Phillips SHN2500: Active Noise Canceling Earbuds

I purchased the SHN2500 Noise Canceling Earbuds about a year ago. I primarily use them when mowing the lawn, so I don't have a wide variety of experiences to relate. However, when using them with a gas-powered mower, I found it to be remarkable how much they reduced the sound of the mower. Without the mp3 player turned on at all, the mower noise all but disappeared; as in, I could barely tell that the mower was even running. With the mp3 player turned on, the device does, in fact, increase the volume of the mp3 output. But with the noise canceling turned on, I could set the volume of the mp3 player to a much lower level than usual and still hear the music quite well.

So, here's my summary; for lawn mowing, these things seem to work great. No, they don't just cover up the noise by turning up the volume. They can be used without the mp3 player turned on, and the reduction in noise volume is remarkable. I find them comfortable, and the sound quality is fine for me...Read more

I was intrigued by the design, with the noise-canceling electronics separate from the speakers. I also work in a moderately loud environment, and was hoping to use these to cancel out equipment noise. The noise canceling properties of these are decent, due to the active electronics and the snug fit in the ear canal.

I tested them for two hours with the noise-canceling turned on and at the lowest detectable volume (1 or 2 on my mp3 player with 1 being the lowest setting). The end result was a terrible ear-strain headache for over 6 hours! I've worn in-ear buds in the past without any problems, and generally don't get long-lasting headaches.

I might exchange these for an over-the-ear model, but I cannot recommend these under any circumstances.

I bought my first pair about two years ago and was reasonably pleased with the comfort, sound and noise reduction (I mostly use them when I mow the lawn.) My one complaint is that in less than a year the sound disappeared from on ear. I bought a second pair (both pairs were purchased at Walmart for around $20.00) and again in less than a year, the same failure occurred of loosing the sound from on ear bud. They would be great if they just lasted a bit longer.