While not dethroning Bose as the kings of active noise cancelling headphones, Philips' SHN9500 offers a good alternative by combining both good quality audio with impressive noise cancelling.

TDK's ST-200 headphones won't blow your mind with their sound quality, but they offer an affordable upgrade from your stock ear buds and are nicely designed as well.

Considering their price tag, TDK's ST-PRO300 headphones are a decent buy, but their hollow bass and shrill highs combined with the airy, open design mean they aren't necessarily suited to DJs.

TDK's NC-200 noise-cancelling headphones are a decent product let down by poor design. The sound, while distorted in parts, will be fine for most, but the uncomfortable cups make wearing them for long periods painful.

Creative's new HQ-1900 headphones, while slightly expensive for their sound quality, offer a comfortable solution for casual listeners. A simple, classy design and compact format allows for them to be used in a wide variety of situations.

The TDK ST-PR400 won't be for everybody. Their DJ design means one thing; lots of bass, and as such they aren't suited to all styles of music; however, dance and electronica fans may find what they're looking for here.

While these headphones are decent for bass heavy music their harsh, bloated mid range makes instrumental music difficult to listen to.