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

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.

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.

I do a little bit of traveling for work. The longest trip has been about 5 hours on the plane. I never understood the need for noise canceling headphones. A couple of weeks ago I had to make a much longer flight, over 10 hours on the plane. I decided to get a pair of noise canceling headphones to see if they improved the travel. I was amazed at how much better I felt when I got to the destination. Instead of the steady low drone of the engines, that was all blocked. When I plugged into the headphone jack to watch a movie, I was able to clearly hear the movie sound. These come with an audio cord, an audio cord with an inline microphone and an adapter to use those old style airplane headphone jacks. The semi rigid case protects them well while in my carry on bag. There's a pouch in the case to hold the cords and adapters. These even came with an Energizer alkaline battery packed in the box. One thing that I found amusing is when the package came, it weighed a lot. I opened the box and took out all the parts. The box itself was at least twice the weight of the product.

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.

These are great in certain situations. Very helpful on an airplane! I would say sound quality is good, but then I am not an audiophile. The noise canceling does not cut out all the airplane whine, but does significantly reduce it. Also, if you don't want to talk to the person next to you on the plane, these provide a great excuse! The case is pretty big, but that's OK with me since it provides excellent protection. The build of these headphones seems to be good quality. They may not be Bose, but they are a great value for the money!

Noise cancelling failed after just one use.