Group Test: iPod Upgrade Headphones pt3

Design-wise they're clearly aimed at streetwise youngsters, snowboarders and the like, with their attention-grabbing colour schemes (they're available in about two dozen different colours). They have a great portable design and fold in on themselves for transportation or storage and the ear cups have some wonderfully comfortable padding, though I found them a bit on the small side.

The Skullcandy Lowriders have a distinctive sound for their price and are extremely comfortable, even over long periods. They're very portable too but in truth the overall sound quality was not as good as the PX100 or the c-Jays. The small ear pads mean they tend not to do a great job of covering the whole ear, meaning that a lot of the detail gets lost at demanding stages. Bass for instance sounds a bit underpowered, so if you'd rather invest in sound quality than style, you'd do better to spend just a little bit extra.

From using the SONY MDR-NC500D and listening first-hand to the quality of the digital noise cancellation (powered by a single AAA battery, not supplied) I felt let down by the NC6's performance. Sound quality was little more than bog standard, didn't deliver enough bass and there was even a creeping suspicion of distortion on some tracks.

If you really feel the need to try noise cancellation without the price tag, by all means give the NC6s a go, but I felt that neither sound or comfort were up to scratch. The lack of padding on the strangely shaped headband made even wearing these a pain.