Orange Amps' new noise-cancelling headphones suggest it still hasn't learned Marshall's smartest lesson

• Orange 'O' Edition Mk II ANC headphones announced
• 40mm drivers, 50-hour battery life, customizable ANC and 10-band EQ
• $229 / £169 / about AU$352

Orange has announced new headphones, and I think it's missed a key trick again: even if they turn out to be the best headphones ever made, they don't look very Orange.

What I mean by that is that Orange is one of the most recognizable brands in audio thanks to a very consistent visual style. Whether it's a Thunderbird 50 guitar amplifier or the Orange Box bluetooth speaker, if its Orange it's orange.

But the new Orange 'O' Edition Mk II ANC headphones are not. And its previous headphones weren't either.

I think that's a shame, because Orange has generally been very faithful to its decades-long history of iconic, orange-colored amps.

Marshall has always absolutely nailed this, so for example its latest Bluetooth speakers look like little Marshall amps, and its Bluetooth headphones look like someone's stuck tiny Marshall speaker cabinets to your ears.

But to my eyes these new Orange headphones look like they might as well just be Sony headphones in a custom McLaren colorway. Marshall's stuff is cool because it evokes rock and roll in a way that indelibly tied to the design of guitar equipment – is that the vibe you get here?

Orange ‘O’ Edition MKII: key features and pricing

Looks aside, the specification here appears to be decent: 40mm close voice-coil drivers, ANC with three preset modes and in-app customization, a 10-band customizable EQ, and touch controls on the right headphone.

There's Bluetooth 5.2, an included 3.5mm aux cable for wired connections, and up to 50 hours of battery life – with a 15-minute rapid charge delivering a claimed seven hours of play time.

And the price is competitive, too: $229 / £169 / about AU$352. That puts it in line with the likes of the Sennheiser Accentum Plus or Sony ULT Wear headphones – good mid-range products, and there's definitely scope for more great-sounding players in this region among the best noise-cancelling headphones.

The Orange 'O' Edition Mk II ANC headphones are available to buy now.

I understand why these aren't bright orange in a world where headphones tend to be black or beige. But I still think it's a bit like Nike sneakers without the swoosh, Adidas without the stripes, Netflix without the tu-dum: the whole reason that Orange amps are orange was to make them stand out from their none-more-black rivals.

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