Review on Panasonic Slim Z RPHC101K Noise Cancelling Headphones by Jeffrey Crutcher

If you were expecting Bose-type noise-cancelling, FAH-GEDDA-BOUDIT. It's over the top and it's not $300. If you want a Maserati, buy it - don't complain that your Hyundai doesn't work that way. I fly a lot - about 2 million miles on AA alone. I at least carry my laptop bag which is a virtual mobile office (15" MacBook Pro, iPad in Otterbox, 2 portable drives, all cables, bluetooth mouse etc). I also often carry a small camera bag with my D7000 and a few lenses and my rollboard. I fly the bus and often end up in the middle seats because my trips are last minute. These headphones reduce the noise frequencies of jet engines very significantly. They allow you to listen to your iPod or iPad at a reasonable volume to be heard, and greatly improve perceived fidelity. This is the signal-to-noise ratio. They are noise-canceling, not noise-canceling. You wouldn't notice their effect in the office unless you had a hiss in the background. Trimming sounds in the vocal or musical field would be useless. But here's the best part: In a pocket, they're a lot less than an inch thick. They'll fit in easily the tightest laptop bag. They are comfortable to wear on long flights. Are they fragile? Yes, but not mechanically, as one might think. The weak point may be the cable next to the connector. My first pair became unstable. Finally I decided to cut the connector off and put a Radio Shack connector on it. Stupid stupid stupid. The conductors inside are so thin that they require the skills and tools of an eye surgeon to repair. Would I buy them again? - You bet on it. It's just that next time the cable fails I'll send it to Panasonic.