Bowers & Wilkins PX ANC headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Excellent noise-cancelling headphones

I am very impressed with the Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones.  I've tried a lot over the years and these are among the very best.  The sound is excellent, having both wired and Bluetooth connectivity is very useful, the build quality is top-class and the noise-cancelling is very effective.

You get the headphones themselves, a nice soft carry-bag, a USB-C charging and update cable and set of quick-start instructions, warranty etc.  It's all very good quality, with gold-plated plugs and good materials.   The design of the headphones is very nice, I think.  They are comfortable with a firm grip which doesn't feel too tight, so I find them comfortable for several hours use.  Note that they don’t fold up; the earcups swivel to go flat in the bag, but they do take up a bit more space than folding headphones. 

Sound quality is excellent - very well balanced with extremely clear articulation.  There's a firm bass which doesn't dominate but is really strong when needed.  Middles are rich and resonant and the treble is clear and sharp with no trace of harshness and I find them an absolute pleasure.  I have listened to a lot of music through these headphones, including my Test Tracks list which goes from 16th Century choral music to London Grammar. Everything sounds very good to me. Chamber, orchestral and large choral works are clear and distinct with a lovely full sound, things like classic rock - the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter, for example - sound great, acoustic music has a lovely airy quality and the deep, rolling bass in London Grammar's Hey Now (one of my standard tests of headphones) is all there. Volume goes plenty loud enough for me with no distortion.

Functionally they're very good.  The Active Noise Cancelling is very effective; it has a small deleterious effect on the sound quality, but nothing much.  The controls are simple and effective and I like the automatic pause when you lift an earcup.
 
These are expensive headphones, but they are excellent quality with a top-class brand name behind them.  Personally, I can't fault them on anything and recommend them very warmly.

Jabra Elite 65e ANC Wireless Neckband Headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Excellent sound

I have tried a lot of headphones and IEMs and I think these are among the best so far.  They are comfortable, easy to wear and have excellent sound quality.  (Note that these are Bluetooth only – if you need wired connection they won't be any use to you.)

The headphones come with a nice soft carry pouch, a range of tips and wings for fitting to your ears, a standard micro-USB charging cable and a very basic quick-start guide.  The guide isn't great – it doesn't even tell you how to turn them off, never mind details of the controls, but there's a good User Manual available on Jabra's website here .   They fit beautifully into the ears and sit firmly but almost unnoticeably – I've worn them for several hours without problems.

The sound is the most important thing for me and I think it is excellent in all genres.  It is extremely sharp and accurate; articulation is crisp and very clear over the whole range and there's a very good balance.  The bass is superb, I think; it is very solid and gives a full depth to instruments like a theorbo or viola da gamba (which really test bass) and in rock it is powerful but never boomy or over-dominant.  Tracks with a really deep bass like Chvrches' Leave a Trace or London Grammar's Hey Now sound great and classic rock like the Stones or The Who is fantastic while acoustic music is clear and airy.  Middles are lovely, tops are sparklingly clear without any harshness, the overall sound is a pleasure and the sheer detail audible is remarkable.

Everything works very well and the Active Noise Cancelling is really good.  It genuinely makes almost all the outside world disappear – certainly the hums, whooshes and hisses which form a background so often – and deadens sharper noises very well.

These are quite expensive, but they are very, very good.  If you're looking for a really god quality pair of Bluetooth earphones of this kind I can recommend these warmly – I'm really pleased with mine.

Mondaine Evo2 Men's watch (35mm)

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A quality, stylish watch

This is a very nice, good quality watch from a well respected Swiss maker.

The design is clean and simple, based on the classic Swiss railway clock.  I think it looks very stylish; there is no date function, nor any other extras and the resulting clean face looks very classy.  It's of a size which could be worn by men or women, the case is nicely rounded and is very solidly made from polished steel, with a neat little logo on the crown.  The strap is very nice black leather with a soft inside surface, making it very comfortable.  It's presented in a very nice box, so it would make a good gift.

In short, this is a stylish, classy watch.  It's expensive for a quartz movement (hence four stars from me) but it is very well made and looks really good, I think.  I'm very pleased with mine and I can recommend it.