let's get something out of the way immediately. the new sennheiser pxc 450 noisegard headphones are excellent, but they are too expensive- way too expensive. that's why they narrowly missed our editors' choice award. even so, bose's quietcomfort headphone series has finally met a worthy competitor.

Excellent noise cancellation; Comfortable fit; Deep low end; Great audio performance; Passive mode for music listening only

Very expensive; Quite large; Volume controls hard to use when in place

Fantastic headphones with the best noise cancelling we've heard, but at a price. Audio quality is superb and the build quality will withstand the strains of constant use.

Sound quality; Noise-cancellation; Fold-flat design; Included hard case; TalkThrough feature

Price; Dance fans may want more bass; Noise-cancelling bypass switch instead of automatic cut-out

I was thinking of beginning this review with a plug for Sennheiser, a company that has quietly been producing top quality headphones for many years, but rarely seems to grab the limelight. But every review I've ever seen seems to do that, so I won't. Oh, I did already? Never mind.

Sennheiser's PXC 450 noise-cancelling headphones claim to offer outstanding sound quality and optimum protection against ambient noise. At AU$799, they're aimed at a high-end consumer who's after terrific sound accuracy primarily when on the move, such as a business traveller - and those who are...

Sound quality; Noise-cancellation; Fold-flat design; Hard case included; TalkThrough feature

Price; Dance fans may want more bass; Noise-cancelling bypass switch instead of automatic cut-out

The Sennheiser PXC 450 is a fantastic set of headphones with the best noise cancelling we've heard, superb audio quality and outstanding build - but it comes at a price.

Price; Dance fans may want more bass; Noise-cancelling bypass switch instead of automatic cut-out

Sound quality; Noise-cancellation; Fold-flat design; Hard case included; TalkThrough feature

Potentially crushing the BOSE QuietComfort headphones like a bug, the Sennheiser PXC 450 NoiseGard headphones are available for ?￡299 (or just over ?￡200 if you shop around) and boast 20 hours use on one AAA battery plus the ability to function as normal headphones when that 20 hours expires.

Sennheiser PXC 450 These headphones were reviewed in a roundup of noise-canceling headphones. --Dan Frakes View full product specs » $450 Sennheiser PXC 450 » Subscribe to the Best of Macworld Newsletter - Macworld is your best source for all things Apple.

The PXC 450 is the latest from Sennheiser's travel line of headphones. "Portable" and "circumaural" generally don't see eye to eye due to bulk and issues with anchoring them to your head.

It breaks our heart to think of all the engineering Sennheiser did on the talk-through button on the over-the-head PXC-450s, because it works pretty well. You're just never going to use it.