Digital Trends

Sony introduced the MDR-NC500D at CES 2008 as the world's first fully digital noise canceling headphones, setting the $400 USD price tag accordingly. The all-digital design allows more flexibility in performance compared with analog models; you can dial in the appropriate level of noise cancellation or let the headphones make the adjustment for you based on ambient noise. Despite the high price, Sony scored a few big wins over competing models from Bose and Sennheiser with the NC500D, especially in the accessory department. On a recent cross-country flight, we got a chance to test out their capabilities and were pleasantly surprised, though there's still room for improvement.