Philips SHN2500/37 Noise-Canceling Earbuds (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Ok, here's how I happened to buy this product - I constantly am on the lookout for a good pair of earphones, which is at the same time not pricey. I have seen in the past some excellent ear buds sell for amazing prices for very short period. i always hope I can buy one when such a thing happens. So, I was casually browsing ear buds, and as soon as I saw this pair listed for 11$, my eyes lit up. I had once considered this ear bud, and dismissed it since it was a little too expensive for my liking. I went ahead and bought the SHE9700 instead. (http://www.amazon.com/review/R3KY9MRR0VLKZL/ref=cm_srch_res_rtr_alt_2) I absolutely love those earphones.Now, coming back to these earphones, I read multiple reviews a lot of which said these are outright bad. I think most reviewers were bang on. However, if you read the reviews of most other noise-cancelling earphones, you will find very similar ratings for ones not priced very high. Of course, the higher end ones are going to sound better, and you don't want to write a bad review about your Bose after having spent 300$ on it :) just saying. Anyway, having read the reviews, my expectations were really low from this. I was buying it more out of curiosity to see how a noise-cancelling earphones was different/better than my regular noise-isolating ones. Here's what I think,1) Most reviewers are right when they make claims like "doesn't work", or "no noise canceling" or "not worth the money". However, I feel loads of people have the wrong kind of expectations from Noise-Canceling earphones. they expect it to magically transform into their personal cocoon. Well, sadly, I don't think there is any such affordable solution right now.2) I study analog design - so, I know my amplifier and filter design. (Well, even if I am not that great at it.) So, I know that there is some active circuitry in here which is trying to do "something". The results are however not impressive.3) I should however mention that people should not complain about the "white noise" or the "noise floor". It is mentioned in the product description, and I know that it is really really hard to get rid of noise in circuits. (I always failed to meet the noise specification in all of my design projects!)Here's a (hopefully neutral) assessment of the earphones,Cons:-They are not great - maybe not even good. To be quite honest, I like my Noise-Isolation earphones better.-The plastic case housing the circuit and the battery is too bulky. I cannot use it with a portable device. The cable is too long. Again, I cannot use it with a portable device. it almost feels like, Philips was keeping just airlines in mind when they made this. Not like you need to move around in one.-I would have liked it if they had the bulky unit as a separate unit, which I could just disconnect when i wanted to.-The earphones didn't come with a pouch! All decent earphones should come with a pouch, otherwise, these become a tangled mess in your backpack!-My SHE9700 sounds way better than these. Then again, i have been using them for a while now. Maybe I should give these earphones some time too.comparison with a noise-isolating earphone,I tried out this and another noise-isolating earphone, on a music player and on my laptop. Here's what I found,-The volume of these phones is lower. On pressing the "on" switch it feels like the volume just went up, and I think it does that. There must be an amplifier inside the plastic casing which must be coming in. This is not a gimmick - amplifiers are needed after you try cancelling something out, but it surely feels like a gimmick, if you are not interested in what's actually happening on the inside.I tried clicking my fingers, (generally low frequency) and see which ones blocked noise better. My noise isolations did a pretty good job of it. At the same volume, these guys without NC on were letting in some noise, and the volume was lower. I am not sure if the noise was because of the ear buds not fitting perfectly. When I turned the NC on, I could not hear the noise, but the volume just got louder. At a slightly lower volume, these were maybe marginally better.They are no good at blocking high frequency sound,and you know it when you play a song with a lot of high pitched guitar music in it on a laptop, and use these with your music player.Overall, I would say, Philips should not even have made these. They are a perfect example of how what makes sense to engineers might not actually make a good product all the time. But for 11$, I'll take em.I'll probably try it out in an airplane next, and see if it is any better for that. If you want to buy it for generic use, my recommendation would be that you better buy something else.EDIT 07-12-2013I recently tried these on a trip from London to LA. Compared to the cheap headphones that British Airways gave me, these sounded like bliss. They also very efficiently blocked away any engine noise letting me focus on the on-board entertainment. I didn't even have to increase the volume too much. I also tried out a noise isolation earphone, and they weren't nearly as good as these. Considering most people spend 200$ + on Bose headphones just to wear on airplanes, I think this is a wonderful deal. From 3 stars up to 4

COMPARISON TO PREVIOUS PHILIPS NOISE-CANCELLING EARBUDSI assumed that after 5 or more years, Philips had improved on the design of the HN060/37 earbuds (improving the noise cancelling circuit) that I bought long ago. I purchased 2 units, and have subjected them to rough treatment---one is still working. The old HN060/37 is extraordinarily robust---ideal for the bustle of traveling. All of the cords are "armored" in a woven cloth sleave, which adds rigidity and minimizes tangling. The HN060/37 includes a volume control and a neck cord. The neck cord is particularly handy---you can just leave the earbuds dangling when you need full hearing during boarding, etc. I often clip my MP3 player to the neckcord where it was handy to start/stop or change volume. My only problem with them is that it is easy to loose the "rubber" earbud tips, but that's a problem with any earbuds you wear for many hours at a time.  Philips HN060/37 Noise-Canceling Earbuds DESCRIPTIONThis item, SHN2500/37, is NOT an updated improved version of the old HN060/37. It is constructed of cheap plastic with very thin cords---it does not look as though it could survive more than one or two airline flights. There are separate cords from each earbud to the control unit---they are NOT united in a Y partway. It is a hopeless tangle waiting-to-happen. There is no volume control for the noise canceling circuit. It comes with only 2 sizes of tips, "average" and "tiny". The cords are very long, far longer than necessary or convenient.ERGONOMICSSince (unlike the HN060/37) these earbuds have no integrated neckcord, the weight of the control unit, although slight, can pull the earbuds out of your ear. Also, there is no way to clip the control unit to your clothing. There is no need to clip the old HN060/37 control unit to your clothing because it hangs from the neckcord Unless you have a shirt pocket, there is no place to put the control unit of the new SHN2500/37. ---This criticism applies to nearly all current noise-canceling earbuds. For the life-of-me, I don't understand why the designers insist on placing the control units half-way on the cords---I'd much prefer the control unit to be at the end of my cord, and for my MP3 player to plug directly into it--or for an MP3 player to be integrated into the control unit. I have added an eyeglass type neckcord which makes the earbuds much more convenient for travel.CUDOSOn the good side the control unit is very light (you really wonder if there are any electronics inside at all) and the earbuds are unusually comfortable. It really doesn't matter that there is no volume control for the noise canceling circuit (because my old HN060/37 is always on max). In ordinary situations, it is hard to notice any noise reduction. However, I was pleasantly surprised on a recent airplane flight, that the noise reduction was adequate for me to comfortably listen to my audiobook. I was even more impressed mowing the lawn last Saturday---the new set worked better than my old HN060/37. Unlike the "white noise" masking of the old HN060/37 and other "noise-canceling" headsets I've tried, the noise reduction really does seem to be "active"---reducing only the noise necessary for you to be able to hear your music or recorded voice.SUGGESTIONSTo minimize tangles, I kept my old HN060/37 with a pack of spare batteries in a 2 x 3" zippered pouch, and always put the unit away in the pouch at the end of a flight. Even with such a pouch, the multiple long thin cords of the new SHN2500/37 will undoubtedly frequently become a Gordian knot.Buy an "eyeglasses" type neckcord and install it on the earbuds, so that you can let the earbuds hang when you need to hear announcements, when you are boarding your plane, etc.Although the earbuds (the rubbery part) are unusually comfortable, I suggest replacing them with tri-level earbuds which are even more comfortable.  2 Pair, Men's Size - Earphones Plus Brand, Tri-Level, Replacement Ear Cushions, Earbuds for Sound Isolating Earphones. (See Fit Information in Details Below) HOW TO QUIT LOOSING EARBUDSTo see my, "HOW TO QUIT LOOSING EARBUDS"click on "See all my reviews" aboveThen click on "So you'd like to know" guides on the left side of the pageThen from the list choose "HOW TO QUIT LOOSING EARBUDS"THE BOTTOM LINEFor $20, they work surprisingly well (for listening to music or audiobooks on airline flights, or working with power tools). Most other units costing up to $100 or more have similar shortcomings.> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

I'm sitting here at my laptop listening through these headphones as I type. It's true what else is said here: great fit for my ears (closes out some outside sound just by fitting nicely - almost like earplugs). And I like the noise cancelling - it's not magic or anything, but at the sidewalk cafe I sit at, it significantly reduces the sound of passing cars, letting me listen to my music.But the battery box and "noise canceling" switch is really annoyingly placed smack in the middle of the cord. I didn't understand why this was a problem until I bought the headphones, but now I see: the battery box is just heavy enough to fall off the table, or out of your pocket, and it pulls the headphones with it - right out of your ears. Fine if you're sitting at the table, but you'll have to find a place for the box (about 1.5"x3.5") on the table, cause it can't hang free.That design flaw alone would have made me return these if I had paid more than I did. But at $25, I can't complain all that much. I just hope they do a better job next time.

good