I didn't read that they are supposed to be noise canceling, but you cannot hear any background noise while using then either

However, I find it less adequate in the gym, where the background noise of two dozen treadmills, ellipticals, etc. seem to dull the sound in these headphones.

The headphones work well for hands-free phone usage but because of the way they fit and largely block out background noise, I find them unpleasant to use for phone calls.

I miss the magnet however, as the cord is very short and if you wear around your neck unplugged, you will lose them - as they fall off easily

I am amazed that they still work just as well as before I washed them

By contrast, the X3’s were difficult to seal and I hated the ear fins that had to be slipped on separately, and as such were more awkward to position and not as comfortable