The Aurvanas look very much like the Sony or Shure equivalents: tiny earbuds with soft rubber grommets at a slight angle that slide in and conform to the shape of your ear. They come with three sizes of rubber buds, plus spares in each size. Getting these on and off the headphones is a fiddly job, but it's worth trying them out to see which is the best size for you, because the fit of the bud in your ear is what provides the noise isolation. The Aurvanas go deeper into your ear than many similar headphones (although not as deep as Etymotics) and it's the seal they make that physically blocks out extraneous noise. Unlike some pricier in-ear headphones such as the Sony Fontopias - or the HN-700s - there's no active noise cancelling mechanism. The better the fit, the less noise you hear, and with the right size of bud we noticed an improvement in the sound quality as well.

With your music at a low volume you hear people speaking as background noise rather than distinct words. Turn it up, and they'll have to tap you on the shoulder to get your attention. With active noise cancelling headphones you can turn your music right down and block out noise; the Aurvanas don't quite manage that, but they're great for removing distracting background noises while you concentrate on your music. The sound is excellent, clean and balanced with distinct mid-range and bass, plus very clear high-end sounds, with not too much emphasis on any part of the sound range. The Aurvanas seem to put the music right inside your head rather than next to you, and you may notice more detail even from familiar tracks.

The Aurvanas come with a carrying case that stops the cable from getting tangled, as well as making sure the buds don't get pulled off. You could cram in the spare rubber buds, but there's no room for the airline adapter; this is presumably because you won't be getting on planes with older headphone sockets every day, but still makes it easier to lose.

What you can fit in, is the cleaning stick. No matter how good your personal hygiene, any in-ear headphones are going to pick up earwax; the little cleaning stick makes it easy to get wax out of the curves of the bud. Clean earbuds are more pleasant to put in, and there's nothing getting in the way of the sound.

At just 13 g, the Aurvanas are very light - so light you almost forget you're wearing them. They are certainly light enough to leave one dangling if you need to hear what someone is saying. Good headphones make the cabin crew completely inaudible, and with the Aurvanas you can stand next to someone speaking at reasonable volume and hardly know they're talking. Because they're so small and go so deep into the ear they're extremely comfortable for most people. They're effective, the sound quality is excellent - the Aurvanas could easily become your favourite travelling companion.