Harman Kardon Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones

• Harman Kardon NC Review

  4.0 out of 5 stars

  I was debating whether or not to purchase this pair of headphones or the Bose Quiet Comfort 3. Apple was extremely helpful, inform ing me that they had a special policy for the holiday that a customer can purchase and or return the product if they are unhappy with it (whether or not it was opened or not, it just cannot be broken). So I purchased the Harman Kardon NC, opened it right in the store and listened to songs for about 30 minutes to make sure I liked them. The noise canceling feature (on/off switch) blocked out the holiday festive apple store and mall altogether; also, these headphones were able to block out noise without the noise canceling switch on. These headphones, being a around-the-ear headphone, really separates your music from unwanted noise.
  
  As for the build, they look great. They are made out of aluminum, leather and a minimal amount of plastic (the wire, if that). There is no adjustable headband; however, Harman Kardon designed this pair of headphones with two metal headbands, one of which is surrounded with leather and stretches very well to fit your head. The headphones come with an extra metal headband for those with slightly larger heads.
  
  For sound quality, I am 100% satisfied with the sound, coming from a Bose Quiet Comfort 2. I don't ever think I would buy Bose after listening to this brand or even Bowers and Wilkins. The mids and hi's are extremely clear and crisp which are complimented extremely well with a non-overpowering bass that is vivid, crisp and punchy at the same time. This is because of Harman Kardon's implemented "bass tube" that allows these characteristics.
  
  Pros: compatible with all my apple products (iphone, ipod and laptop)
  sound is fantastic
  looks great
  
  Cons: not as portable as I would have liked (heavy/bulky)
  not as comfortable as hoped, very tight for me and I have a smaller head (Bose QC3 or Bowers and Wilkins P5 were more comfortable)
  
  Note: This pair is rechargeable BUT if the battery dies, the headphones will still work and play music. The internal rechargeable battery is for when you want to switch on the noise canceling feature. … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Phillip Z from Budd Lake
  • Dec 23, 2012

  41 of 42 people found this useful

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• Wow.

  5.0 out of 5 stars

  I travel for a living, I'm on dozens of jets every few months- regularly on flights exceeding 14 hours. I've been doing this for a lmost 6 years so I consider myself quite experienced with all renditions of noise-cancelling/isolating headphones. I have used the obligatory Bose QC 3 and 15's and while I don't really have complaints I was just never impressed with them. I gave up Bose to try the new Beats, they were good as well - but definitely not my style and not built for the type of music I listen to (alternative). I moved on the B&W P5's forgoing active noise cancellation for more stylish, compact and better fitting headphones. I like them, well...I want to like them - but in the end they were a little flat for me and made my ears sore after 5 or so hours. The H/K NC headphones are perfect. The noise canceling is great, the bass, mids and highs are well balanced and they fit very comfortably for long periods. The built in chargeable battery lasts a long time and they are infinitely more stylish than many other competitors. The build quality is exceptional and the travel case fits perfect in any carry-on. You will absolutely love these - there aren't a lot of reviews out there so I took a chance, and thank goodness I did. … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Charles V from Valley Village
  • Dec 21, 2012

  41 of 43 people found this useful

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• Best Sounding

  5.0 out of 5 stars

  Highly recommended.
  
  Most of the other noise canceling headphones i've tried (Beats and Bose) affect the sound quality when you turn the noise canceling function on. I found that these headphones do a great job whatever the setting. … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Frank D from Resevoir
  • Dec 16, 2012

  31 of 34 people found this useful

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• Best travel NC headphones under $350

  4.0 out of 5 stars

  I wanted to buy new NC headphones because I travel a lot via airplane. I have had the Bose QC3 for the past 5 years and although I loved them dearly, they did start to hurt my ears after about 2.5 hours of continuous use (clearly not built for comfort on long flights). So I was in the market for a new pair of over the ear NC headphones. I didn't want to spend more than $350 and I was looking for sound quality first, then comfort, then NC capabilities. I looked extensively at Sennheiser PXC 450, Audio Technica ATH-ANC9, Monster Inspiration, Dre Beats Executive and Bose QC15. After reading all reviews, good and bad about them all... I went to local stores to try them out myself.
  * Sennheiser - Audio was just so, so. A little disappointing based on reviews so high. Nice big cans, but almost too big. NC was fine, not the best, but okay.
  * Audio Technica - Audio quality was okay, except it did sound a bit muffled. Comfort was great actually. NC was again, fine.
  * Monster Inspiration - Great audio quality, comfortable cans, but I was concerned about quality of product... if you pushed on the cans while on your head, you could hear a creaky noise in each ear cup. I went to three different stores and they all did it. Concerns over that. NC was also nice.
  * Dre Beats Executive - Audio great, nice bass... concerns over quality.
  * Bose QC15 - Audio was average, comfort very good, and NC the best.
  Bottom line... Harman Kardon had best of everything I was looking for in that order.. Audio, best of them all, comfort on par with the best, however, NC is just average, but with music on 50%, I couldn't hear anything else. I don't just listed to NC by itself. Harman/Kardon has best of everything I was looking for. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because NC could be better. (not a deal breaker though) … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Anthony S from Roseville
  • May 6, 2013

  2 of 2 people found this useful

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• Great balance of superior audio, durable build, and amazing comfort w/ NC

  5.0 out of 5 stars

  I finally found it! The headphones I want.
  I've tried multiple NC headphones from Bose QC15 to Monster Inspiration to Beats Execu tive. Each had its own strengths:
  Bose - comfort and the best noise canceling of the bunch, but falls short of the durable quality end
  Monster - extremely uncomfortable and mediocre sound quality
  Beats - the best build quality of the four, but annoying buzzing sound with noise canceling on... bass was too overbearing for me, but some may like it
  
  The Harman/Kardon NC Headphones are the perfect balance of all four with an added classy design. The designers at HK must have placed great care and effort in designing a superior product. When I first put the headphones on, I noticed how comfortable they were. They stayed comfortable for a LONG time. The sound quality blew me away. These sure don't feel like they're noise canceling. The muffled sound of most NC headphones is gone. Harman/Kardon stands up to its name for superior quality sound!
  
  On negative aspect... the case. For such a classy headphone the case that it comes with can be described by one word... bleh. H/K, if you're reading this, please update the case. The Beats Executive had the best case of the four.
  
  Conclusion:
  Look no further. Don't waste time trying to look for the perfect NC headphones! Go grab this while it's in stock!!! … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Stephen L from Los Angeles
  • Mar 12, 2013

  16 of 16 people found this useful

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• Best sound & no ear pressure

  5.0 out of 5 stars

  After comparing the Harman Kardon NC with the Bose QC15 in a side by side test, I was surprised by how small the Bose headphones s ounded. The HK-NC headphones produced a very full sound while maintaining crisp highs. I thought the Bose QC15 was slightly better at noise cancellation, but put pressure on my ears as noise canceling typically does. Surprisingly, the HK-NCs do not. So with better sound, no ear pressure, rechargeable battery, and continued functionality without the NC circuits on, & only slightly reduced noise cancellation performance all at the same cost, I chose the Harman Kardon NC headphones & happily recommend them. … More (Read full review)

  • Written by Sam L from Bethlehem
  • Feb 9, 2013

  20 of 20 people found this useful

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