Design and features:The headphones work with or without the noise-canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. These headphones can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth devices or can be cord connected. When cord connected they have medium high sensitivity when powered whether the noise cancelation feature is turned on or off, so, they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and even lower-powered portable audio devices. When cord connected and not powered, they have medium sensitivity; so they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and all but the lowest-powered portable audio devices. The h.ear MDR-100ABN has an integrated microphone and volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls that work with paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include three active noise-cancellation profiles with the optimal profile claimed to be automatically selected, the ability to receive high resolution audio Bluetooth transmissions from selected Sony products, NFC Bluetooth pairing, and earcups swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage. This model comes with a detachable 46-inch long standard audio cable for wired use, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case.
Sound quality: We found the h.ear MDR-100ABN provides excellent active noise reduction and that the sound quality was pretty much the same regardless of whether the noise-cancelling feature was turned on or off, or whether it was used in the Bluetooth or powered wire-connected mode. When used in any of those four modes, it delivers sound quality that falls in the excellent range; while no pair of headphones is perfect, the sonic shortcomings of this model are minor. The overall sound can best be summarized as fairly well balanced, but a bit gritty and etched. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is slightly prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is even, but a bit gritty and etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended but a bit prominent and somewhat sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While the sound has a good sense of liveliness, it is somewhat closed-in -- sound-wise it is somewhat obvious that you have something covering your ears. In the unpowered wire-connected mode, the sound quality drops to fair and the overall sound can best be summarized as bassy and muffled. The noise reduction performance is in the excellent range, but it's character varied depending on what direction the noise came from. With the noise-cancelation feature automatically optimized, ambient noise from the front sounded hissy, while noise from the rear was reduced a bit less, but slightly more evenly; noises coming from the sides split the difference.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a sense of moderate pressure around the ears. The pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use, and when wearing this model while walking, the vibrations from each foot step can be faintly heard through the headphones when the noise-canceling feature is not turned on. We also found that this model has a poor folding design : If care is not taken when unfolding the MDR-100ABN, the hinges can pinch a finger. While the pinch is not severe enough to break a bone, it can be quite painful.
