The cups don’t look particularly well padded but they do feel extremely comfortable around the ears and create a seal that provides impressive passive noise reduction. I could clearly make out the backing singers as Whitney belted out the chorus and the little touches that make the song such a club classic – the guitar and bass synths and percussion programming – are all easily identifiable.

Our noise reduction algorithm was developed with AI machine learning using more than 500 million voice samples to suppress ambient noise and extract your voice clearly in a wide range of environments. Adaptive Sound Control, Speak-to-Chat, wear detection, touch controls, Quick Attention mode and hands-free support for the Google and Alexa voice assistants are all present and correct, as are Sony’s DSEE Extreme upscaling algorithm and Precise Voice Pickup technology.This time around, the company has incorporated “Auto NC Optimizer” technology to analyse your environment and wearing conditions (if you put on a pair of glasses, for example) and adjust noise cancellation accordingly. Payment options through Affirm are subject to an eligibility check and are provided by these lending partners: affirm. Working together with a new Bluetooth® Audio SoC (System on Chip), it senses and adjusts to music and noise signals, as well as acoustic characteristics between the driver unit and ears, at over 700 times per second. Whitney Houston’s dancefloor-filler “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” sounded delightfully crisp with no harshness as the artist pushed to the higher end of her vocal range.

Wear detection is handled by a sensor located on the inside of the left earcup and it works very consistently. Settings can be assigned to four actions – Staying (not moving), Walking, Running and Transport – and for locations you’ve visited frequently or add via an in-app GPS map. The stepless headband slider moves smoothly, making adjusting the size of the headphones extremely easy, while the swivelling sections connected to the narrow headband blend into the earcups in a pleasingly minimalist manner. Quick Attention mode provides an easy way of increasing your awareness of your surroundings by piping in ambient sound. Just take the headphones off and the music stops – a capacitive sensor knows when you are wearing them.

The high-quality plastic body is well made and lightweight at 254g but doesn’t feel as premium as some metal or carbon fibre competitors that weigh more than 300g. The new drivers have high rigidity domes and soft edges, which the Japanese manufacturer says improves clarity higher up the frequency spectrum and enhances noise cancellation efficacy.

Holding your hand over the right earcup activates it and I found it handy when I wanted to hear what was being said by those around me while sitting at my desk. Based on Precise Voice Pickup Technology, this smart feature uses five microphones built into your headphones and advanced audio signal processing to recognise and react to your voice.This material fits snugly around the head with less pressure on the ears while keeping out external sounds. Working together with a new Bluetooth Audio SoC (System on Chip), it senses and adjusts to music and noise signals, as well as acoustic characteristics between the driver unit and ears, at over 700 times per second. Preservation of detail even in super complex tracks is top notch, while they also sound great for movie soundtracks, with vocals preserved over the top of powerful bass. Dual noise sensor technology, featuring two microphones on each earcup, captures ambient noise and passes the data to the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. Headband style High-Resolution Audio headphones with advanced noise cancellation, Adaptive Sound Control, and Speak-to-Chat mode.