Audio-Technica ATHANC7 Noise-cancelling Headphones
by AUDIO TECHNICA
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List Price: Our Price: $164.99 You Save: $54.96 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Audio-Technica ATHANC7 Noise-cancelling Headphones
Customer Review: Great for dorm life...I don't know how I survived up until now without these.
Summary: 5 Stars
Living in the dorms it's constantly noisy and difficult to find somewhere to study quietly without interruption or just get away from it all and relax. I've only had these for one week, but it's the week of midterms and I've easily put in over twenty hours with them...not really enough to break them in, but plenty to say how effective they are at blocking out sound.
With something playing at a study-level volume (fairly quiet), they still block out a ton of sound...it feels like I'm by myself even in a room with 3-4 other people talking softly. If I turn the volume up high, depending on the song, I can even block out blasting external music to the point where I can only feel the other's bass and hear only my music from the headphones. It's quite shocking how much sound these can actually block.
The sound quality is amazing and they're very comfortable for long periods of time. They have a tendency to make your ears warm after wearing them for long durations, but it's easily ignorable and doesn't bother me. I've had them for over five hours a day this week, and so far no problems. They are built very sturdy and and are more compact then the old Sony MDR-CD280s that they replaced. I also LOVE that the headphones use a non-proprietary 3.5mm receiving jack, which lets me easily swap out a damaged cord for a longer 3.5mm double male cord if I needed to.
Overall, I'm very happy with my choice to go with the ATH-ANC7s instead of the Bose Around Ear headphones, which several people in the dorms have. With the Bose at almost the same price, even a tad more, these are a clear winner.
I should note, while these were the cheapest on Amazon, as usual, I still had a poor shipping experience with the vendor, with it taking twelve days to reach me after purchase. I suppose this is the price to pay for cost savings.
*EDIT - TWO YEARS LATER* 11-22-09
As a follow up to my review, I've now had these headphones for two years and they are still awesome! They've taken a ton of wear and tear and are in almost new condition after literally hundreds of hours of use. The cord is fine and has escaped damage (but it would be easily replicable had it not), which seems to be an issue with a number of other headphones...especially the Bose over-ear model, which my friend has replaced twice after buying his at the same time as I did mine. These have been the best headphones I've ever purchased and I'd happily buy another pair...IF they ever manage to die.
Customer Review: Good, but could be better
Summary: 3 Stars
Though I read through many of the reviews before I purchased these headphones, I must have skipped over the negatives and focued solely on the positive aspects. Once they arrived, I went back and re-read the reviews. Many of my issues were, indeeed, captured before. I just hadn't taken them to heart when making my purchase decision.
What I like:
a) Good noise cancelling ability, especially for background noises like air conditioners, road noise, or airplane engines. I compared these on a plane to a set of Bose Quiet Comfort 3's and found the noise cancelling to be comparable between the 2. I used these on a 15 hour international flight and they worked like a charm -- they didn't filter everything, but certainly made the airplane noises bearable.
b) When used with audio (such as in-flight movies), the sound quality is quite good. Much better than your average earbud.
c) They work without audio and can be disconnected from the cable -- convenient when trying to nap with them on.
d) They are well-designed and are fairly attractive. Much better than I expected.
What I dislike:
a) I have a small head and small ears, but I found these to be uncomfortable. You do need to tuck your ears into them for them to work best and I always need to remove my earrings if I want to use them. The head band is tight and rests uncomfortably on the top of my head when I am sitting up or standing. They are actually more comfortable on a plane or while sleeping, since you can expand the headband and allow it to rest somewhat on the pillow or the back of airline seat. This is not possible while standing, since they tend to flop around more if the headband is too loose.
b) The left channel audio did not work when they arrived. I had to remove the battery and put it back in in order to get audio to come through the left earphone.
c) When the noise cancelling is activated, the audio can be very loud. I had the airplane movie volume set all the way down to "1", which was about as loud as I wished to listen to it. It wasn't unbearable, but I wished it could have been a tad lower. My iPod was able to get a bit softer when listening to music, but it had to be set to one of the lowest settings to do so.
All in all, these made a very long flight more bearable and are great for napping in an otherwise noisy hotel room. If I had had the ability to try these out in person before buying, though, I might have selected a different pair.
Customer Review: WORKS GREAT WHEN IN ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING MODE
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 primarily for use in the Computer Lab and proven it works great with the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) switch on. If you are looking to get the all-around-good-sound-quality headphones, with ANC on or off, these ones are not for you.
Nevertheless they have shown an excellent performance in flight. I didn't hear the engine hum on the recent flight on Southwest and was able to concentrate on the Podcasts instead.
PROS:
* Comfortable feel when worn for a long period of time.
* Good noise cancelling in Active mode. At work I have to sit in the computer lab with a lot of noise coming from the server fans. Once you put these cans on you forget where you're.
* Very precise manufacturing. Materials don't feel cheap and squeaky. Battery hides in a very interesting manner not like any other ANC headphones I've tried.
* Top notch quality of the included case, with velvet inside and sturdy "bulletproof" fabric on the outside you feel safe to keep them in it.
* Nice detachable cable.
* Good battery life.
CONS:
* Terrible sound quality in passive (ANC deactivated) mode if used with iPod or some other small player. It feels like not only they don't block the outside noise but instead they strengthen the background hum and create the tunnel effect.
* Included battery is not rechargeable. Would love to see one rechargeable battery instead of generic alkaline waste
* Leaks sound, people around me could hear pretty loudly what I was listening to.
* No way of controlling the volume.
Overall if just for the Active Noise Cancelling purpose alone - these are totally great. I'd say it's even more than expected performing headphones. I've tried many other brands before these were bought.
If for easy listening, without using up the battery when not in a noisy environment they are totally useless, that is at least with my iPod (5gen) or Creative MuvoTx. I would assume it could successfully be used with an external amplifier, but don't have means to prove this theory.
It seems like there is something else more affordable available on the Amazon: Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Canceling Headphones, I haven't personally tried them but seen them on the same SouthWest flight... as always the choice is yours.
Good luck making decision!
Customer Review: Really great, something is just a little off
Summary: 4 Stars
I just got the headphones this morning, but I feel compelled to leave a review after listening to them for a few hours. I'll explain the missing star in a second. First, the music! I will try to touch on music people will know of so this can be a helpful review. I have a habit of digging into more underground bands -- bear with me..
The Postal Service and Broken Social Scene are a joy to listen to. They have so many levels in their music, and these headphones really bring it all up to the surface. Beautiful! Rogue Wave sounds fantastic as well.
Lupe Fiasco's album The Cool is a mixed bag. Some songs, such as "Gold Watch," are simply lacking. (This is part of the missing star). This song and a few others sound like the car door phenomenon, for lack of a better term.. It feels like his voice could be a little more clear. This could possibly be due to the competing background melody, but I can't really excuse it. On the other hand, "Streets on Fire," "Put You On Game," and "The Die" are mindblowing. I hear much more detail than I ever knew was in them.
Chris Brown's voice comes alive in these headphones, and Dido sounds great as well. I had a little trouble with a few of Dido's songs at first, but after messing with the settings on iTunes a little (changing the equalizer from None to Acoustic) they sound amazing. I noticed a HUGE improvement on "Here With Me" when I changed the setting. Much better.
Sinatra sounds just wonderful, and these headphones do great justice even to dance music such as Dave Guetta and September's "Satellites" and "Cry for You."
I did own the Bose QC2's for a few weeks. They were a birthday gift, but I ended up returning them because I simply didn't feel I could justify a set of $330 headphones. If I remember correctly, they had the "clarity" that I complained about in my review, but it isn't something I would pay $200 more for.
As far as noise-canceling goes, I can't complain. I nearly just walked in on my room mate taking a shower because the headphones blocked out the sound haha. I live in the city, and they've done a great job so far at blocking out all the outside noise (my windows are useless, even when closed). I can't hear myself typing either, which I could when I had on the QC2's.
Bottom line, the ANC7's are a great bang for the buck. I'm really glad I have them! I hope I don't encounter any of the problems the 1-star raters had.
Customer Review: Overall good, but might be uncomfortable for some
Summary: 3 Stars
The 3 stars is more for personal preference than for the quality of the product itself. Continue reading for an unbiased review.
1. Noise cancellation: These do a fantastic job of reducing low frequency noises. I've had very good experiences wearing these on the plane, where the roar of the engine is reduced to a light hum. However, keep in mind that these were not intended to cancel higher frequency sounds, like talking. Of course, since they form a decent seal around your ear, all sounds are reduced in volume to some degree.
2. Construction: The plastic used in these headphones are pretty sturdy, and looks tougher than Bose headphones.
3. Comfort: The headphones are highly adjustable, and the cups can rotate about the little hinge mechanism. The cups are also padded with memory-foam type material, so it's comfy to the touch. These weren't the most comfortable for me simply because I have a very large head. The cups are also on the small side so those with big ears should watch out. I've had friends with average size heads and average sized ears try these and they seem to be fine with it.
4. Sound quality: Sound quality is pretty good in all ranges . . . probably the best out of anything I have that produces sound. I'm not a huge audiophile so I won't say more.
5. Noise leakage: This is definitely a problem, as many reviewers have mentioned. Even at a low volume, it is possible to hear something without wearing the headphones. They can even be used as speakers actually . . . so I wouldn't recommend these if noise leakage is a problem.
6. Cancellation vs Isolation: A lot of companies like Shure offer noise isolation headphones, which to me is a fancy way of saying "really really high quality ear plugs for ear-pieces". Though that may sound like a criticism, I'm a big fan of the so called noise isolation headphones. Since they plug your ears, they reduce all frequencies of noise, including people talking. Noise cancellation headphones like the Audio-Technica don't reduce sound from talking or higher frequency sounds by much. If I want to read or study in a public environment (like a Starbucks), I'd probably prefer my Shure, for the simple reason that it reduces all frequencies of sound.
All in all this is a solid product. If you are shopping for your first pair of noise canceling headphones (and you have a regular sized head) then these are probably your best bet.