AKG K495 NC Review: Hot-Sounding, Road-Ready, Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Toting headphones back and forth across the country (or the city) is one of the best ways to expose their design flaws. Can the new AKG K495 NC noise-cancelling headphones, with their burly build and audiophile pedigree, stand up to that kind of punishment while delivering dulcet tones?

AKG K495 NC Acoustics (Black)

When you're looking at headphones at this price point, I really feel everything has to come together, especially from a comfort and performance standpoint, to earn an excellent rating overall. These guys are excellent in certain areas but merely good to very good in others.

The AKG K495 NCs are stylish, well-built headphones with excellent fit and finish; They sound good, offer effective noise cancellation, and are rechargeable via USB.

At $350, they're pricey--and should sound even more refined; a little light on the bass

AKG K495 NC Acoustics (Black)

For 2012 AKG has two new pairs of stylish noise-canceling headphones, the $349.95 K495 NC and $249.95 K490 NC . Both are on-ear models that fold flat and have built-in rechargeable batteries that charge via USB.

The, are stylish, well-built headphones with excellent fit and finish; They sound good, offer effective noise cancellation, and are rechargeable via USB; They also fold flat and come with a nice carrying case and can play without the noise cancellation engaged

At $350, they're pricey--and should sound even more refined; a little light on the bass