H501 Active Noise Cancelling Stereo Headphones, Over-ear Headphones with Inline Microphone and Volume Control, ANC Battery Time -50 hours (Wired / Metal Black)

I bought these for two purposes: one, an upcoming long plane trip, and two, to drown out a coworker who loudly and habitually hacks at least once every other minute of the day, all day long (except when our boss is present, in which case he seems to miraculously stop hacking and display some self-awareness and office etiquette).I haven't gone on the plane trip yet, but I have tested them under loud droning noises at home and work. So far, they're pretty good. I can barely hear the Vornado fan on my desk, placed about two feet away from my ears. More importantly, I'm getting relief from my coworker's inconsiderate hacking.On the minus side, when connected to a PC at work, I have to crank the audio device volume controls and the volume in iTunes to 100%. Even then, it's not louder than other ear plugs and headphones set to 30% volume. With the noise cancellation off, the music volume is even quieter. I've looked at all the various settings and can't find an explanation for why this is happening. I may pursue an exchange, if I find the same issue when connected to a phone or iPod.PROS: Decent noise cancellation for the money.CONS: Volume issues with music.EDIT: I received a replacement and am very satisfied with it. Clearly, the first set I had received was defective, because the difference between the two sets is huge. The new headphones have good volume, and the noise cancellation is excellent. I recommend buying these, and I appreciate that the company went out of its way to send a replacement, simply because they noticed my review. I adjusted my rating accordingly.

In my opinion, the headphones are not very comfortable; I start feeling a little uncomfortable after around 1 hour of use. The noise canceling is ok, not the best, but is as advertised. The last complaint I have is if you listen to music, everyone around you will hear it too. I had my music playing at 50% volume and my brother wondered why I was playing my music so loudly. I think for the price that these are being sold for you get an ok deal, but maybe look for something a little higher quality.

UPDATE: Since leaving the review below, I was contacted by the seller's customer support to address my complaints about the shortcomings of the headphones. They were extremely accommodating, and I ended up going with the gray version since audio bleeding was my biggest complaint. I would recommend looking into the other style if you don't want others to hear your music at the cost of a little bass response.I just want to preface this by saying that I normally listen to and mix music on professional-grade studio monitors, so I am very picky when it comes to audio. For this purchase, I wanted a comfortable set of over-ear headphones for casual listening. Here are the pros and cons for audiophiles:Pros:- Surprisingly comfortable fit for the size. (I have a big head and large ears)- Feels like sturdy material- Active noise cancellation works well on low-mid range room noise- Mids and highs have decent clarity- Nice carrying case- Comes w/ 2 cables, splitter, and 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. This is nice for studio setups.Cons:- Really bad noise bleeding (phones to room); worse than earbuds. At half volume my GF could make out every lyric to a song she didn't know from 10 ft away.- Poor quality on lows and bass, pretty muddy.- Active noise cancelling noticeably drops audio quality.- Active noise cancelling barely affects high frequencies in the room (bad for airplanes).Overall, these feel more like $50-60 headphones. If you're looking for $90-$120 quality, I would pass on these.

Let me start by saying that these headphones are fantastic for the price! I already have a pair of Bose headphones, but I ordered these because I have a noisy roommate. These headphones do a wonderful job at blocking most sound from him when I need to do my school work. If you want to block all sound (or at least as close as you can get to that), you'll need to put on some music on top of having the ANC turned on. One warning though: I've been told that there is some noticeable sound bleed. If you don't want other people hearing what you are listening to, I suggest looking for a different pair of headphones. If that isn't a problem for you, I strongly recommend this pair of headphones. They're fairly comfortable to wear for long periods of time. and the sound quality is great!

I just got these. They're comfortable even for my big head (though I had to extend them all the way), they drown out quite a bit of ambient noise, they look pretty good, and they sound pretty good for music playback, particularly at higher volumes, though the bass isn't exactly going to kick in your teeth (or your eardrums). We'll see about battery life and durability, but so far so good, I'm quite impressed with the build quality and see no reason they couldn't stay in good shape a while. I also want to say something about the presentation-- it is nearly on par with an Apple product, coming up short only in its branding and copy, while surpassing even Apple in some areas. The packaging is especially notable, with color-matched, perfectly nested boxes made of some of the strongest cardboard I've ever seen. Lift the cloth pull tab, and you'll find a handsome black and lime green carrying case in a perfectly fit space, again made of that remarkably strong cardboard. Inside the carrying case, the headphones come with two different 1/8" cables, both of which appear gold plated and high quality, one of which has inline volume control, plus a gold plated 1/4" adapter. They really know how to put a smile on your face at unboxing; everything about the experience just screams quality. The branding is odd and Chinese, but between the presentation and the apparent build quality I can immediately see why they have 4 1/2 stars for this product. Let's hope first impressions last. If China continues to produce stuff this good, American companies had better watch out.