A music producer making headphones? Well, it worked for Beats by Dre, so why not Norwegian DJ Kygo? In fact, I've only heard of Kygo due to his exploits in the world of tech, starting with headphones and speakers, and more recently a partnership with Skagen to produce a special edition Falster 3 smartwatch. In reality, audiophiles will wish they could manipulate the equalizer in a traditional way, but if you don't know much about individual settings, presets could be a simpler solution. In a straight shootout between the two the Xenon sound less bright, but less overcooked and less prone to the harshness that crept into the A11/800’s performance. They keep the smooth, big-sounding character of the Kygo range while applying a more mature and balanced approach. Like all the headphones we’ve tested from the Kygo, the Xenon is a comfortable pair of headphones to wear. Active noise cancellation is divided up according to a few different options. There's 'full' noise cancellation, an awareness mode which cancels out 50% of all ambient sounds while still allowing you to hear people's voices, plus an ambient mode, which lets everything through for when you need to be aware of your surroundings.

When it comes to comfort, the Kygo range absolutely gets this right. The headband offers the right amount of cushion for your head, while the memory foam earpads feel soft around the ear. These cans can become a little warm at times, but outside of the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose NC 700, the Xenons are one of the more comfortable headphones I’ve worn recently. Noise cancellation at this price point can be hit and miss, but you’re not short of better-sounding options if you go a bit higher. Related: Best true wireless earbuds Kygo E7/1000 design – A stylish, minimalist look helps them to stand outCompare the E7/1000 sound to a similarly priced pair of earbuds such as the Jaybird Vistas or Jabra’s sporty buds, then you can definitely expect to get something more balanced and rewarding if you demand seriously good sound quality to match a workout-friendly build. Kygo’s range of headphones won’t leave you wanting when it comes to distinctive design. Yes, while the Xenon’s basic design is like any other over-ear model – a set of ear cups attached by a headband – they do stand out from the crowd when it comes to aesthetics. Both the A11/800 and E7/1000 sounded okay, but there was certainly room for improvement. The Xenon display a similar character to the A11/800, but are less brash and more distinguished tonally. There’s no wear sensor technology, no Ambient mode, no touch panel; and the headphones don’t appear compatible with the Kygo Sound app, so you don’t get the (rather needless) customisation options either. Kygo talks up the waterproof rating here, with the earbuds coming with an IPX7 certification. That means they can be submerged into water up to 1m deep. Accidentally drop your E7/1000 in a puddle on a run, and they should survive. Go for a swim with them in your ears, probably not so much. This rating more signifies that they’ll survive sweat and splashes of water.

The only other redeeming feature of the E7/1000 are the small indicator lights, which sit in close proximity to the microphones. Those lights will essentially tell you when the buds are successfully paired to your phone; when they’re in call mode; or, are successfully charging inside of their case.Active noise cancelling and features such as HearThrough are missing in action here. If you want to drown out some of that ambient noise, then the Comply foam tips do a pretty admirable job, while at the same time giving you the most enjoyable sound quality. However, as we’ve mentioned, it’s by no means exceptional. The clamping force is well measured, so you can be rest assured that they’ll stay put on your head. Nor will they become uncomfortable over prolonged periods of use. The only downside here, is that slight hissing when noise cancellation is activated and no sound is being played, but that's an issue that occurs with many noise-cancelling headphones and mostly comes down to the sensitivity of your ears. It only occurs when nothing else is playing, so you shouldn't come across it too often. Final verdict Beneath that matte exterior are 6mm drivers, with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for pairing the E7/1000 with your Android and iPhone. We tried the buds with both, and aside from some issues with a Pixel phone, they played nice with an iPhone and a couple of other Android handsets. For the most part, everything works rather brilliantly too. The moment you open the box, everything feels intelligently designed. Lift up the lid of the box and you're presented with straightforward pairing instructions, which genuinely take seconds to work through. That level of intuitiveness continues as you use the headphones. It all just works in a way that's akin to Apple-style design at its best – simple yet effective.

Regardless of your views on the app, the Kygo Life A11/800 sound great, look pretty good, and offer plenty of convenient features. What more could you want from a pair of wireless headphones in 2020? A search brings up results that include a colourless, odourless gas (Xe); a tyrant from ancient Greek; and the codename for the Xbox 360. Instead of a bunch of settings to tweak, the Kygo Life app offers four presets – Bergen, New York, Los Angeles, and Ibiza. Supposedly, each is based on Kygo's view of the kind of music and ambience expected from each location. Los Angeles is meant to offer "ambient feel-good sounds" while Bergen should be ideal for quiet music and crisp sounds. You can move a dot around the screen to lean in a particular direction or go all in with one of the locations. I like the simple, minimalist design. The all-white body looks cool, and the large Xs on each ear cup gives the headphones some visual interest, without going overboard with the branding. Wearing them isn't going to suddenly promote you as a huge Kygo fan, which increases the appeal to those who don't know who the DJ is. The cups are just the right size too, perfectly maintaining a sleek profile on your head, while the headphones fold down into a handy size when you're done.In terms of what you can expect in terms of sound quality, we’d say the E7/1000 are pretty good – but there’s certainly room for improvement. They display decent power and some nice warm bass, but these earbuds aren’t so impressive in the mid-range and treble departments. According to Kygo, "this uses real-time adjustments to tailor the Xellence’s sound to your needs, delivering a brilliantly customized listening experience that also protects your hearing". Moving from music streaming to making a call, it’s a similar story. There’s the promise of stereo calls – and, if you take a lot of calls then the you’ll be pleased to learn that the E7/1000 handle the task well enough. Battery life registers at 24 hours, which is five more hours than the A11/800, and charging time from empty to full is identical at two hours.