With voice assistants only getting more widely used as time passes, Sennheiser looks like it's reading the tea leaves. It's just announced a new release of its excellent HD 450BT headphones, which we found really impressive when we tested them extensively last year. 

The new version is renamed, as the HD 450SE, and doesn't change a huge amount on the design front, with the headphones still boasting a closed-back look that's nice and subtle, without screaming about its entirely reasonable price tag. 

Just like on the older model, there's still a dedicated button to summon Alexa for quicker interactions with the assistant, which should make it easier to use the headphones if you're big into voice commands and routines. It'll also work perfectly with the Google Assistant, in case you're in that camp instead. 

Otherwise, in fact, there's really not much new - you still get a great 30-hour battery life to contend with, Bluetooth 5 support and aptX functionality for high-quality sound, and the option of wired listening if you do run out of power.

It leaves us slightly scratching our head as to why the headphones have got a new model number, but it could well be that Sennheiser has made some more subtle tweaks under the hood that it isn't shouting about. 

Based on our usage of the older model, though, these are likely to be an excellent choice if you're searching for over-ear headphones with good noise cancelling options that won't completely break your annual budget. 

Sennheiser HD 450SE Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphone with Alexa Built-in - Active Noise Cancellation, 30-Hour Battery Life, USB-C Fast Charging, Foldable - Black

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