AKG K27i folding headphones

White headphones in the same segment as Sennheiser's PX200s.

In short, the AKG K27i don't sound as good as the Sennheiser PX200s. I'm referring here to sound gathering for radio, on the cheap, with consumer MiniDiscs or my new baby, the Edirol R09.

The AKGs have more bass then the Sennheisers, unnaturally so. They "enhance" the sound, which may be fab for music, I don't know! But generally, I'd opt for the PX200 when it comes to sound quality. The same has to be said for comfort. The K27is are a bit tight on the ears. After about a month of daily use, that has improved slightly, but the 2 year old PX200s feel better for now.

However, there are some very attractive plus points to the AKGs. They block out a lot of extraneous noise, more so than the PX200s, and wind noise is much less of a problem. In a windy location, the sound of the wind blowing around and hitting the AKG's is lower, less boomy and less flappy than the Sennheisers. This is a huge advantage in our line.

The other big advantage is the inline volume control – it's tiny, and saves a lot of battery for people like me who have a compulsion to constantly adjust the volume on anything, especially headphones!

They are pure white, with dark grey trimmings, so a whole lot more visible than the PX200s. It's an iPod thing, I guess. I'm quite neutral about the look of the things, but one BBC studio Manager I showed them to was well impressed with the look, so that's a good sign!