Superb noise-cancelation, mediocre sound quality

There seems to be two types of noise-canceling headphones available for purchase. One type is around $50, the other is above $150. I am a college student and do not have the money to drop $150 on headphones, so I opted to save some cash and buy the HN-110.

Upon opening the package, I was quite surprised at how small the headphones were. I panicked at first, since the earcups looked small and uncomfortable. But once I folded them open and tried them on, I was pleasantly surprised. For a person with average-sized ears, the fit is snug but not uncomfortable. Philips did their ergonomics research quite well; Bose, on the other hand, did not. I tried on the TriPort headphones (MSRP $140) and found they were too loose and unstable on my head.

The headband is a bit on the wide side, but not unusually. It has a firm grip on the top of my head, but again, is not uncomfortable. The earcups are easy to adjust with a simple ratcheting slider.

Philips continued to surprise me with ergonomics: the battery for the noise cancelation circuitry goes IN the headphone, not in an awkward box attached to the headphone cord. The single AAA battery (included) does not make the headphones feel awkwardly heavy at all. The headphones are about the same weight as an other "studio" headphones.

Noise cancelation is activated with a tiny switch on the headphone. I instantly noticed that background noises became fainter. Any deep droning or rumbling instantly ceased; this is precisely how the headphones are supposed to perform. Noise canceling is not full cancellation of sound, but rather, a "deadening" or "lessening" of it. Air conditioning drones, fans, and low resonating sounds will go away. These are the sounds on airplanes and trains that will drive a person nuts.

Other sounds like human speech, music, and a TV are still noticeable. They are definitely less distracting.

Sound quality on the HN-110 is only mediocre. The noise cancelation circuitry tends to accentuate the high frequency sounds from the output source, meaning you will have to adjust your equalizer to compensate. Midrange is still fairly crisp and not overly boosted, making these headphones ideal for audiobooks (human speech) and any music with guitars. Bass is somewhat lacking, even with EQ adjustments. I cannot recommend these for head-rattling bass in hip-hop music or movie soundtracks, though many people would argue that is an undesirable experience. My computer's sound card is very high-end (Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty), so I doubt it is the circuitry in the sound card.

The Bose headphones do offer better sound quality, but I'm not entirely sure that it's worth the additional $90.

The HN-110 headphones also include some adapters for airplanes and home theatre amps, as well as a nice little carrying pouch. The pouch makes it easier to carry these headphones, but even when folded, they don't fit into a purse or small briefcase...you'll want a backpack or larger briefcase for these.

Overall, the Philips HN-110 is a decent set of headphone for the price. While there are better noise-canceling headphones available, you'll be spending twice as much. For occasional travelers, or even people who work in noisy environments, the HN-110 headphones will fit the bill just fine.