Conclusion:

Let's get one thing straight first; the ASUS NC1 noise-canceling headphones are not a $300 set of Bose QuietComfort 15s, much less a $200 set of Beats by Dr. Dre - Ocho Cinco is not going to gold plate these puppies. What they happen to be is a very comfortable, decent sounding headset available for a much more practical price. When turned off, their range is good, but not mind-blowing. When powered up, they perform better than the $30 units I'm used to, but they don't have the same clarity and range as headsets that run three and four times as much money.

After many hours of listening to music, watching movies on my laptop, and playing games, I hardly noticed they were there - except when my wife was trying to get my attention. Other "gaming headsets" I've used in the past tend to wear on you after a few hours, but not the NC1s, as there was virtually no fatigue or discomfort during extended use. Quite honestly, there's no real reason to have the noise canceling feature turned off - unless you drain the battery and don't have a spare (and ASUS already thought of that).



The biggest thing going for the ASUS NC1s, other than the noise canceling feature, is the price. True audiophiles may be disappointed with the NC1s, but I think most folks won't be - especially for the price. Currently they are available from Amazon.com for $79.99, which is a great bargain when compared to the other two headsets I tested and other noise canceling headsets on the market. The sound quality is close, but these are not Bose units - nor do they carry the Bose price tag.

For the performance offered at this price point, the ASUS NC1 Noise-Canceling headphones earn the Bigbruin.com "Good Value" award.



Pros:

» Lightweight, compact and travel-ready
» 6 foot audio cable works for both desktop/laptop and iPod/MP3 player
» Priced significantly less than the competition
» Pretty decent performance with noise canceling turned on

Cons:

» Performance and clarity not as good as competition
» Controller is halfway down the cord - may be awkward in certain situations
» Performance was satisfactory with noise canceling turned off

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