Digital Home Thoughts: Review of Creative HN-700 Noise Cancelling Headphones

"No one will argue that Creative knows a thing or two about sound, with its latest X-Fi soundcards taking PC sound quality to the next level. The company has also had some success with its MP3 players, such as the excellent Zen micro. But now Creative has turned its hand to headphones, getting the ball rolling with the HN-700 noise cancelling headphones. The HN-700s definitely look the part. The large cans cover your ears completely and are extremely comfortable, even when used for extended periods. One aspect that I really like is the removable cord – this means that if the cord wears out, or gets damaged you can simply replace it, rather than having to buy a new set of headphones. It also means that if you’re not happy with the length of cord that Creative supplies you can go out and buy a different one."



While I do agree that Creative knows sound well, I am not so sure about their move in this market. So first off, the design is ugly IMHO. And second, if they are to compete in a space where Sennheiser, Etymotics, Shure, etc have already cornered the market, I think they will have to do a lot better than this set. Otherwise, I fear that they will be left with the same problem as they have with their mp3 player lineup.