audio quality is deffo not a 4.5, i'd say 3.5 at max.

I demo'ed these in-store and they sound quite good but not spectacular. As masuuuuud said, 3.5 stars is as accurate as it can be described if you add it's high price range in the equation. Truth be told, this is one of the best noise-cancelling headphones, and that's what these are made for.