Philips HN 110 Folding (Silver)

Pros: light, compact design, great sound and effective noise cancelling

Cons: noise cancelling degrades slightly its mid range

Summary: I bought it primarily for the long haul to europe. I had to prepare a technical lecture that contained voice, music and video. Connected to my laptop, the fit and light design effectively removed cabin noise, so much so that I would occasionally find myself dozing off. At home, I tested it connected to my Denon integrated amplifier, with my favorite CDs. I was astonished to find out that its upper to lower mid-range was comparable to my audiophile headphones which costs much, much more. The bass sound was authoritative enough at around 80Hz (kettle drums), probably, due ot its close fit. But what really surprised me was the clarity of its mid range (sometimes referred to as "airiness" or "sweetness"), which unfortunately, diminishes slightly when noise reduction is switched on. I figure (like old Dolby B)that this must have been by design, as trade-off. Its best qualities, therefore, are when the nc is switched-off. Not surprisingly, it frequently disappears from my desk, at home.