What Dre and Conference Calls have in common...

I have a couple of things I am a really proud owner of. I will say at the outset that I am not impervious to the marketing trappings of pop culture, thus I made the long fought decision to purchase a $300 pair of noise cancelling headphones. I had done some research into the various sound titans in the market, and had been made acutely aware of the difference between business class and coach; as a younger man passing the executives decked out in Bose noise-cancelling QuietComfort3's. I spend much of my time in creative space, open plan offices; where there can be a good deal of ambient noise. Thus cancelling this distraction was high on my list of characteristics for choosing headphones.

So having taken a look into some of the vintage options; I decided to go pop with over ear Dre's Monster Beats at Best Buy. They are the hier to the throne of the range which include smaller a smaller Solo (on ear), and a range of Tour bud-versions that I have heard underwhelming reports of. There is another higher end pair, aimed at DJs and some limited editions. Owners can have their pairs customised by ColorWare for c. twice the cost of the headphones. I have to say I have not been disappointed. The call and sound quality of the Monsters is exceptional however not being able to hear yourself talk (due to noise cancellation) is a slight drawback of the in-call functionality. Mute/Answer/Hang-Up is all possible from the microphone smart-cable. Warning: you do look like a dj hipster with them draped around your neck in between calls.

Although I have not tried these; Klipsch has released a stylish new pair of noise-cancelling headphones for those who prefer a little more signal and a lot less noise.  The Klipsch Mode Noise Cancelling Headphones wrap a pair of leatherbound speakers in a smooth black-and-copper shell.  Each speaker includes a 40mm driver for deep bass and smooth mids, plus a 15mm tweeter for clear, crisp highs. The active noise cancelling system runs on a AA battery for up to 45 hours, then reverting to a standard set of stereo phones with classic Klipsch output.  They’ll soon be on the market for $349, a price well-suited to the frequent first class traveler.