what you can't see from the images is that the battery pack to power the noise cancellation is in the middle of the cord, which is just plain stupid and annoying.  you have to stuff the battery pack in your pocket, so if you're taller than 5'7", then every time you reach in to your pocket to grab your ipod or whatever, you run the risk of pulling down the battery pack, which in turn jerks your head down and to the side.  if you leave the battery pack out of your pocket, it's heavy enough that it swings around and hits stuff if you're walking around.  i haven't even put batteries in the battery pack yet so i can't imagine how much heavier it will be with batteries in 'em.  avoid these and look for noise cancellation headphones where the battery is on the actual  headphone.