Sony MDR-NC500D

Who's It For

Audiophiles

These headphones don’t offer the best audio quality. It’s hard for noise-cancelling headphones to offer great audio quality since active cancellation can accidentally cancel out some instrumentation. Even so, the MDR-NC500D headphones perform worse than other noise-cancelling headphones we’ve reviewed.

Portable User

These headphones aren’t the pinnacle of portability, but they do come with that handy short cable and they do tend to stick on your head even when you move around. They’d also be good for a commute on public transportation.

Airplane Traveler

Even average noise cancellation can help make an airplane traveler’s life easier. Assuming you’re flying to a location within 16 hours and you’ve remembered to charge your headphones, the MDR-NC500D will be a faithful companion.

Home / Office Use

We’re a bit torn on this one. Yes, they will work in a home theater setup, even one a healthy amount of ambient noise. What they don’t offer is great audio quality. While they aren’t the best or least expensive set of home theater headphones, they still do the job moderately well.

Conclusion

The Sony MDR-NC500D headphones aren’t bad headphones. They are mediocre headphones that cost as much as many good headphones. They should have been priced at $200 and marketed as a mid-range, noise-cancelling headphone solution. Instead, it appears Sony tried to compete with Bose, or even make the NC500D seem like a higher-quality option. Unfortunately, they aren’t higher-quality, just higher-priced.

Overall, we like the NC500D. They are comfortable, offer good enough audio quality for mainstream audiences, and came with a significant amount of extras. The only deterrent is the $400 price tag, which is quite a hefty fine. Again, solid headphones for the average user who wants noise-cancelling headphones. Just make sure you pick them up at a 50-percent off sale.