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

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

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?

If you demand near-absolute silence from your noise-canceling headphones, these are the ones for you. The AKG K495 NCs get closer to dead silence than any other pair I tried. In a nice design touch, you activate the noise-canceling feature by twisting the metal ring that runs around the left earcup.

If there's one thing that Bose does well, besides marketing, it's noise cancelling headphones. They just work, even if they scream "I live for middle-management". And despite efforts from some of our favorite brands, most of the offerings have been pretty lackluster.

I'll be honest, I don't have all that much experience with headphones that come with active noise cancellation.

Well built; good looking set of headphones; Full; robust sound; Comes with airline headphone adapter; Active noise cancellation is not a gimmick; it really does work

Active Noise Cancellation comes at a price; A little tricky to switch the noise reduction on and off

This isn't going to be an extremely detailed review because I'm fairly inexperienced. I'm no Audiophile but I do appreciate good sound and clarity in my headphones. The K495's definitely offer outstanding clairty and SQ, especially in comparison to direct competitors such as Bose, HK, PSB.

Build Quality and Aesthetics; Sound Quality - Very natural and robust; Noise Cancellation on par or better than Competitors while keeping audio clean

Some discomfort from pressure on upper ear after extended listening (4+ hours); NC can make lows overpowering at times; soundstage could be better

I had the small bose top of the line noise cancellation headphones for 10 years. They just stopped working so I looked into several replacement...

sound quality; overall quality; clear class

weight

I RECOMMEND MOST OF MY FRIEND SHOP AT SONIC ELECTRONIX.

AKG's K495 NC headphones deliver rich, deep audio and long battery life in a stylish design. But they lose definition at higher volumes.

Elegant chassis; Loud, rich audio; Long-lasting, rechargeable battery; Can still play music after battery dies

Expensive; High and mid levels lose definition at high volumes; Takes a few days to break in for comfy fit