Logitech 980409 Noise Cancelling Headphones

...head in)

Logitech noise cancelling headphones
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These earphones are the ‘old fashioned’ cup style rather than ‘in the ear’ ones. They need to be actually as all of the noise cancellation circuitry is in the ear cup casing. The design certainly isn’t bad ...
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As soon as Logitech bring out a wireless version of these noise cancelling headphones I will be right there in the front of the queue as they are that good

These headphones are £99 at Argos but only £70 on Amazon and you might find them cheaper if you shop around  ... more

I first came across noise cancelling headphones with my Sony walkman and I must admit I was quite impressed. As half of the noise reduction system is built into the body of the Sony the headphones aren’t of much use in any other appliance. Because the system was so impressive I decided to look at what was available in traditional headphones. There are quite a few to choose from but they tend to be extremely expensive. I read about these on the internet and liked the sound of them and set out to find somewhere I could test them out but unfortunately couldn’t. After humming and haring for a bit I decided to get a pair anyway and bought them from Argos as they have such a good return policy (even though the store itself does my head in)

Logitech noise cancelling headphones
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These earphones are the ‘old fashioned’ cup style rather than ‘in the ear’ ones. They need to be actually as all of the noise cancellation circuitry is in the ear cup casing. The design certainly isn’t bad and they aren’t massive and bulky. Colours are muted; black and dark grey so they aren’t too obtrusive. They are actually pretty comfortable; there is a fairly wide and thick adjustable head band which enables you to get the cups over your ears properly. If they aren’t seated well they can pinch your ears particularly if you are wearing earrings but if they are positioned correctly they follow the shape of your ears nicely. The band sits slightly to the front of your head so doesn’t slide off even if your hair is well conditioned and slippery! They also have really nice thick padding which is part of the passive noise cancelling system.

A really clever trick of the earphones is how they fold up and lie flat. This makes them easy and tidy to store but it also makes it very easy to take them with you when you are travelling. I fly quite a bit as my husband goes away on business quite a bit and I go with him if I can, he is also Canadian and has family there that we visit. These headphones are brilliant for blocking out plane noises and they are supplied with an adapter that fits straight into the plane headphone jacks so you can watch the movies or listen to the radio in comfort plus listen to your own MP3’s. Once they are flat they store in the supplied case which has a rigid shell to protect them and has enough room to store the 6 foot (but thin ) cable. There is also an enclosure for the airplane jack and for a spare AAA battery; the noise cancellation is dependent on battery power although the phones will work without it plus there is a spare enclosure where an MP3 player such as an Ipod will fit although I squash an extra spare battery in here.

The sound quality is great but they are at their best when the noise cancelling is switched on and a little blue LED shows noise cancelling has been selected.(the switch is on the left earphone and the battery pops in here too). When there is no music playing there is a slight hiss but this isn’t terribly loud and is better than the aeroplane hum and babble from other passengers so I tend to wear mine when I sleep too… if you are a snorer though you won’t wake yourself up. As the cord is detachable its worth removing it so you don’t get tangled when you nod off, the noise cancelling remains active without the cord.

Music playback with the noise cancelling is good with plenty of bass. The sound is rich with plenty of midrange tones not just a boom. Speech such as talking books is good too and the slight hiss isn’t noticeable at all. They also work great with in flight movies and give really good sound and are able to change from music to speech to sound effects without loosing any clarity or deafening you.

I have found that the volume doesn’t need to be up so high with noise cancelling headphones as they sounds aren’t competing with background noise. I would hazard a guess that this makes them better for your eardrums. Although I have no empirical evidence for this it makes sense that because high volume levels damage your ears internal workings lower volume has to be better.

I use mine a lot, the 6 ft cable is adequate for when you’re sitting relaxing but I use an extension curly cord when I’m hovering or in the garden (these are great for playing music when sunbathing and the neighbours either have music on or their kids are running riot in the pool)

They fit in any music devices with a standard 3.5 mm stereo audio output otherwise you need an adapter but most appliances seem to have this size anyway.

They come with a 2 year warranty

As soon as Logitech bring out a wireless version of these noise cancelling headphones I will be right there in the front of the queue as they are that good

These headphones are £99 at Argos but only £70 on Amazon and you might find them cheaper if you shop around 

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