Pioneer’s New Headphones Promise Audio Nirvana0

I travel a lot. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one and so in order to insulate yourself from the shrill sea of humanity you’re swimming with I’ve found a solid pair of ear cans to be essential travel tech.

Ear buds, while portable, still flood my ears with ambient noise whereas a full-size, noise-cancelling headset like the (wickedly overpriced) cans from Dr. Dre eat up a quarter of the space in my carry on.  A dilemma indeed.

Pioneer SE-MJ591

Well, leave it to Pioneer to not only bridge the gap of portability and power but to do it in style. Introducing the SE-NC21M ($120) and the SE-MJ591 ($300). The former delivers 90% ambient insulation and 30mm drivers which will satisfy even the most particular audiophiles. But if you have the cash to burn, the latter clocks in at 40mm and sports a bad ass high-grade aluminum shell.

Most importantly they both provide a mid-sized form factor that are rugged enough to withstand the gnarliest rucksack. They pack small and (per the specs) stand tall. These new Pioneer SE-series headphones should be hitting shelves this spring so keep an eye out.