RCA HPNC250 Headphones: A Review

According to the packaging, RCA's HPNC 250 headphones are billed as "ideal for commuting and air travel" and "portable for easy transport." They are recommended for people who wish to shut out the low-level noise on public modes of transportation. Even though the RCA HPNC 250 headphones are lauded for this and are reasonably priced (between $22 and $30 online), I have found that they are better for listening to your favorite music than truly canceling surrounding noise levels.

The RCA HPNC 250 headphones are manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics. They are cable-wired in a lightweight headset design with oval-shaped cushioned ear cups that fit over the entire ear. The headband part of the earphones is plastic and adjustable. On the back of the left ear cup is the switch that turns the noise cancellation feature on and off. The almost 52-inch cable also proceeds from the left ear cup. Located on that cable and a little over sixteen inches from the left ear cup is the cylindrical size AAA battery box. The inconvenient location of this three-inch cylinder sometimes allows it to get hung up on things if I am moving around. The cable ends in a plug in the shape of an 'L.' This design keeps the plug of the RCA HPNC 250 headphones from sticking out so much when inserted into an audio jack.

The headphone packaging boasts of "active noise canceling technology." My RCA HPNC 250 headphones were given to me as a gift by my family. I had complained that I could not get any writing done with the incessant sound of family life surrounding me (since we home school, the children are hardly ever away from home). These were their answer. I realize that noise canceling does not mean noise isolation or soundproofing. As I typed this review, I had the white noise switch of the RCA HPNC 250 headphones on and could faintly hear my daughter coming down our carpeted stairs about twelve yards away. Our dog growled over a chew toy and my other daughter typed something on another computer keyboard one yard away and I could hear it. The noises were muffled, but still discernable.

To test the RCA HPNC 250 headphones for their stereo sound quality, I played my CD of Charles Dutoit conducting The Montreal Symphony Orchestra in Gustav Holst's "The Planets." I selected this recording because of its wide range of low to high tones as well as its dynamics. The first movement of this work, 'Mars The Bringer of War,' has a soft rumbling tympani introduction with layers of brass fanfares building upon it. The sound through the headphones, though faintly muffled, was acceptable. In the middle section, the higher notes of the euphonium and trombones echoed by the fanfare of the trumpets sounded clear and undistorted. In 'Mercury the Winged Messenger,' a quieter but quick-paced movement, the woodwind passages are heard very plainly. Even the celesta, a keyboard-type instrument with a softer sound than a piano, is heard distinctly. For sound quality, I would say the RCA HPNC 250 headphones are very good.

If the RCA HPNC 250 headphones are meant to be portable, they do not quite meet the claim. If I was attempting to bring the headphones with me on a trip I would not be sticking them in a suitcase. The plastic headband of the RCA HPNC 250 headphones does not seem that sturdy even though the ear cups can be twisted into a flat position for storage.

If what you want from the RCA HPNC 250 headphones is comfortable ear cups, a fairly good quality sound, and a reasonable price, I can recommend this product. Just do not expect that surrounding noise will be canceled as well as with more expensive headphones.