Originally Posted by
JMN57
In terms of noise suppression, they are powered/switched so you can turn them off/on. Without any signal/music, by turning them on/off you can hear the effect of the noise suppression. When one turns them on, you can definitely hear a hush and reduction in ambient noise.
In terms of sound quality, that's probably more personal/subjective. One thing to note is the noise suppression circuitry also provides some amplification (in addition to the on/off switch, there is a volume dial). With my laptop (whose sound output is a little low), it helps with movies, etc. Listening to music, I think they are fine. I tend to lose/damage earbuds so I don't buy Etymotic or Shure (my favorites over the years are the discontinued
Sony MDR-ED21LP )
Thanks. I guess what I had in mind is that if keep them off, how well do they block noise passively? (I'm guessing this is less well than the Etymotic's I already have, but I don't know how much less well)
And then is the active part (turning them on) meaningful? The hush quieting is a good start. I wonder if it's enough to make up for the (probably) less effective passive blocking.
Perhaps this is a good test:
Do you ever wear them (unpowered, musicless) for just passive noise blocking? E.g. take off & landing?
When off, does putting them in have a sort of earplug-like effect?