Philips SHN9500

As you'd rightfully expect at this price, the build quality of Philips' new noise-cancelling cans is excellent, and the cushioned earpieces make them very comfortable indeed. If you haven't encountered noise cancelling before, don't expect it to work miracles; it only works effectively with continuous background noise. But that's perfect for silencing the dull roar of an aircraft flight, on top of which the sound quality is rich and far superior to your average airline headphones. After testing them on a 747 to the US, we can confirm that being able to immerse yourself in music or in-flight movies - shutting out at least some of the outside world - makes economy class far less painful. There are cheaper noise-cancelling sets on offer, but they're not as comfortable. And after all, the Philips SHN9500 headphones are a lot cheaper than a business-class seat.

Author: David Fearon