Everyday since I got them, I've been using a pair of black AONIC 40 headphones and was struck by their stylish brushed aluminum frame and design plus they're lightweight and good fit on my head. They fold up nicely to fit into a small carrying case--ready for my next plane trip! Ha!

Once I had charged them up using the included USB-C to USB-A cable, downloaded the latest firmware, and installed the ShurePlus™ PLAY app on my iPhone 12, I was ready to go out and test them on my daily walk around my urban neighborhood.

You don't have to use the app but many of the controls on the AONIC 40 headphones are mirrored or duplicated for faster access. I preferred using the app; it opens up more customizable controls for the sound using an equalizer with preset memories--that's useful when you are sharing the AONIC 40s with someone else with different sound preferences.

Shure AONIC 40 Headphones in White

In the app you can set three levels of noise cancellation as well as set the volume level for the Environment Mode. This mode is for momentarily listening in on what's going on around you while you're already focused on listening to loud music. The App also has the instruction manual and details about playing Hi-Res music already recorded in your phone and building playlists from music files on iTunes and other sources.

The sound quality is awesome on the AONIC 40s with plenty of volume and up to 25 hours of battery life on a quick charge (up to 5 hours of use with only a 15 minute charge) plus you may listen via an USB cable to your computer or use the included analog cable for other sources such as my recording studio's headphone system.

The noise cancelling mode works very well to reduce noise from the street--you can still hear the loudest sirens and horns but lower frequency rumble, loud cars and airplanes flying low overhead are barely there while wearing them.

Making phones calls is better than using the phone conventionally; now I leave my phone in the studio and I am free to walk and talk around the premises--even outside for a short distance.

Because of the two beam-forming microphones in the headphones, my voice sounds super-clear to my friends on calls and they sound present and distinct; clear enough to hear the actual acoustics of the space they are talking in. I could answer/end/decline calls, adjust volume, play/pause music streaming, mute the mic, and select noise cancellation and/or Environment modes right on the headphones. I did find the buttons a little small for me to find easily while the phones are on my head.

On my daily walks, even though I'm wearing a Covid mask and sunglasses, between the good fit and the noise-cancelling feature, I still had great sounding phone calls. There is perfect intelligibility for both easily hearing the person I'm talking to as well as them understanding me clearly. Something I often miss with regular cell phone calls.

Shure's AONIC 40 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones are available in White/Tan and Black for $249 MSRP. They come with a protective zippered carrying case, 3.5mm audio cable, a USB-C cable, and a two-year warranty.

https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/headphones/aonic40