And the need for any extra volume should be negated by the noise-canceling abilities of the product. Finding the volume controls on most players isn't enough of a bind to make the independent control that attractive.

Folding up no problem

Getting either unit up and running is easy. Both have the necessary cells provided in the packaging, with the PXC-350 taking two standard AAAs, one each in nicely made spring-loaded sockets on the left and right earpieces. Sennheiser's claimed 40-hour battery life is about right, we found.

The Denon set wins out here, though, as it manages the same duration of battery life from just one AAA power cell, also sitting in a neat and discreet earpiece-mounted bay.

An essential part of any really useful travel headphones set is how easy is it to carry around. In the end, this comes down to the case. Both sets' cases appear hard wearing, with the Denon the (slightly) smaller of the two. Both headsets fold easily and you won't need a degree in spacial mechanics to the get them into their respective storage spaces.

You get more accessories with the Denon

However, the AH-NC732s have the edge here as their case sports two zipped mesh pockets on the inside and one on the outside, so your player, headphone wires and any other small bits of equipment can be safely stowed away. The Sennheiser case has none of this.