The lightest headphones in history

The Sony XBA-NC85D Balanced Armature is the smallest and lightest set of digital-noise-cancelling in-ear headphones, and they assure crisp and clear sound quality.

The phones use a streamlined box-free design that houses the noise-cancelling unit and a battery inside a compact earpiece, enabling the small size and lightness. The pair weighs only six grams without the cord.

There’s a tiny microphone on each earpiece that works together with the noise-cancelling circuitry to create an opposite sound wave and eliminate ambient sound.

Artificial Intelligence technology automatically analyses the type of sound and selects one of three cancelling modes – aircraft, train or office. Sony says the NC85D can reduce aggravating ambient noise by up to 97.5 per cent. 

I found that the noise cancellation depended on the environment. In my office and home it effectively reduced most of the ambient noise, but on streets and especially on a bus, the noise could still be heard, although they detracted little from my music enjoyment. 

Of course this might be because Sony hasn’t designed the phones for noisy Bangkok buses!

Before using the NC85D, you have to charge its battery with the provided USB charger. Plug the jack into the charger. There’s an on-off button. Turn the circuitry on to hear the music. A flashing LED light indicates that noise cancellation is engaged.

The NC85D reproduces crystal-clear vocals and a good level of bass thanks to Sony’s Balanced Armature drivers, which reproduce a broad spectrum of high to low frequency response.

The NC85D has three pairs of noise-isolation earbuds – small, medium and large. Use the ones that best fit your ears.

I tested NC85D with an iPad and found that it reproduced music from the album “Best Audiophile Voices V” very well, with crisp and sweet vocals. The saxophone sounds from the album “Beautiful Night” were just as sharp and beautiful.

But when I listened to AC/DC’s rock album “Black Ice”, I found that the bass was not as deep as Sony’s MDR-EX1000 flagship monitor in-ear headphones managed.

The Sony XBA-NC85D retails for Bt10,490, VAT included.

 

                     Key specs

_ Driver unit: Closed, Balanced Armature 

_ Frequency response: 5Hz to 20,000Hz 

_ Impedance: 820 ohms at 1kHz 

_ Selectivity: Three distinct noise-cancelling modes for use in three acoustically different environments – airplane, bus, office

_ Sensitivity: 106dB/mW

_ Cord: 1.5m OFC Litz cord neck-chain

_ Weight: 6g without cord

_ In the box: USB charger adapter, cord adjuster, noise-isolation earbuds (three sizes), clip, plug adapter for in-flight use, carrying case