These days, it’s relatively easy to find passable sound quality in almost any pair of headphones over USD $50. At this price point (around USD $79), the audio from the BT 390 cans is solid, thanks in large part to the improved Bluetooth 4.1 tech.

But, as a traveler, there are three main things I look for in headphone design: comfort, long battery life, and decent noise-cancelability. On the comfort front, the Phiaton BT 390’s are excellent. Padded ear and head cushions work well to ensure they feel comfortable even on a long-haul flight. Even for my abnormally large head, they never give me that “head-in-a-vice” feel after a few hours of wear.

The battery life is exceptional, especially in this range of headphones. Phiaton promises up to 30 hours of nonstop, wireless play. While I haven’t personally tested them for that quite long, that claim wouldn’t surprise me. Basically, they’ll survive even the longest of long-haul flights … and most of the return flight home. Plus, with the supplied audio/mic cable, you can continue to listen even when you run out of juice.

Since these are on-ear, rather than over-ear, they offer little in the way of noise-isolation. But, that’s inherent in the design of almost all on-ear cans. For proper noise-isolation or actual noise-canceling, you’ll have to upgrade to a more substantial pair like the Phiaton BT 330 NC headphones or any of the other NC line.

A few additional miscellaneous things I like … the foldable design means they’re a snap to collapse down and throw in your carry-on. You’ll hardly even notice they’re in there. Plus, a multipoint connection means you can connect two Bluetooth devices (say, you’re tablet and smartphone) simultaneously. Nice.