The Aurvanas are very impressive. Small and comfortable, but robust enough to travel with, they block out a surprising amount of noise. Creative claims they block 90% of background noise and we wouldn't argue much with the figure. The sound quality is excellent, and they're cheaper than many similar headphones. Finally, while it looks like a gimmick, you'll be grateful for the cleaning stick too.

In-ear headphones tend to block out more noise than external headphones because they physically block the ear, so the HN-700s don't do quite as well in noise cancelling or on sound quality. There are details you'd hear on the Aurvanas that just aren't present in the music on the HN-700. On the other hand, they're half the price. Despite the size, they're certainly portable, more so than the much more expensive Bose noise cancelling headphones of a similar size. If you don't like earbuds, or you're on a tight budget, you'll find it hard to improve on them.