Rating: 
Summary: Good passive noise reduction
Review: Pros:
When noise cancellation is turned of sound is excellent. Basses are rich.
Cons:
1.I don't know what you are expecting from noise cancelling but it try it somewhere before you buy. Where I work, there wasn't too much noise but airconditioning and computer fan white noise. All this helped was blocking outside noise somehow. Electronic wizardy to cancel noise comes with an annoying hissing sound and did not have an effect around my envrionment.(Sony says hissing sound is by design.)And don't forget, it will cancel only white noise, not the voice of people or closing and opening doors. 2.If you are not comfortable with In-Ear design, this shouldn't be your choice. I always liked in-ear headphones so it is not so bad for me, but still not the most comfortable. I guess it is a trade of between comfort and noise isolation.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Pleased
Review: I just received my pair last week and couldn't be more pleased. Their size makes them as inobtrusive as regular ear bud headsets but they are light years away when it comes to noisy environments. Lately I've been doing a lot of work in Starbucks using their wi-fi access, and most times the noise was just incredibly deafening. Forget about using traditional ear-buds in these environments, you would do harm to your ears with the volume necessary to drown out the competing noise. The MDR-NC11 seems to block noise in two stages: 1st, the earbud fits into the ear canal with a self-sealing mechanism (I was extremely leary of this at first, but unlike the other reviewer I find the fit very comfortable and snug), this blocks a tremendous amount of noise, then the 2nd stage is the electronic noise cancelling unit, which works as well as any other I've encountered (haven't tried the Bose systems). The two systems work in sync to reduce more noise than I ever thought possible. I love this headset and won't bother ordering the new Bose system. I wasn't looking forward to wearing a huge pair of noise cancelling headsets out in public & now I realize I don't have to.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless
Review: I travel frequently and have enjoyed the benefits of noise-canceling headphones for several years. I started of using an inexpensive pair of Panasonic (on-ear) headphones which worked fairly well. (and still do, since my wife now uses them.) I upgraded to the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones which is even better at noise-canceling than the Panasonic, more comfortable and worth the price. So, why did I also buy these Sony (in-ear) noise-canceling headphones? Well, I've been traveling a lot on small 4-seater prop planes that have severe weight/baggage restrictions and therefore wanted to do without my bulky Bose. Big Mistake. These Sony's are worthless. The hissing sound, which I suppose is the noise-canceling circuitry at work, is so loud and pronounced even in a small Cessna that I found it was quieter without anything at all. I tried it in regular jumbo jets and it was even more annoying. Both the expensive Bose and the cheaper Panasonic were both FAR superior at noise-cancelling in ALL situations. I'm back to using my Bose in the small planes, which is an absolute joy. My final annoyance is the persistent tangle of wire/cords that the Sony is perpetually knotted into.
So, do yourselves a huge favor and either spend the money on a superb Bose or a more reasonably priced Panasonic or other brand. I briefly tried out the Aiwa and 2 pair of Sennheisers all of which worked better than this Sony.
Rating:
Summary: A compromise product that by nature is mediocre in many ways
Review: If you buy these expecting the same kind of performance as a pair of over ear noise cancelation headphones you will be disappointed. They in no way perform on the same level as the bose or even the less expensive panisonic models. On the other hand they are earplugs and can quite easily fit in your pocket. If you are like me and use your player on the subway a lot they are pretty close to ideal. Granted that is a pretty narrow functional range but for commuters this is a solid product. I disagree that the noise cancellation does "nothing" as some reviews state, though again it is nowhere near the same level as the full sized devices. You will not notice the hissing unless you are in a quiet area - and you are able to turn the noise cancellation off in this setting. I am able to keep myy player at a much lower output level with these headphones which both conserves batteries and my ears so it was a good purchase for me. The only 2 other draw backs are the ridiculously long cord - 4 feet? - and the price. Im not sure if these are really worth 90-100$. For 50$ Id feel super comfortable recommending them, but at this price point you might be better off with a less expensive pair unless you find yourself commuting a lot, and still not wanting a full sized pair of noise cancellers.
Rating:
Summary: Great performance, questionable quality.
Review: If you log lots af airmiles, this Sony product is perfect for getting some uninterrupted sleep on those long overnight flights. The earbuds assist the noise cancellation in drowning out ambient noise. They are much more comfortable and effective than over-the-ear models if you rest the side of your head against a pillow or seat while you sleep. They also come with an adaptor for airline seat headphone jack, three sizes of plastic earbud covers for customizing fit, and a durable carrying pouch with effective drawstring to keep it all together. The sound quality is fine; only anal audiophiles will have anything to complain about. However, you get what you pay for. Sony only offers a 90 day warranty. Typically, one of my earbud speakers died after just 4 months.
Rating:
Summary: good for subway ride, not for street, bad controller locatio
Review: I own a set for a year, this is the only one can COMPLETELY blocks the subway's noise
on the other hand, it makes annoying noise, like cover your ears and moving, that it's not recommend to wear on the street
it comes with 3 different size of silicon adaptor, make sure install the one is the most comfortable, or the audio quality and noise-cancelling will be degraded
about hissing that other users states, I don't notice (bad hearing?)
and I have a complaint for controller, it should be fit on belt or waist, but the cable is short to the earpiece, then if you put the controller on the shirt pocket, the cable will be too short to the player (if you put it in your pants pocket)
if you feel comfortable with EX series or KOSS the plug, you'll be fine with this
Rating:
Summary: Don't Fly Without It!
Review: I've tried a few noise cancel earphones like the famed Bose system, and I wanted to buy one for myself. Doing some research on the web and trying some out at shops its clear the Bose 299$ is the best but way too expensive. Sony's NC20's are now being served up in business class in long haul flights (used to be just Bose) and I found these's just as capable. Still I wanted something smaller so I bought these NC11's even after reading the mixed reviews.
The tight (comfortable) fitting earbuds knocks out a significant amount of the ambient high noise. Switching on the NC circuit knocks out the drone of the jet. At first I wasn't sure if it was working or not..... Just switch it on and forget it. Later when you're watching a movie or something, try switching off the circuit, Thats when I really noticed how effective the system was. Like someone said, its not like the dramatic effect of closing a soundproof door, its more a subtle 'removal' of some (not all) of the annoying noises that on the long run will drive you nuts or wear you out. Bottom line, the level of exhaustion you carry at the end of a 14 hour flight can significantly be reduced by keeping these things on. Its small enough you can carry them in your pockets, which is a huge plus for travellers.
Long short, don't fly without them.
PS I can understand how some might feel their NC11's are doing nothing. Its a type of noise cancellation thats not obvious or efective for all types of sounds. But I can say from experience, they are a must have on flights. (probably train and subway rides would be good places to try them out too)
Rating:
Summary: Should be zero stars
Review: If I could give this product zero stars, I would. I own two pairs of bulky noise cancelling headphones, which work very well. I purchased the NC11 earbuds for my wife, based on a glowing review in PC Magazine - BUT they simply don't cancel noise. They make the background noise even louder by overlapping it with a hissing sound. We sat in our kitchen with the dishwasher running, and did a side by side comparison. Both the $30 Aiwa HP-CNS and $50 Panasonic RP-HC100 headphones blocked the hum and grind of the dishwasher. The Sony earbuds did not work at all.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I read a number of reviews of these earbuds before I bought them and they were all glowing. I feel like I'm the man who said the emperor had no clothes: The noise reduction circuits in these things do little or nothing! I visited the Sony Store in Chicago (near my office) before buying them and was very impressed with the noise reduction of the standard noise canceling headphones. But, for sanitary reasons, they won't let anyone try out the earbuds. After getting the earbuds mail order and using them on the train, a bus, and the subway and walking past construction sites, I couldn't believe my ears! I went back to the Sony Store to compare them to the headphones and the difference was like night and day! (Just turn them on and off without even plugging them into a CD player--the regular headphones are pretty incredible.) So I sent them in to Sony and asked for a new set. (They wouldn't take care of this at the Sony Store even though it is an official, owned-by-Sony facility.) The second set is only slightly better than the first. I went back to the Sony Store to compare one more time, and they admitted a lot of people were returning earbuds that didn't work or exchanging them for headphones. I called Sony and they told me weren't aware of any complaints like mine--the earbuds should do everything the headphones do. They said they'd exchange the second pair for a third, but this is ridiculous. I expect they will be the same--they just don't work. Either that, or they have a severe quality control problem. Perhaps people are mistaking the noise reduction you get from the silicon seal that goes in your ear with actual noise cancellation. But, when you turn them on and off, the only difference is additional white noise. Worse, the cords are stiff and heavy and create vibrations that you hear every time you move your head, assuming the plugs don't pull out of your ears (also a significant problem). If the third set doesn't work, I'm going to ask if they'll give me a set of regular headphones instead. This is very disappointing--I really wanted something less obtrusive, something you can wear on the train without feeling embarrassed. I'll probably have to settle for wearing them only on airplanes.
Rating:
Summary: wretchedly poor sound quality
Review: I bought these (Sony MDR NC11) to replace the earbuds that came with my iPod. When I tried them on, they were comfortable and stayed in my ears snugly. However, I was shocked to discover that the sound was tinny, unbalanced and weak. The Apple earbuds that came with the iPod had far superior sound quality. Turning the noise cancellation function on or off seemed to make no difference. I promptly returned these to Amazon.com. The Sony MDR NC11 Fontopia earphones sound horrible. Do not buy them! Better sound quality can be had for 1/3 of the cost.
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