They're called PX, they cost $550 and they're nicely thought through. Previously I've railed at headphones that automatically turn off and on and do other cute stuff when you brush or tap the earcup, even by mistake, but these limit such ideas to what you need without mucking it up with stuff you don't. Lower them around your neck, or just lift an earcup, and the music stops. Put them back on again and it resumes. It works. The three-level noise cancelling is also clever. Two levels provide light cancellation so you can hear the traffic or talk to people, the one for flying is heavy. All of this is adjustable with an app that I couldn't download without buying a new iPad.

The PXs are comfortable, with soft earpads that mould to your head nicely and a tightish clamp pressure that's good for dancing. The cups are large enough to contain an average ear without annoyance, but if you have large ears it becomes a close thing.

You'll note there's a slight drop-off in bass when you switch to noise cancelling, although I heard this more as a welcome increase in mids and highs. Without cancellation the soundstage widens a bit too. I preferred the sound with the cancellation turned off, but it certainly wouldn't stop me using it inflight.

Either way the PXs are heavy on bass. The first track I tried was Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind and for the first time the guy plucking the bass was the hero. It was the same on Bluetooth aptX. I switched to Oppo PM3s ($599) and he returned to the background where he belonged. My Bose QC25 noise-cancellers, now no longer available, are pretty bassy too, but compensate for this with more airiness than the PXs.

Of course the QC25s lack Bluetooth, and the Oppos don't have that or noise-cancelling.