Labs

Maxell's HP-NC18 earphones are the in-ear equivalents of the NP-NC22 headphones, which received our Best Buy award in Shopper 237. The earphones were light and comfortable to wear, with angled rubber-sleeved tips that slide securely into the ear canal.

Noise cancellation worked well and didn't hiss uncomfortably. It's controlled by a small unit halfway along the cable, which has a volume control that also works when cancellation is turned off.

Like many active noise-cancellation earphones, this set sounded mediocre with noise cancellation disabled. When it was turned off, the earphones produced audio with a distant, muddy quality that affected vocals particularly badly.

Once we'd enabled noise cancellation, the audio was among the best in the group, with deep and vibrant bass notes, clear trebles and almost no chance of disturbance from regular ambient noise. Overall sound quality was distinct and well balanced. This set is also good value at less than £50, so is a great buy if you want active noise cancellation.