Value? It’s Apple, come on, this is fashion. Shrugs.

Touch to do stuff, mute, noise cancelling on/off is fine but I’d trade slick and cool for buttons

Microphone works very well, they make a neat package for video conferencing

I’ve not got a full days listening out of them but they charge quickly, a minor inconvenience to be worked round rather than an insurmountable draw back

The charge box is nice and brings a sort of theatre to taking them out or putting them away, a cigarette box for headphones.

Given the little charge box thing this is such a snug fit this is not something they want you to “fix”

Mine have sound cancelling which is noticeable and comparable to moderately isolated ear buds without it. The flip side being you are able to take them in and out without feeling like you’re installing some kind of ear based sex toy.

Overall not bad, likable in most instances and if you want to take a relatively limited capability and make more of it then you need to pick your battles and they do it more right than wrong

The fullness of the sound can drown out details, mostly bass where it doesn’t belong.

The dynamic adjustments aren’t quick enough and spoil timings, mostly this is ok but for more challenging works or for those where that timing is critical it loses character and subtlety. Bowies Blackstar is a lazy fade from one thing to another and suffers as a result.

The fullness of the sound doesn’t allow for details to shine as they’re not allowed to stand alone and so they lose contrast and focus.

The softness comes at a cost of definition, sometimes bordering on muddy. I was listening to some classical thing and was quite taken by the violin solo but then the Orchestra joined in, the illusion then shattered by mud.

I wish to nit pick.

They are highly opinionated, responding to the music in a way that’s quite clever and it generally works, indeed to most it would completely work. For the casual listener this is more than enough and any criticism is just nit picking.

They produce a warm sound that is full, like vinyl playing on a tube amp. A pleasant, mostly lovely sound which would offend no-one who wasn’t out to be offended.

Anyway you do not have that power; you can however stop reading and I strongly support and encourage you to do so. My dreams are on the level where I would like to open a museum dedicated to Diesel engine fuel valves, a niche the world has left unfilled for valid reasons.

Classic Ladie, the rest is noise