Rating: 
Summary: Middle of the line
Review: I bought these Sennheiser's after reading a recent CNET review that rated them "best" in this price range at both noise cancelation and overall sound quality. I have now tried them both in my office area and also on a very long flight to Europe. Overall, I have been pleased with the sound quality - but only when the "noise cancel" mode is ON. If it is not ON then the bass is very much lacking. I also had a chance to do a direct compare of these Sennheisers to the original Bose version while on my flight. The Bose win hands down. No contest. Even with the Bose's noise cancel feature OFF the Bose cut out more noise than the Sennheiser's do while ON. I also compared them to a friend's set of Aiwa noise cancel headphones - the Awia's were also better at noise canceling than these Sennheisers but not as comfortable to wear on my head.
On a positive note, I will say that I could sleep with the Sennheiser's on my head where it was a bit difficult to do this the Bose version on my head due to the bulky nature of the Bose. The Sennheiser's also fold up nicely and fit into the carrying bag quite easily with minimal over all space in my carry on bag.
To summarize: If you want the best of breed noise canceling headphones keep looking and comparing with the Bose. If you want some decent headphones that cut maybe 1/4 - 1/3 noise, take up little space in your bag, and are reasonable comfortable then these Sennheiser's will do.
Rating: 
Summary: Happy with the purchase
Review: I travel a fair amount and wanted headphones I could use to reduce the loud airplane engine noises and improve the sound of the airplane movie or music I was playing. I've traveled with them twice and am pretty impressed with the sound. When you turn on the noise canceling it definitely cuts down on the airplane noise. Unfortunately they don't block out people talking near by which would often be a benefit.They fold up and can be put into a small case. They seem pretty sturdy and are very comfortable to wear. The battery case for the noise cancellation part is a bit bulky but clips to your shirt so it's not too bothersome. I bought these headphones because I've heard Sennheiser make good products and because they were a lot cheaper than the Bose noise canceling headphones. Although I've never tried the Bose ones, I'm pretty happy with my purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Great sound quality, compact size, and cheaper than Bose!
Review: I've been only using them for 3 weeks now and love them. Good bass response and the noise cancellation is pretty good. Not as good as the Bose, but the compact size, price, and comfort makes up for it.
Rating:
Summary: Great for planes
Review: I travel quite a bit and have been looking for headphones that would work for overseas travel. The open air headphones just let in too much noise and the closed headphones are too heavy to wear for 8 hours. These are a nice compromise. Feather light, but pretty good mechanical isolation. They sound great.
Rating:
Summary: Expensive but worth it
Review: I had a pair of Panasonic noise cancelling headphones for a while, model RP-HC100; certainly not the cheapest, but at the time they looked like the best noise cancelling set next to Bose. Then the Panasonic headphones had problems with static in one ear, and finally stopped working. It was actually a good thing though, because these Sennheisers absolutely blow those panasonics out of the water. The sound quality is indescribably better; everything sounds good on these headphones. And the noise cancellation circuitry is far better than what was in the panasonics; it seems to block out a wider range of background noise without taking away from the music. And just the headphones without the noise cancelling turned on block out a good deal of noise. They're extremely comfortable with the padded ears and headband, and compact, too. Before, I might have hesitated about spending [the money] on a pair of headphones, but after using these for a few weeks every day on the subway and buses, I have to say I'd definitely pay for them again. One note: the first pair I bought had a similar problem to the panasonics, with a noticable hiss in the left ear with noise reduction on; I simply returned them to J&R for another pair and they've been working great.
Rating:
Summary: Headphones are Great...Noise Filter eats Batteries
Review: I love the headphones!! What I do not like is the little battery 'cannister' that if it is not on your lap or a table tugs at the headsphones. Also, the noise filter only seems to have 40 hours of life before it starts improperly filtering the noise. I just ended up turning off the filter, resulting in a muffled airplane hiss. I recommend these headphones for comfort & sound quality, just be prepared to carry extra batteries.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Value
Review: After a lot of frustration with using "regular" headphones on flights, I recently bought these and first tested them on a lengthy trip from the US to India and back. I was very impressed with the headphones. The noise cancellation is excellent and reduces i.e. engine noise or general noise in airport lounges to a level where I could actually enjoy the music without having to turn the volume up high. Sennheiser provides an adapter that works with the audio/video system on the plane, and that way I could also - for the first time - enjoy movie soundtracks as well. I found that just using the noise cancellation to turn down the environment noise even without listening to music was very relaxing especially on the long flights and worked better than using earplugs. The headphones are very comfortable and I could wear them for hours without problems. They fold very small, and the pouch is convenient for storage and transport. I used the headphones for 15+ hours during my trip and did not have to change batteries.
Rating:
Summary: I Like It Better Than the Sony MDR-NC20
Review: I had a Sony MDR-NC20, loved it so much, but I lost it during one of my flights. At the time I looked, everyone was out of stock of NC20's so I looked at the specs of the Sennheiser PXC 250 and found them to be better so I bought them. I am so glad I got them. They appear to perform better in cancelling airplane noise and are more comfortable to wear than the Sony NC 20. You have to experiment and position the earpads carefully over your ear to maximize the noise cancelling effect. For music, these headphones are GREAT from classical to Rap. You can hear the heavy and low bass thuds of Rap but its not overpowering. However on my first flight with the Sennheisers, the headphones failed and the right side made a loud click and stopped working. I got them replaced with no problems. On my next flight with the replacements, the headphones worked flawlessly and continue to perform well. These headphones also work great if your hotel room has a noisy air conditioner. I am no stranger to flying since I am closing in on a million miles in the air. These Sennheisers or any noise cancelling headphones for that matter, make air flight much more pleasant. Before my flights, I look for my headphones before I pack my clothes.
Rating:
Summary: Great Headphones, Well Worth the Money
Review: Not an audiophile by any means. In fact, before I got these, I couldn't tell headphones apart from each other, and couldn't ever justify spending over $100 for them. When I got the Sennheiser 250 for my birthday though, I instantly fell in love. Now I think I will stick to high end headphones in the future (this will last long enough though). It's very comfortable to wear, with a great fit. The noise cancelling is much more impressive than the Aiwa headphones I bought. The Sennheiser really does fade ambient noise, and you can still hear important stuff like somebody talking to you. These headphones sound great too. Sound is so detailed, and not drowned out like no standard headphones. The bass is also great, it's very impressive. Overall, highly recommended noise cancelling unit. Of course in my opinion it's not as good as the Etymotic ER6, but those are ear plugs (and I know some people hate wearing those plugs). If you want a comfortable set of good sounding, noise-cancelling headphones, the Sennheister PXC250 is well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Great For Music on Plane; Otherwise Earplugs Work Same
Review: I've got an aswsome Powerbook which is great for watching DVDs on planes, except the plane noise is so loud, it's really hard to hear the sound... until now. The coolest thing about these headphones is how brilliently they cancel the sound you don't want so you can hear the sound you do want. I love listening to music when I travel, so to me they're totally worth it. They're also well-made and comfortable. However, if all you want is to cancel out the drone of engines or the annoying chatter & clatter of other people, earplugs really do work just as well. I know, b/c I've got a noisy upstairs neighbor and wear them all the time, and used to wear them on flights regularly. My favorite brand is called "Hearos" which you can get at record stores & drug stores. Be sure you read the directions for how to put them in. The only downside to earplugs is that some people find them uncomfortable and -- I just learned this the hard way -- if you're wearing them on a plane, DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT when the plane starts to descend... OUCH! It really, really hurt when I did that. Don't get me wrong, the headphones will block out sound too, but it's a lot of money for a technology that really isn't more efficient than sticking foam in your ears. If you want to listen to Music, however -- then they're pretty fab.
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