In the past, I’ve looked at quite a few Cygnett iPhone and iPad cases, but did you know that they also make other products besides that? One such product is their InSound Noise Cancelling Headphones that feature active noise control technology. When the phrase “noise cancelling headphones” pops up, most people usually think Bose, but there are other headphones out there that do the same – Cygnett’s InSound brand for starters and unlike the Bose units, these are actually very affordable .
Style
Let’s take a look first at how these look because no one wants to be seen with ugly headphones on. First of all, the InSound headphones are completely black and stealthy looking. There are no loud colors or bright logos. It’s mostly slathered in matte black with just a hint of silver from the Cygnett logo. I actually don’t mind the fact that it only comes in all black as I’m not really the type who likes to draw attention to myself. Plus, the all black color scheme means it’ll pretty much match with anything I’m wearing and I don’t have to worry about there being any color clashes.
Design wise, the InSound headphones are very similar looking to the Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones. They seem to have almost the same overall shape and dimensions which isn’t a bad thing considering how popular the Bose headphones are. There are some slight differences, but overall, they looks very similar. Up top, the InSound unit is nicely padded for comfort when worn. Most nice headphones come with some kind of padding for the top of your head and I’m glad to see this one does. The ear cups on the InSound are also pretty heavily padded with a nice, soft foam material wrapped in what I’m assuming is vinyl. What I like about the cups though is that the padding completely surrounds over your ears and not on top of them. Having them go around your ears means better comfort and since these are for noise canceling, means your ears are better sealed to keep the noise out.Like the Bose units, you can also twist the ear cups so that both cups lay flat and can then be stored in a handy case. Size comparison wise, the case on this is smaller than the Astro Gaming A30 case which we reviewed quite a while back and is the headset I usually use when I travel.
The InSound Headphones require the use of 2 AAA batteries placed into the left earpiece. The battery cover is nicely integrated into the design of the headset and honestly, at first I couldn’t even find the battery cover when I first got the InSound. That’s how nicely integrated it is. The switch to turn on active noise cancelling is on the right ear piece as well as the volume dial. I like the inclusion of the volume dial because that means I don’t need to reach for my device in order to adjust the volume. On the left cup, you’ll need to plug in the detachable cable in order to plug it into your device. The InSound comes with 2 cables you can use, a 1.0m black cable and a 1.2m red cable. I prefer the look of the red cable as it adds a bit of contrast to the all black design.
Audio Quality
The InSound headphones make use of 40mm speakers that have a frequency range of 30-20,000 Hz. Impedance is at 32? with a sensitivity of 98 dB. Now, I’m not going to pretend like I even know what all that means, because I don’t. I’m no audiophile, I’m just a normal guy. And as such, all I can really tell you is that these headphones sound amazing, especially with the noise cancelling activated. I never really understood what the big deal of noise canceling technology was for headphones as I had never really tried them out before and wondered why people would spend hundreds of dollars on a set of Bose headphones. Well, now I know. Simply put, with the noise cancellation activated, you really can not hear the outside world. It all becomes a silent world and the only thing you hear is your music. I’ve never quite experienced anything like it before.
In terms of audio quality, I’m really impressed by what I hear. Music comes in loud and clean with no distortion at all. It’s a bit biased on the treble side but it just means that I can actually hear all the words being sung. The bass is pretty thumpy too but not overly deep where it completely overwhelms the song. I tried these out with every type of song imaginable from pop, hip hop, dance music, and even country. Every genre I threw at it sounded really good and thanks to the noise canceling, it really immerses you in your music with no distractions form the outside world.
Final Thoughts
The Cygnett InSound Noise Cancelling Headphones are the first headphones I’ve used with this technology and honestly, I can’t see myself going back to regular headphones anymore when traveling. The fact that these completely drown out all external distractions is simply amazing and definitely a must have on long flights. Audio quality is quite impressive, at least for me that is and on on par with other high end headphones I’ve used. The noise canceling seems to help a lot and makes the audio sound a lot cleaner in my opinion.
I like the fact that these headphones come with a hard-shelled case and 2 different length cables. It also includes an airplane adapter for those planes with the double audio jacks. The overall package is very slim and easily carried in a carry-on travel bag or backpack.
If you’re thinking that these might be as much as a $300 pair of Bose Quite Comfort 15 headphones, you’d be way off. The Cygnett InSound Headphoens are only $129.99 which is much more affordable than the Bose. If you want an affordable set of noise canceling headphones, I’d seriously consider these Cygnett InSound Headphones, especially for that price and the fact that they are darn comfortable to wear and also sound really great.
