[Canaudio]

  Most NC cans these days (Sony included) can be used without NC turned on. And unless you're buying me a pair to try, my list stays as is.

Well pardon me for having the audacity to make a comment.  Have fun playing in your thread.

 

[geobrick]

Based on FenderP's review, I ordered a pair of Sony 10RDCs from costco.com (the local warehouse didn't stock them). My initial impression is they're comfortable and the Noise Canceling is very good (but that's just in a home environment - haven't flown with them yet).
 
The audio quality without NC turned on was unimpressive at first but began to open up a bit.I wouldn't call them muddy but the sound does seem to be pushed up in the upper-bass/lower mid range. With NC off, they sound very different than my old Sennheiser PXC-450s. The sennheisers sounded distant in comparison. That made me think the Sony 10RDCs might sound closer to my old MDR-V6s until I compared them and heard how wrong I was. The only similarity is an "in-your-face" affect. The MDR-V6s are much brighter and it's the upper mid-range that creates the "in-your-face" affect while on the 10RDCs it's the pushed up upper-bass and lower mid-range that create that affect.
 
In comparison to the MDR-V6 and Sennheiser PXC-450s, the 10RDCs where lacking in upper mids and brightness until... I turned on the Noise Canceling and they really opened up removing the hints of muddiness but still had the in-your-face impact from the pumped up upper bass). This may turn out to be a benefit on a noisy plane. We'll see.
 
Overall, I'd say they're very good from a comfort and noise canceling perspective but the in-your-face sound is a bit aggressive. I'll follow-up after flying with them. 

 

[FenderP]

  Based on FenderP's review, I ordered a pair of Sony 10RDCs from costco.com (the local warehouse didn't stock them). My initial impression is they're comfortable and the Noise Canceling is very good (but that's just in a home environment - haven't flown with them yet).
 
The audio quality without NC turned on was unimpressive at first but began to open up a bit.I wouldn't call them muddy but the sound does seem to be pushed up in the upper-bass/lower mid range. With NC off, they sound very different than my old Sennheiser PXC-450s. The sennheisers sounded distant in comparison. That made me think the Sony 10RDCs might sound closer to my old MDR-V6s until I compared them and heard how wrong I was. The only similarity is an "in-your-face" affect. The MDR-V6s are much brighter and it's the upper mid-range that creates the "in-your-face" affect while on the 10RDCs it's the pushed up upper-bass and lower mid-range that create that affect.
 
In comparison to the MDR-V6 and Sennheiser PXC-450s, the 10RDCs where lacking in upper mids and brightness until... I turned on the Noise Canceling and they really opened up removing the hints of muddiness but still had the in-your-face impact from the pumped up upper bass). This may turn out to be a benefit on a noisy plane. We'll see.
 
Overall, I'd say they're very good from a comfort and noise canceling perspective but the in-your-face sound is a bit aggressive. I'll follow-up after flying with them.

 
On a plane, they work fine and of course what source you're using and type of music can matter to how the cans will sound to you. I don't get any massive bass overload with my Sony Walkman and what I listen to (a lot of jazz, some rock, a little classical), so who knows. I wouldn't use NC cans in a non-plane or train environment since noise is generally controlled otherwise. I think for the price, they're a good value.

 

[geobrick]

I assumed with the username 'FenderP' you'd enjoy extra bass.
 
I used a Sansa clip zip playing a variety lossless FLAC files. Mostly rock/modern rock/Indie. A lot of that stuff is purposely mixed to be "in-your-face" but not all of it is. The MDR-10RDCs seem to be favoring the frequency range I described above. I can try them with a different source but the other headphones I mentioned above all have very different sound characteristics using the same source.
 
[The following has nothing to do with noise canceling headphones - just another headphone I used to compare with the 10RDC]
I also have a pair of Martin Logan Mikros 90s that I used to compare with the 10RDCs using the Sansa clip-zip. This comparison is kind of a sanity check because the Mikros 90s are amazingly neutral. They're great headphones with the only downside (to me) that they're an on-ear type. (You can try to read about them in this forum but the thread has become unreadable (to me). It devolved into lot's of bass mod and exotic cable posts but that doesn't mean they're not great at the current prices they're being sold for now. hey were $300 headphones that now sell for about $80 - sometimes less. They obviously didn't sell well and have some negative aspects to them but sound is not one of them.). 

 

[FenderP]

 
I assumed with the username 'FenderP' you'd enjoy extra bass.
 
I used a Sansa clip zip playing a variety lossless FLAC files. Mostly rock/modern rock/Indie. A lot of that stuff is purposely mixed to be "in-your-face" but not all of it is. The MDR-10RDCs seem to be favoring the frequency range I described above. I can try them with a different source but the other headphones I mentioned above all have very different sound characteristics using the same source.
 
[The following has nothing to do with noise canceling headphones - just another headphone I used to compare with the 10RDC]
I also have a pair of Martin Logan Mikros 90s that I used to compare with the 10RDCs using the Sansa clip-zip. This comparison is kind of a sanity check because the Mikros 90s are amazingly neutral. They're great headphones with the only downside (to me) that they're an on-ear type. (You can try to read about them in this forum but the thread has become unreadable (to me). It devolved into lot's of bass mod and exotic cable posts but that doesn't mean they're not great at the current prices they're being sold for now. hey were $300 headphones that now sell for about $80 - sometimes less. They obviously didn't sell well and have some negative aspects to them but sound is not one of them.).

 
I prefer a more defined low end than feeling it, per se. There's a happy medium. Mushy bass isn't my thing, but I also don't like lean bass, either. That's one reason in my comparisons I usually use some jazz with acoustic bass. It can be mushy/muddy/too lean with certain cans. Finding that nice balance of body to definition is hard. As an aside, any Sony cans I've heard or used over the years are definitely not neutral except the MDR-7550s which are about as neutral as I've heard any Sony product.
 
EDIT: One of the main reasons the Sony works for me is that they are comfortable on long trips versus nearly everything else I've tried that helps filter out the noise on a plane or train.
 
For fun, I did a little comparing this week with the B&O H6 at home and they are very different with my Sony Walkman. Both good in different ways. The Sony definitely not as accurate, but they are also basically 1/3 of the price. All about what you expect. The Walkman + H6 + my old Sony analog Walkman EQ from the 80s (SEQ-50 I believe) is a decent combo. The H6 is just as, if not more, comfortable than the Sony cans.

 

[ftf286]

I just received the Harman/kardon NCs and the thing that struck me most was the fact they sound so much different, with NC on and off. With NC on they sound far better than with it off, in almost every way I would say. Also the NC seems pretty good to me. 

 

[FenderP]

  I just received the Harman/kardon NCs and the thing that struck me most was the fact they sound so much different, with NC on and off. With NC on they sound far better than with it off, in almost every way I would say. Also the NC seems pretty good to me.

Most of the NC cans sound different with it enabled/disabled. Similar sonic signature, but NC is going to affect sound one way or the other. I think the NC is pretty good value compared to others and a fairly musical set ...
 
I should update this thread at some point soon. I've moved on from the H6.

 

[FenderP]

Latest update: http://www.head-fi.org/t/749700/bang-olufsen-beoplay-h8-wireless-noise-cancelling-on-ear-headphones/30#post_11255328
 
I'll post more here as I use them, but didn't see the value in just copying and pasting the text since I can just link it.

 

[p8ragon]

Hey guys,
 
I recently purchased a pair for sony MDR1-RNC's for $175 (refurb). Trying to decide whether or not to keep them. I'm looking for a pair of good NC headphones to use on a plane (my budget is ~$300). What do you guys think?
 
Thanks!