Drowning out the world? - Sony MDR ZX110NA Review

If you’re anything like me, then I’m sure you’ve had moments where you just wanted the whole world to shut the f**k up! Be it because you’re dealing with a complicated issue, because once again you’re the only one in the entire office that appears to be doing ANY work, or simply because you’re having a bad hair day. The reasons are plenty, and usually valid. The big question is what to do about it, after all shooting your co-workers is usually out of the question. Unless you have a good lawyer who can turn anything into a self-defence situation, but that is another story entirely, one that is currently showing on Netflix. ;) 

Since the use of firearms in this situation is a non-starter, the tool of choice for most people will be headphones. The choice available is staggering — Earbuds, Over-Ear headphones, On-Ear headphones, wired or wireless, regular or noise cancelling, it’s all a question of personal preference… or budget. For most of the last year, I’ve been using a pair of Beats Solo 2 headphones, their sound was great and I got them at a specially reduced rate for employees. Not only did they have a great sound, but they effectively blocked out background noise, letting you fully enjoy the music. Only problem is, I’ve had the exact same hardware failure, namely sound dropping out on my righthand earphone, twice in a year. By the time it happened the second time, I was done with Beats. So, it was off to find a replacement. Bose as well as Bang & Olufsen were lightyears out of my price range, with Sennheiser not far behind, when I stumbled upon an interesting offer. Sony headphones with Active Noise Cancelling, that didn’t sound bad at all!

There they are - My new Sony MDR ZX110NA folded up for easier transport.

The price was a steal at just 41€, so I quickly ordered them via Amazon… or not. “Delivery to Ireland is not possible for this article.” Well f*** you very much! Thankfully, I still had my Parcel Motel account from my time at Apple, and when I selected the UK for delivery, suddenly everything worked. Never mind that the new delivery address was in Newtownards, Co. Antrim, just across the border from the Republic, and on the same island. But what the heck, that inconsistency was not for me to worry about. A few days later, I had the box with the headphones in my hand. 

I’m not going to go into any details about the box, as there is nothing special about it. at first glance, the same could be said about the headphones. They’re plastic through and through, not even a hint of a stabilising metal band in the headband. That same headband is pure plastic as well, not a hint of padding, so if you have a rather sensitive head, these might not be for you. That’s not a problem for me, though. The ear pads are well padded and comfortable, though. Unusually, these headphones have a cable for each of the two earphones, that might take some getting used to. Speaking of the cable, although it has been described as flimsy, and it certainly is thinner than for example the cable on my old Beats, it still feels solid enough to withstand the rigours of everyday use. The left-hand cable sports a remote control and microphone as well, so you can use the device as a headset for your smartphone, if you want to. Apart from that, the two earcups sport separate microphones for the active noise cancelling function, the left earcup houses the battery needed for the same function, while the right earcup sports the on/off switch for that function.

Bit of an advantage for me: ZX110NA fit perfectly into the bag of my old Beats Solo 2.  That means I don't need to depend on the bag that sony doesn't provide.

Most of the important settings can be made on the right hand earcup. Here, you'll find the switch for the ANC function. 

Once the green light is on, the magic can happen. The noise cancelling  function may not be up to par with the likes of Bose, but it works pretty damn well if you ask me.

Now what is Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) exactly? Basically, it takes the audio waves from the surroundings, analyses them, and creates sound waves with the same amplitude but an inverted phase. These waves then combine, and cancel each other out, and in theory, all you’re left with the sound of silence, and rarely has a Simon & Garfunkel pun been more appropriate. To be fair, the active noise cancelling system employed in the ZX110NA doesn’t achieve the vaunted goal of full noise cancellation, but in all tests that I’ve made so far, which invariably led to using these things in a cafe, they were able to cancel about 50-60% of the ambient noise, reducing it to a level that enabled you to concentrate on the music you’re listening to. I have yet to test it while on a bus, train or aircraft, where these headphones are supposed to really come into their own.

Speaking of music, when you first test them without ANC on, you’ll probably feel a bit disappointed, and rightly so. The sound just doesn’t feel right, bass and highs are almost completely AWOL, and even the rest feels strangely muffled. Once you flip the switch on the right earcup, the headphones really show what they can do. The highs are crystal clear, the bass notes are full and crisp without drowning out and the rest sounds equally perfect. I’d go so far as to equate the sound with that of my Beats Solo 2, which, as I mentioned earlier, was pretty much perfect. In fact, I’m hearing little tricks, harmonies, or instruments that I hadn’t noticed before, even with songs that have been in my library for years.

I admit that the sound probably still won’t be able to compete with high end headphones from the likes of Bose, B&O, or Sennheiser, and the plastic fantastic feel of the ZX110NA may put some people off, something that I can perfectly understand, however, if you’re looking for affordable noise cancelling headphones with a good sound quality for an upcoming long distance flight or similar travels, or you simply want to get your hands on your first set of ANC headphones in general, these should be worth a serious look.