My previous headset was a Bose QC 2 and wanted to try a full ear cover noise canceling headset. The Sennheiser PXC 450 received enough good reviews for me to give them a try. Upon receiving them, the first thing that I noticed was a persistent low frequency rumble.

Volume controls; pause control; sound quality

Persistent low frequency rumble; P..; poor customer service from Sennheiser

I bought these through minidisc last year to help cancel out jet noise, as I was going to North Asia and Europe.

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.

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.

These teutonic ear-coccoons will provide you with the long-haul comfort you so crave from a set of headphones. But can Sennheiser supply the audio excellence to complement the aural massage that the PXC 450s give you?

These noise-cancellers from German can-meisters Sennheiser quell background sound, from jumbo jets to buses, more effectively the any other headphones; The design is endlessly comfortable, even if it does make you look dorkish in the extreme, and it runs on a single AAA, so you don't need to worry...

Reviewing audio gear is a very subjective thing, but there is perhaps something a bit I too I pristine about the PXC 450′s sound; It's a little like being serenaded by the Pod people from Invasion of the Bodysnatchers – uncannily accurate but lacking in warmth.

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.

This latest headphone by Sennheiser, the PXC 450, costs around $300, and this is the latest in technology. It acts as your normalheadphone, but with extra features. First of all, this headphone runs on a AAA battery, and that is like 20 hours of mind boggling music runs wild.

I got these specifically to filter out office noise listening to streams through my computer, as I'm a programmer in a farm of 6x6 cubes (about 25) with a lot of distracting noise. They accomplish that task well, and I am very happy with the sound quality.

Comfortable; Convenient; Easy to use; Good Bass; Great Sound

Very good for both home and travel.

Great sound

Large price tag

Crutchfield has collected 30 user reviews for this product with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. The most recent reviewer said, "I bought these after a long struggle to choose between the Sennheisers and the Bose Quiet Comforts. I chose these based on reviews of comfort and overall sound.