Great budget NC headphones

I am very sensitive to many noises and many times I work editing music on my laptop in the den while everyone is watching TV. I have a hard time dealing with earbud-type headphones, so I happened to see these noise-cancelling headphones on sale at Walgreen's for $34.00. It decided to give them a try.

The very first things that I noticed about these headphones were:

* they use 2 AAA batteries (I hate stuff that uses non-standard batteries)
* they fold up into a very compact size
* they include a carrying pouch
* an airline (dual plug) adapter is included

The headphones themselves are very comfortable. The padding is just enough to not cause any friction on the ears especially since I wear glasses and sometimes headphones can press on the temple pieces of the frames causing irritation.

The huge surprise was when I switched them on. Immediately I noticed that the usual roar of the central air conditioner was GONE - not muffled, not softened, but absolutely gone. It sounded as if were sitting in a quiet room. I could still hear some of the television and conversation in the room, but I don't think these devices are intended to mask everything out (I've never tried the $200 Bose set, though).

Working with them has been a joy. I was able to give them a true test on my last trip to NYC. We had flown there to sign at Carnegie Hall and I decided to take the laptop with me on the plane. Again, I was blown away - the drone of the 757 engines was all but gone and I was able to edit music very comfortably.

If I had to make ANY recommendation or minor complaint about this product (which is really picky), I would say that I would have preferred the batteries and switch to be incorporated into the headset itself. When trying to wind up the cord for storage, the switch/battery compartment is a little bulky. But again, I really don't find it too much of an inconvenience.

I would definitely recommend these as a pair of budget headphones. I would like to someday try the Bose headsets to compare just how much more sound is cancelled by an expensive set. But for $34.00, I don't think you can beat it.