Sony MDR-NC22

The Sony MDR-NC22 are a pair of active noise canceling earbuds. Inexpensive compared to full sized active noise canceling headphones from BOSE or Audio Technica, the Sony MDR-NC22 measure outside noise through microphones placed in the outer shell and emit equal-but-opposite sound waves internally to cancel out the sound.

While this technology works, it is far from perfect, leading to artifacts in music (especially noticeable with low volume listening) and utilizing an external power source (in this case, a AAA battery). Fortunately these Sony earbuds also allow for the noise canceling functionality to be deactivated. While this feature allows for a reduction of outside noise up to 12dB, other, passive canalphones such as those from UE or Etymotic allow for a reduction up to 42dB. Some consumers may also find issue with Sony's limited 90 day warranty, which is considerably less than the standard 1-2 years for comparably priced phones. Available in black, white and pink.