| | |  | Accessories & Supplies | Home » » » Kensington Noise Canceling Headphone - Black | | | | | | | Description: | | NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDABLE HEADPHONES | | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 10.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 9.7 inches | | Product Height:
| 4.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.6 pounds | | Package Length:
| 10.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 3.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 92 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 92 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 62 found the following review helpful:
 Recommended over Bose's QuietComfortNov 11, 2005
By almosthappy
If Bose's "Quiet Comfort" was the only game in town, a useful but dispensable item like noise canceling headphone probably would have remained a luxury item that's beyond my reach. Luckily, the ultra greedy Bose is not the only player. Kensington's entrance into the noise canceling headphone arena took a completely pragmatic and value-centric approach - quite refreshing when contrasted with the THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR QuietComfort, which more or less do the same thing as Kensington's 33084. The biggest bone some users seem to have with 33084 is the complaint that the headset amplifies internal noise, such as tape hiss. I have no way to verify if the claim is true. But for most people-myself included, this would be a non-issue. I have used 33084 with my iPod, laptop, as well as plane audio system. For all these common systems, mechanical movements are minimal or negligible. The noises from these sources are practically non-existent to begin with, and 33084 certainly did not amplify any noises for me. However, if you're really old school and insisting on getting your tune fix from a hissy old tape deck, I don't think any headphone will pretty up the audio quality of granddaddy walkman to CD level. The actual noise cancellation part is also very decent. I've used the headphone on planes as well as next to an operating dryer, ambient noises do drop to a very comfortable level, while the music is maintained at near-original quality. Another thing I like about these headphones is the fact that they have very decent bass. The only fact I don't like about these headphones is the placement of the on-off switch. As another reviewer has mentioned, the on-off switch gets toggled in the bag too easily. But at less than 10% of Bose's price, I ain't complaining.
52 of 55 found the following review helpful:
Remarkable HeadphonesDec 06, 2005
By Ricardo Mendillo
Noise-cancelling headphones that work are always a pleasant surprise. When they cost less than $40 and work with active noise noise canelling, they're remarkable.
The Kensington Noise Cancelling Headphones aren't the last word in noise cancelling by any stretch, but they can take off the droning noise of airplane cabins or other continuous sound sources.
The most you can hope for Noise-cancelling headphones is to reduce some frequencies of continuous noise and perhaps get a small reduction in some kinds of impulse noise. Noise-canceling headphones work by simply sealing out some external noise, then sampling the environmental noise and generating an out-of-phase signal to reduce its intensity in your ear canals and Kensington Noise-cancelling headphones do their job.
The Kensington phones are supraural, meaning that they sit on top of your ear rather than circumaural, or around it, as does the category-leading (and price-leading) Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headset ($299 direct). The soft pads conform easily to your ears and form a good seal, for a measured 6 dB static reduction in outside noise just from wearing them. With noise cancelling switched on, it was measured another 4 to 5 dB of active noise reduction, averaged across the spectrum.
The Kensington headset is smaller, far less expensive, and much more portable than Bose, Senheisser and Sony.
At 5.2 ounces, the Kensington headphones are light and very comfortable for extended wear. An elastic and soft plastic band provides support at the top of your head as well as mild compression against your ears. The sides are adjustable for length and are hinged for compact storage. A switch behind the right earpiece controls the active noise reduction, and a small LED tells you when it's turned on. Power is supplied by a single triple-A battery, with the holder built into the right sidepiece. Although it skims close to the side of your head, it doesn't cause discomfort or imbalance.
The audio quality is about what you'd expect from inexpensive headphones: pleasant but not outstanding. It's bass-heavy with a tendency towards muddiness. There's falloff in the higher registers as well, which is obvious on our frequency sweeps and in critical listening to piano, violin, and jazz percussion, but using the EQ you bring these sounds out. The sound quality is adequate for noisy, public spaces, though, and the noise reduction is sufficient that you'll hear more of your music and maintain more serenity.
In terms of sound quality, Noise-canceling headphones will sound worse than comparably-priced non-NC headphones, may exist some kind of technology limitation, I did not find the answer.
Bose has become a sort of status brand to some shoppers, many find Bose products to be expensive compared to products of similar quality from other manufacturers. If you do not worry about the status of your Noise-cancelling headphones I recommend this product.
(This is my opinion as user plus summaries of Cnet, PC Magazine, AudioCubes, Ziff Davis Media Inc, Paylist)
49 of 53 found the following review helpful:
Great Sound / Great PriceOct 12, 2004
By JE
"dad_from_il"
These are great sounding for those who use them while traveling on airlines. They fold so they are easy to store in the briefcase. They work either with your mp3 player/ cd player/ computer or the airplane system. Only problem that I have encountered is that they get turned on when in the case, draining the battery. I now remove the battery when not in use, and it is fine.
26 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 Don't think of them as noise 'cancelling' devices.Aug 23, 2004
By Tim Branyen
"Software Engineer."
These headphones by no means cancel or eleminate noise. They reduce light noise like computer fans, dishwasher, light construction crews, etc. They have exceptional sound quality and battery life is great if you remember to turn off the power. I got around 1 week with the 'AAA' battery on straight all 160+ hours. They look stylish in your home, but I wouldn't wear them walking down the street or even at a business/school.
All in all if you want to cancel the couple screaming at each other from across the street, but still have to hear that annoying kid/sister of yours two feet away, and listen to great music all at the same time... then these headphones are for you!
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 I'm unenthusiasticSep 07, 2006
By Alonzo
They're OK, I guess, though I wouldn't bother buying them again and wouldn't urge a friend to buy them either. Price is nice, they're comfortable, they fold up nice.
That said, to me the big question is: How well do they cancel noise? And how's the sound quality they deliver?
On the first question, I'd give 'em one star. I've worn them on plane flights, and while they clearly cut out a bit of the plane noise the effect really isn't very dramatic. Let's say the noise a plane makes includes a whoosh, a hum, and a roar. These headphones cut out the whoosh. That's nice, but the hum and the roar are still as loud as ever. And, as everyone notes, the noise-canceling function does nothing about voices, passing snack carts, etc. I find it barely worth the trouble to wear them at all. I also find -- to a small but noticeable extent -- that the noise-canceling thing (the reverse-noise that the headphones create to kill the external noise) actually gives me a slight headache. I'm aware of some pressure on my eardrums, and it isn't very pleasant.
As plain-ol' earphones, they're adequate. Pretty comfortable. OK if not overwhelming sound quality.
See all 92 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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