AKG K480NC Active Noise Reducing Mini Headphones (Black)

I have used these headphones for a couple of weeks now with my Ipod in a diversity of settings. I very much like the soundscape they produce. I mostly listen to classical music: treble, midrange and bass are nicely detailed. The sound is spacious, natural, and has that threedimensional quality and 'attack' that gives a satisfying listening experience. Bass is not boomy, which is a killer in classical music. In symphonic music, instruments are clearly distinguished and retain their distinct, individual qualities. Voices sound fully natural. Pop music comes out thrillingly alive. They are sufficiently sensitive to crank up volume levels to concert hall proportions.

Noise cancellation is remarkably good, given that these headphones do not cover the whole ear. it is hard to attach numbers to it, but I would say under normal circumstances they cancel out 80 percent of ambient noise. In a very noisy plane they still cancelled out enough noise to provide a satisfying listenign...Read more

These headphones are by far the best sounding headphones I have ever heard under $300. I compared the AKG's with the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 and the Sennheiser PXC450 and the sound quality of the AKG's is so far superior to the other two that it was absolutely no comparison. I agree the Bose has the best noise-cancellation capability, but they do not work without a battery and way over emphasize the bass. The Sennheiser's were worthless for the outrageous cost. I tried two different pairs, and the headphones tick on bypass mode and the noise cancellation has a loud deep buzz that occurs when you move around - both these issues occurred on both sets.

The AKG's have unbelievable sound quality - The bass is very rich and clean while the mids and highs are very smooth and crisp. The noise canceling works well with loud ambient noise such as fans, airplane noise, train noise, etc, but does not make a big difference with human voices. They are very comfortable and very...Read more

I ordered these headphones as recommendation from a friend and boy am I glad I listened. As being a previous owner of Sennheisser and Bose noise canceling headphones, these headphones are far superior in both sound quality and comfort. They are also easy to store and fold with the included case, making them perfect for business travelers such as myself. If you have an opportunity I recommend you listen for yourself and compare and contrast with the other noise canceling headphones, you won't be disappointed.