Noise cancellation headphones with mic

I use these everyday for traveling in trains, planes and cars and at work to avoid annoyance caused by our typical open plan office with speech privacy noise. The noise cancellation efficiency of the SHL3855NC headphones is determined primarily by how well the cushions cover your pinna. The active circuitry works very well as described. Moving each cushion slightly can have a noticeable impact on the perceived noise level and thus the cancellation efficacy of ambient noise entering the ear canal. The sound and timbre of music is quite pleasant when used with quality headphone amplification. I prefer the O2 headphone amplifier and recommend it to everyone who listens critically to music. Always keep in mind, poor reviews may reflect a poor understanding of products and their uses by the reviewer.

The audio quality and NC is everybit as good as my other pair of earbuds made by a quality japanesse company. The Philips are a fraction of the price. The Philips built in microphone turned out to be an unexpected bonus as I find myself using them whenever making mobile phone calls - more comfortable than holding the mobile handset to my ear plus the NC instantly drowns out the city noise or public transport noise. The difference is amazing. Love them. I've had them for over a year now and they're solid and reliable. Rechargeable AAA batteries work fine too.

These headphones boast that they actively cancel "97% of ambient noise," but in reality probably only deliver a quarter of that claimed effect. They feel more like they rely on passive noise cancellation by blocking sound out through the poor 'seal' they make with your ears. Despite this, the sound quality if fine for everyday listening, but I know there are better sounding headphones for less money out there. I thought for this amount of money (bear in mind these are still classified as 'budget' noise cancelling headphones!) that I would be getting an decent product with ok noise cancelling capabilities. I was not expecting anything fantastic by any means, but this product was thoroughly disappointing.

this model is advertised as a bluetooth earphone, but nowhere can i find out how to connect via Bluetooth - this seems like a wired only version.