Private Ear: Noise control

By John Groom

October 2007

Sennheiser PXC 450, $949. Phitek Black Box M14, $380. Qantas Zero Headphones, $75

Sennheiser PXC 450

Phitek Black Box M14

Sometimes the life of a hi-fi reviewer can seem flash. Hi-fi writer Ken Kessler for example recently stated that he had spent more than 50 days of his last three months travelling. A tough life. It seems appropriate then, to slip into this column that I have been to both New York and the outback of Australia in the last couple of months. This was a great chance to approach the publisher for some noise cancellation headphones (NCH’s). Comfort on long flights is important and I am too short to benefit much from the extra space of business class. NCH’s however are a built in ‘upgrade’ in lessening the fatigue of the engine noise even in economy class.

Sunny side up

First the good news. My small sample of noise cancellation headphones suggests that they do in fact work. Without access to sophisticated laboratory testing to give measurements, it was still obvious that they simply and significantly reduced the level of the background drone in an aircraft. A dramatic proof of this was when I fell asleep with the Sennheisers switched on, after a few hours the batteries gave up and I woke up suddenly with the noise, dreaming I was next to a huge waterfall.

Another bit of good news is that they can all be used without plugging them into anything. With the more expensive gear you can even remove the cable and wander around the plane that way. Be careful with the Phitek cable however as, unlike the Sennheiser, it doesn’t lock in and, like me, you might end up losing it. The final bit of good news is that all three of the NCH’s tested are in fact significantly better than the airline provided gear and all were particularly strong in portraying dialogue.

Take a walk on the dark side

There is always some bad news. The first impression of all these headphones is that they lack any sense of visual style. None are ultra lightweight, in the ear or minimalist like the Sennheiser PXC300.They can be prone to picking up some ‘interference’ such as a slight buzz in the domestic or office environment, so check them out near a computer before you buy.

The most common incorrect assumption with the more expensive equipment is that we are in fact getting a hi-fi sound. This is not exactly true. All of the headphones of this type that I have heard, colour and compress the sound. This phenomenon is there, whether the noise cancellation process is switched on or not. As noted above, this is usually done to favour the midrange. So before we go any further, if your only criterion is raising the sound quality of in-flight entertainment, buy cheaply and don’t expect much; then, spend the money you have saved on some good hi-fi headphones for use at home. There are other reasons to spend a bit of money however.

Everyone gets a bargain

One way that this type of equipment varies a lot is in the issue of comfort. For a laugh (and remembering that I do have to return review equipment) I dipped into the Qantas duty free magazine and purchased a pair of Zero headphones at $65 Australian. These have a hard plastic piece that folds in the middle to go over the head. To make them more comfortable I simply used them while wearing a cap, which is not a bad thing under the air-conditioning of a plane anyway. Cost has been kept down by having the electronic controls inserted in the cabling. I would put comfort at 4/10 and sound quality the same (muddy when busy) but bang for your buck at 8/10.

Buy NZ?

Phitek is a fast growing NZ company that is establishing a name for itself in the NCH business. They have been successful in getting their gear into Singapore Airlines business and first class compartments. The Black Box M14 sit comfortably on the ear and the headband is nicely padded. The sound is sweet and only slightly congested when under duress. I liked the elegance and ruggedness of this gear, its only control being a simple on and off switch. I ranked comfort, sound quality and bang for your buck all at 7/10.

Hey big boy

Sennheiser is a huge German company, well known for its high production standards, and a forgiving sound. The PXC 450s fit exactly into this profile. Like Phitek, they come in an attractive zip travel case, are ruggedly made and fold away easily. There are added controls here that include the volume level and ‘talk through’ option though I didn’t find myself using either of them. The design is around the ear rather than on it and to give you some idea of the level of comfort I wore them for 10 of the 12 hours from Papeete to New York. As you would expect, the sound from the PX 450s came the closest to Sennheiser’s own top of the line, 650 model and though still restrained, competed well in detail and level of resolution. I ranked this as 9/10 on comfort and 8/10 on sound quality but only 3/10 on bang for your buck.

Where to from here?

As indicated, the Qantas duty-free option is functional, and can be considered for short flights. If like me you tend to lose things when travelling, then they are cheap to replace. The Sennheisers have to be on the short list for all lengthy flights just for the comfort factor. It is a lot of money to spend however, for something that while very capable, does not really compete with its own (non NCH) benchmarks. I would rate the Phitek highly in flight conditions, as it gave a very satisfying rendition of airline music and film content and certainly brought the dialogue well out of the mire. It came out as the best all-rounder, considering its price.

John is an executive coach and mentor who lives on the North Shore of Auckland