Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Sony's Noise cancelling division took a step back with the release of their new NC-8 models. These are the "successor" to the NC-7 on ear headphones, but in actuality, the NC-7s did a more noticeable job with the noise cancelling than these. Like the NC-7s, the NC-8s are a basic, hard-wired active noise cancelling headphone that supposedly does 90% ambient noise reduction. The new concept however has a more ear cup approach as oppose to the on ear the NC-7s carry. Both still use one AAA Battery for usage, but the NC-8s do not come with a carrying case. Sound quality is typical in an basic Sony headphones. You have a decent mid-range that has a warm sound to it but can be very shallow in different areas of music. Build quality is also an issue here. The NC-8s have a very weak build. You can't really throw these headphones around. It's made of a plastic that can easily crack if you apply pressure to the joints of the headphone or the ear cup. The last and most important thing about the headphones that is a major downgrade is the fact that the noise-cancelling is non-existent here. Even in the NC-7s you can hear some reduction ( not much, but at least it does the job, ) where as the NC-8s you barely notice a difference with it turned on and off. Actually, the only thing I hear is the power switch when I flip it on and off. For the price, they're not worth it. You're better off buying a Sony MDR-EX in ear headphone, or a better noise cancelling headphone. It may be a few dollars more, but its a much better decision than having these.