Included in the package are the headphones, a LINK handsfree device, a dual plug adapter, 2 AAA batteries, a travel pouch, warranty information, and a user's manual.

According to the Skullcandy site, "The market for these headphones is anyone who wants to enjoy their music without having to hear the noises that are present around them all the while being able to answer cellphone calls hands free. The Proletariat NC is like having your own personal phone booth. The headphones are the only noise cancellation headphones that use Skullcandy's award winning LINK system, making it possible for the user to listen to music without outside noises and take phone calls into their headphones, all hands free."

The LINK JACKED system consists of a "Super-Sensitive" microphone built into an approximately 2" long x 1" wide plastic clip-on remote control. The device has a black plastic button which can accomplish several different functions including "connect, disconnect, last-call redial, voice dialing, mute, etc.," depending upon "the specific functions of your particular cellphone." On my phone, pressing and holding the black button brings up the "Say A Command" prompt through the voice dial function. Pressing the button again ends the call.

The wheel controls the volume of the music, and the attached cables are long enough to allow the phone and music player to be tucked in separate pockets.

My mobile phone is a Samsung A900 and while it is not specifically listed in the list of compatible mobile phones, everything fit and worked correctly. However, while calls made through the headset sounded absolutely fabulous on my end - as if I were in an isolation booth, it was so clear - persons on the other end complained of crackling and allover poor sound quality, as if I were talking from inside a barrel. Here is an example of me talking, see what you think:

Sample while sitting at my desk

There seemed to be no point in recording a sample while driving - I don't think it could have possibly sounded any worse. Therefore I would have to say that in my testing the LINK performed poorly. That's not to say that it wouldn't work better with a different phone...but I don't think it should make that big of a difference. It's a good thing I wanted these for their noise reducing properties while listening to music, because that is the area in which the Proletariats excel.

These headphones are sized to completely cover the wearer's ears, with earcups measuring 3.75" tall x 3" wide. These earcups are generously padded in soft material that feels like leather, and they are easily the most padded and most comfortable earphones I have worn in years - taking me back to the days when I wore my father's huge hand-me-down Sony headset.

The left earcup has a sliding battery compartment...

...that when opened reveals a slot for the two included AAA batteries. I am still on my original pair of batteries, which seems pretty good considering that these are not a brand that I recognize and I have used this headset for hours on end. At the base of the left earcup is the jack for either the regular headphone jack cable or the LINK handsfree device cable.

The volume adjuster controls the volume of the music through the headset - whether or not the power is turned on.

With no music playing, when the headset is turned Off, there is a sound dampening effect that is immediately evident simply because the headset is covering the wearer's ears. Music coming through the headset while it is turned off sounds fine, but perhaps a little bit muddy and dull; which can be compensated for by adjusting the digital music player's equalizer settings.

Switching the slider to the On position activates the headset's noise reducing properties, and there is a immediate feeling of sound pressurization and quiet. It is as if the cone of silence has been lowered...

But if music is playing - whoa. The music is clearer, louder, and the sound is incredibly good. The headphones sit securely on the wearer's head, and through the many possible adjustments a very comfortable fit is quickly possible. I can sit for hours with these on my ears; there is no crushing pain like I have received from smaller headsets, and there is no fear of accidentally knocking loose the speaker - which is a common sensation for me when wearing earbuds.

Considering that such a big set of headphones is being made and marketed for travelers, they should be collapsible - and these are. The Proletariats fold in the center of their leather-touch padded headband, and the joint above the earcups also folds inward. The earcups can then be further turned inward at a 90º angle (not shown in this picture) to allow them to easily tuck inside the travel pouch - a bundle measuring approximately 5.5" tall x 4" wide x 4" deep. They are obviously more bulky than a slender set of earbuds would be, but their noise reducing properties and comfortable fit make the extra space a worthwhile trade-off, at least for me.