by badconsumer

Pros: Look promising
Cons: Can't have 'em

They haven't even announced replacements!

by Slusbe

Pros: Good sound, effective (and defeatable) sound cancelling, comfortable, disconnectable cable, foldable, cheap
Cons: Bass can be a bit weak in the lower octaves, and turning on noise-cancelling creates some low level noise (only noticeable at very low volumes)

In short, the Jabra C820s Noise canceling Headphones are an excellent value. To be frank I wasn't expecting much in terms of sound quality from headphones sold by a company that specializes in cellphone headsets. After reading a few positive reviews I took the plunge and bought myself a pair that were on sale. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.

The headphones are quite comfortable, the ear cups fit around the ear, not on them, making it much more comfortable over long periods. Even with sound canceling off, they do a decent job at blocking out sounds.

The sound quality is very good, extending very well at both ends of the spectrum. The low end rolls of gently, so although they do go very deep, the output levels may disappoint bassheads. I admit I have had little to no experience with neither competing products (Bose QuietComfort 2) nor high end audiophile cans, so I can't give a direct comparison, but I am quite happy with the sound.

The sound canceling is good. It cuts down on the midrange sounds very well (like the drone from an jet engine). A nice feature is that noise canceling is defeatable - you can listen to music with it off if you don't need the feature. Or you can turn them on and use the noise canceling without any music signal. The sound canceling feature can be misleading though, since it amplifies the sound a good amount. It takes a few seconds to come into full effect, so when you first turn it on the sound sounds muffled for a moment. Additionally, when you turn it off, it leaves the impression that the music becomes rather flat, but this is largely just because it stops amplifying, and the output drops. Turn up the volume to compensate, and sound will be back to normal. One negative with the sound canceling is that it does introduce noticeable background noise into the signal. It is really only noticeable at very low listening volumes, but you can definitely hear it. It does not scale with the music.

Another nice feature is that the cable for the headphones can be unplugged from the headphones themselves - it is just a normal 1/8" stereo plug on both ends, so if you want to use the headphones for noise canceling alone without a cable dangling you can. You can also buy another cable if the original gets damaged.

Overall the Jabra C820s headphones are an excellent value. They can be easily had for less than $100 from a number of reputable online retailers, and they both sound good and effectively cancel out noise. Comparable headphones are generally quite a bit more expensive. I definitely recommend these.