The audio produced by the SHN9500s is impressive. If you’re after a true audiophile noise cancelling experience, we’d recommend a pair of high-end IEMs (In Ear Monitors), but for those who prefer an over-the-head design and active noise cancelling, this model will not disappoint.

Bass is the most prominent element of the sound. It is incredibly powerful and actually manages to rumble the headphone cups a little, which is something we don’t often experience. The low note decays quite slowly which gives a dark sound. However, unlike many other bass heavy models, it isn’t too bloated. We still wouldn’t recommend the sound for styles like jazz or rock (which are better served with great treble and mid ranges), but hip hop and dance music listeners should appreciate it.

With premium headphones come a few bells and whistles that you don’t get on budget models (although admittedly there’s only a limited amount you can do with headphones). On these, you’ve got a mute button which will allow you to listen to things like train announcements (handy for finding out you’re on the wrong train) and oncoming lorries. There’s also an adaptor for the two prong airplane jacks and a carry case. A further adaptor means you can use them with things that have both a 3.5 or a 6.5 mm jack.

If the battery is dead or you don’t need the noise cancelling, the SHN9500 works as a perfectly normal headphone and actually sounds very decent. It’s also gratifyingly comfortable, with soft earpads that fit round all the ears we tried. But we’ve mixed feelings about the noise cancelling part of the equation.It does work reasonably well, but then it also boosts the level of the incoming signal, which obviously boosts one’s perception of its efficacy. And the built-in amplifier that performs said boosting is not of the greatest quality.On the other hand, in noisy environments that’s probably not so very crucial. The true audiophile desperate for music on the move will probably prefer Etymotic noise-blocking earphones, but this has its place.