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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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Audio-Technica ATHANC7 Noise-cancelling Headphones
Customer Review: YES! They really ARE that good! Save your money and buy Audio-Technica instead of Bose QC2/3
Summary: 5 Stars
OK...like most reviewers, I've been wanting Bose QuiteComfort headphones for a long, long time, but never could pull the trigger due to the high price. Recently I began searching for something of similar quality at more reasonable price. I am very happy to report that the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7's are awesome. Right from the first time I put them on, I could tell they were going to be great. The fit is snug, which I prefer and with noise cancellation turned on they are definitely as good as Bose and way better than the Sennheiser PXC-250's. BTW, don't waste your time looking at the PXC's. They have no bass and the noise cancellation only seems to help create better sound...not reduce noise.
I find the bass of the ATG-ANC7's to be more than adequate for headphones and the mids/highs are crystal clear. I'm not an audiofile, but do listen to a lot of music and really appreciate high quality and great sound. I could not be happier. These headphones are very, very good.
Regarding quality, I have not had a chance to travel with them yet and beat them up so cannot speak to how well they will hold up under stress, but it appears they will do as good as anything else on the market. The case is well constructed and there is room for your iPod.
Some reviewers noted "sound leakage" and I have to admit that the headphones definitely do "leak" sound. However, in my opinion, it is not nearly as bad as they make it out to be. If I set the volume to what I consider to be loud and when I take headphones off you can definitely hear music clearly when holding them in your hands a few feet from your ears. When I lay them on my desk with earcups flat on desk as other viewers reported, I also can hear the music quite well. If that was my only test, I would say "leakage" was bad. However, when I do a more real world test and put the headphones on my leg or other soft surface that absorbs sound similar to wearing them on your head, the "leakage" is much less and a level I think you would not hear from a distance of say 10 feet or farther so unless you work in an office where you can hear a pin drop and have a boss who drives you nuts, in my opinion, "leakage" is of no concern.
So...bottom line is if you are the type that demands top quality, but likes to invest wisely, the Audio-Technica headphones are the way to go. Free shipping, no tax an only $125 when Bose are gonna cost you $300 to $350 plus tax and shipping...its a no brainer!
Customer Review: Comparison to Bose QC 2.0
Summary: 5 Stars
I was able to find the original, non-B version of these headphones on Ebay and bought them to compare to the Bose QC 2.0 which I own. I got the AT phones for half the price of Bose. The noise cancellation is indeed superior to the QC 2.0 model, anyway. I had a desk fan blowing air and the TV on and the AT eliminated virtually all sound from the fan and muffled voices on the TV a bit better than the Bose. It's no wonder AT had to discontinue the original ATHANC7 model and come out with the 'B' version, as I believe they beat Bose at their own game (Bose sued them over patent infringement).
Audio quality is very good for noise cancellation headphones and is on a par with the Bose, but without the bass heavy sound. I have heard the Bose QC headphone model before the 1.5 and after the 2.0 (the model that sits on the ears) and I did not like the heavy, muddy sound and overemphasis on bass. High and mid range is much nicer on the AT. Audio volume on the AT headphones is about a notch above my Bose 2.0s. In other words, if I switch to the Bose I need to turn up the volume on my CD player by one notch to achieve the equivalent level of sound. The ATs are a bit more sensitive to input or at least are set up with more gain at default settings.
I have no issues with inadequate bass. If you use Panasonic portable CD players, they all have an X-Bass or H-Bass setting on the equalizer which I use as default and bass is more than adequate.
The con with the ATs is that they do leak sound more than the Bose, so they are not the best choice in an office environment with other workers close by. But on an airplane, it's not an issue.
As for the construction of the headphones, they do look a bit classier than the Bose. The headphone band adjustment has more audible detents than the Bose 2.0 and is a bit more sturdier overall. I kinda hate the Bose since when people see you wearing them on a plane they roll their eyes and think you are a yuppy or some Ivy League lawyer, whereas the AT is more discreet since most people don't know about them. The carrying case is a bit bigger than the Bose but still plenty of room in the handbag I use to carry my netbook and CD player on the plane.
If you are seeking the best noise cancelling headphones out there for use on airplanes, look no further than the original non-B version of the ATHANC7s. If you are lucky, you might still find one new on Ebay, but they are getting rare.
Customer Review: pretty good, but honestly...
Summary: 4 Stars
i looked around before i bought my headphones. i read reviews, asked other people, and generally made myself seem obsessive compulsive. i ended up getting these, partly because all the reviews i read, both on amazon and in music mags, said they were great, and didn't make any funny buzzing sounds or break down after a couple weeks. i've had bad experiences with panasonic in the past, so i steered away from their rivaling headphones. from what i've read, if they break, even if under warranty, its impossible to get through customer service to a new pair.
so i bought these, and i got 'em. 140 is alot to pay for a pair of headphones, but i figured at least i wasn't paying what bose users were. :) they are good at noise cancelling. the problem is, noise cancelling isn't that great of a concept. the 85% i found to be a very small portion of the overall ambient interference. i fell asleep with them on, and woke up because my ears got hot. i think that's a problem with over-ear headphones in general, and not audio technica's fault. but its something to think about if you want to take these on an international flight. i couldn't stand more than 2 hours at a time.
then i was talking to my friend, and he said something about his cheap walmart earbuds. i scoffed, and then compared them in a car with loud a/c to provide ambient noise. unfortunately, i realized that these earbuds blocked just as much noise passively as my ath anc7's blocked actively. and i could fall asleep with them on, not feel like a sucker for having paid too much for them, and if they broke, i could buy six more pairs for the cost of these headphones. i listened to the same songs on the same volume from the same ipod, and then returned the ath anc7's.
(the earbuds are philips. i think. maybe jvc. but i think philips. they're called marshmallow earbuds. and they're like 20 bucks.)
it makes me mad to think that we don't live in a perfect world where higher cost equals better sound quality. because you can't really try 'em out in the store. let it be noted that i found the bass to be a tad bit lacking. this might be a common problem with active noise cancelling headphones, but i know bose makes up for it by smacking you in the face with a ton of extra bass, the way bose likes to do. and you might not even notice the bass issue. i didn't till i compared the headphones with others.
Customer Review: Amazing, Best I've Heard
Summary: 5 Stars
I will be honest: I was a little weary with this purchase because I have never heard of Audio Technica and the price of these is very low compared to competitors. I was also looking for a complete "around-the-ear" pair of phones. After just a few weeks with this headset, I can say I am thoroughly pleased by them.
I previously had Sony Noise-Cancelling head phones that didn't quite go over the ear. They were very wide and let lot of outside noise in while on planes and in airports. For $35, I didn't think they were worth it. The sound was alright, but nothing special.
I looked at getting Bose, but was scared because of the price and I have heard they are very fragile. Then I came across these. They were significantly less expensive, and had better reviews. After using them for a while, I have come across a few things I like. Long battery life is very nice, even though I use rechargeable batteries. Blocks out essentially all noise, except for certain loud announcements in the airport and over the intercom. (No, I mean, NO BACKGROUND NOISE, EVEN ON PLANES!) The sound quality is very good, although they don't "kick" with bass like some others I have heard. Not a problem for the casual listener or those watching video on the plane like me. I also really like the case they come with. Seems like it protects the set very nicely, although it can take up some space in your carry-on. The set also has a removable cord if you want to utilize the noise-cancelling feature while taking a nap, for instance.
Overall, I haven't found a set that comes close to these for the price, and even some more expensive aren't as great. I can't comment on the longevity yet, but you will know if they don't hold up.
Edit: It's now October 2009, and these have held up very well. No wear marks, still great quality sound, very comfortable, and none of the fabric or padding has worn out. It makes you wonder how Bose can get away with charging so much for theirs.
Edit: 2011 now, and I'm starting to get quite a bit of static when there isn't any music going. I think they're finally losing steam, but I got a good 3 years out of them, and I paid just under $200. I might see if I can find some good Bose, but I am so scared when I read the reviews. I'll let you know what I find and if they work and better than these.
Customer Review: Great noise cancel headphones
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the "Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones" before a direct flight from Phoenix, AZ to Washington, DC. I already owned a cheap pair of noise cancelling ear phones that worked fairly well, but I wanted to upgrade to a higher end pair to see if it made an even bigger difference.
I did a lot of research on the internet and the top noise cancelling earphones I found were Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and Bose. My brother-in-law travels all of the time, including trips to India and he owns a pair of Sennheiser in-ear headphones and he said those worked really well, but I find in-ear uncomfortable over longer durations. My cheap pair were on-the-ear and were a little uncomfortable after a few hours, so I decided I wanted to go with over-the-ear headphones. The Bose ranked high, but I didn't want to spend that kind of money. A lot of the reviews I read stated Audio-Technica had about the same performance as Bose at less than half the price. I found a pair here at Amazon for only $120, so I decided to purchase a pair.
After using the headphones on the plane as well as a 3 1/2 hour train ride from DC to New Jersey I would highly recommend these headphones. Before the plane took off, I put these on while they were turned off and they significantly reduced the engine noise. I could still hear the engines, but it was a much more tolerable level. Once we were in the air and it was safe to turn on electronics, I switched the headphones on and it cut the noise down significantly more. You can still hear the engine noise, but it is more of a faint sounding noise. Once I hooked it up to my Ipod and the in-flight movie, I really couldn't hear any of the engine noise or the passengers around me. On the train ride, a passenger was talking on his cell phone for most of the trip, but with the headphones on, I could barely hear him. The only possible flaw I can find with the headphones is that if you have them switched off and try to listen to something, the sound is not very good. However, I don't know many instances when you would try to listen to something with them off. The only time I put them on with the headphones off, was when I didn't have them plugged into anything and they worked well.
All in all, I would highly recommend these headphones. The are priced right and work great!