anyone who craves quality over decibels. This is not an issue with aircraft feeds or proper stereos, where you can deafen yourself quite nicely if so desired.

> They will cruelly expose poor recordings, particularly older CDs and MP3s ripped at low bit rates. Well engineered recordings are crisp, clear, and deep, and spoken word recordings come alive, while the shortcomings of poor recordings are brutally highlighted. These are quality cans - do not blame the messenger, rip your CDs at a decent bit rate of 190kbs or more, preferably 320kbs, and enjoy the difference.

> Battery life is excellent, ran them for 16 hours on a flight recently without changing the AAA battery once. Prefer that and buying rechargeable AAA batteries to having the headphones die mid-journey like the Bose units.

> Excellent carrying case, but yes, it takes up some room in your lap or seat back pocket. I don't find the cans heavy on my head or too sweaty personally, but horses and courses and all that.

> Talk through facility fantastic, confuses the air crew no end! Actually easier to hear them using it then when you're not wearing the headphones at all. Brilliant.

Since buying them, my journeys are far less stressful, more relaxing and I arrive in much better shape than without them. If that sounds good to you, these are an ideal tool for you. Recommended.

I've used these, alongside a pair of Bose Quietcomfort headphones, for over a year now. So this is not some opinion based upon one roundtrip flight or train journey. I think the sound quality of these headphones when noiseguard is activated is superior to the Bose headphones. They are a little large, but the over ear design adds to their ability to cut our noise even with the noiseguard turned off. I've used these on planes, trains, in the garden when they were digging up the gas mains last summer, in the house and at work. The battery life is superb. The fit is comfortable and the finish durable. They've withstood a lot more use than the Bose headphones. The noise cancellation can be turned off to get slightly better sound quality, but on a lot of MP3 players you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference in sound quality. You do notice the difference in background noise though. Many a lazy afternoon has been spent sat in the garden with Talk Talk's greatest hits, oblivious to the suburban scourge of Sunday morning mowers and pressure washers.

Given the same usage and ab-usage the Bose headphones have fared badly. Let down because of some poor quality design and plastics on the headband, they are now broken. I'll not miss them.