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Pen – sorry, travel gear – company Montblanc has just announced a pair of $595 headphones for world travelers. Made of aluminum and chromed in silver or gold, the headphones are delightfully light and comfortable if a bit on the pricier side.
The cans look great. They have the iconic Montblanc symbol on the side and offer passive and active noise canceling thanks to the hefty ear pads. It supports Google Assistant and only has physical controls, eschewing the touch controls on most new headphones.
The audio quality is what you’d expect from a pen company that’s turning out headphones. The team at Montblac worked with “an experienced team of award-winning engineers and designers” and knowing the company they probably paid them just enough to get things right on these things. The audio I heard was muddy, although the source audio wasn’t as clear as it could have been. The real goal here is comfort and battery life. These are rated at 20 hours and the headphones are wonderfully light.
These headphones are firmly in the “buy them if you like the style” section of the gadgets pantheon, joining companies like Marshall and Beats that put style before substance. If you’re looking for some of the best noise-canceling headphones then get the Sony WH1000XM3s. If you’re looking for something the might look good with your outfit in First Class, these are more than acceptable.
arAnd, honestly, that’s just fine. The audio world is so manifold and it holds all kinds of gear, from $1,500 walnut-encrusted cans to the earbuds they give out on the plane. If you like these, buy them. If you don’t, there is arguably better – but no sexier – audio gear out there.
