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: Good Performance at a Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
Firstly, if you think active noise canceling (ANC) earphones are going to block all sound and leave you in your own world you are going to be woefully disappointed. ANC is great for low frequency sound but not so much for higher frequencies.
For example: sitting at my computer which has a huge CPU cooling fan and 5 x 120mm intake/exhaust fans and is very, very loud, with these ANC7s turned on, with no music, I hear almost none of the low frequency fan noise. However I can still hear and understand the wife speaking to me and the TV when on, be it a little muffled.
Bottom line is its the low frequency jet engine noise and the like that this will help not higher frequencies like say a young infant crying on a plane 6 rows behind. Research has shown that low frequency sound as in a jet engine will take its toll on the body so eliminating this low stuff will leave more refreshed and not that bashed up feeling after a long plane flight.
Several years ago I got to try Bose NC headphones on an international flight and was very impressed about how they reduced the engine roar back in 'cattle class' on a 747 for 15 hours but at the time they were just way too expensive.
I recently bought these ANC7s as a budget solution as the Bose even down now at the $300 mark are way outside my affordability range.
I work in a computer server area and if you have ever been in a server room the fan roar is quite loud. I tested these Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones all but made the constant server noise inaudible.
PROS:
A great price
Effective noise canceling
Pretty good sound (to me anyway)
Hard case with extras pocket and a small footprint to pack in carry on luggage
Runs on one AA battery (Alkaline Energizer brand name battery included)
Can still be used with NC turned off (although sound is muffled and nowhere near as clean)
Good selection of plugs including a 2 pin airplane jack (I bought 4 extra airplane jacks at amazon for about $2 each as they could be easily lost or misplaced)
CONS:
My ears just fit in the cups (I wear a motorcycle helmet everyday and so it really doesn't bother me)
A lot of noise leakage (wont bother you but the person in the next seat or 2 it probably will.
To listen to my Ipod on a plane I will use the Etymotic Research ER6I noise isolating earbuds I use on my motorcycle under my helmet to stop wind noise and place the ANC7 headphones over them. Problem solved for the noise leakage and the fit with this setup seems pretty good.
The big test for me will be the international flights I will be taking soon with a total of 48 hours flying time. This should be an excellent test of the ANC7s and I will update this review with my results for long term comfort, effectiveness, battery life, etc.
Customer Review: Noise Cancelling as Good as Bose
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought these to listen to music at work and when I am on flights to hear movie dialog without having to crank up the volume. The noise cancelling feature works incredibly well. There is a Bose store down the street from where I work. I had already ordered these the day before from Amazon but had some time to kill so I thought I would see how the Bose performed at 3 times the price. I was very impressed with the Bose headphones and was wondering (hoping) the Audio Technica headphones would perform on par. Before I move on to the review of the headphones let me first just say that I ordered these headphones on Thursday morning and they were waiting on my front porch Friday night and I didn't even pay for priority shipping (great job Amazon!).
The headphones were very nicely packed and the hard case is very well put together. My Ipod 30gb fits right inside along with the headphones. The headphones themselves feel of very good quality, maybe a notch above the Bose. The noise cancelling is right on par with the Bose QC2. If there is any difference at all you would be hard pressed to find it. I agree with some of the other users in that the earcups are a little small and may not fit properly for people with above average ear size. Comfort is quite good. I wear them quite comfortably for several hours a day at my desk and I wear glasses by the way.
I would rate the sound to be great for noise cancelling headphones however I would give the nod to the Bose in that department. The Bose just sound a little heavier on the bass and thus to my ears a little warmer. Keep in mind that is a preference thing and I by no means have a professional ear, I just know what I like. I have let several co-workers try them on to see what they think and some of the quotes were: "Wow, that's impressive" "Oh man, that's nice". The noise cancelling effect is quite impressive. Someone else at work got a pair of $80 Phillips noise cancelling headphones and while I thought they did OK the construction felt cheap and there was an obvious difference in their ability to cancel noise. I have a flight to Chicago in 2 weeks and I can't wait to try these out. I am very pleased with this purchase and would highly reccommend. On one other note several reviewers complained about noise "leaking" from the ear cups to the outside world. While I do admit it occurs not to the degree in which they are portraying it. If you are in a space that is quiet enough you can hear the sound "leak" from these then you didn't need to buy them.
Update 1/24 Used these on a flight to Chicago. Wow unbelievable! I am very satisfied. On another note, I have been using these at work nearly everyday and I am still on the same battery after 3 weeks. A Guy in my class in Chicago had the Logitech N/C headphones. They were not nearly as good at cancelling sound.
Customer Review: Audio-Technica, Bose, or Phillips9500??? Which one is the BEST???
Summary: 5 Stars
I own all of these noise canceling headphones. First Bose. Without question the Bose was the industry reference for years, providing unparalleled noise canceling and semi decent music listening quality. With the Bose, though, from day one I felt there was a particular element that just didnt sound right in the mids and bass.. turned out to be the Bose sound and I accepted it. As for the quality of the Bose, they are cheaply built and you have to be careful with them. They are expensive, all that advertising and the stand alone stores in the malls have to be built into the price. They have a good product with a high perceived price point. Overall the experience with the Bose will not let you down, they feel nice on the ears over a long period of time. Can I tell you something? Don't waste your money on these. See below.
The Phillips 9500's are basically worthless for noise canceling on a level with the Bose and Audio-Technica. Don't even think about a comparison if you have had the opportunity to use the Bose/AT and are looking for something equal. They are comfortable on the ears, but do not block any noise, actually it seems they amplify the noise when on your head, then bring it down to normal when you turn them on. The noise canceling feature just doesn't work that well. The packaging says they reduce 85% of the noise.... the question is what noise? It seems the cups amplify the noise. The audio part of the headphones is where these are good, the highs and mids are crisp, but the bass is just passable... On par with a pair of 60 dollar headphones. Wouldn't buy them again.
Now for the Audio-Technica. Wow, the noise canceling is actually better than Bose! You hear that WOOOSSSHHH and the volume of the outside world vanishes.... more so than the Bose!! The build quality is excellent. They feel comfortable on the head and around the ears. The quality of audio is excellent, in my opinion, surpasses the Bose in a way you would expect with a pair of audiophile cans. The bass thunders, the mids and highs are clean and crisp. No distortion from the noise canceling feature. A delight to listen to music. The presentation is on par with Bose, a sturdy case that looks nice and elegant. At the price point, you are getting an excellent value relative to the cost of the other brand. Can be used stand alone, just pull the headphone plug as with the Bose. Can be use without the power to the headphones turned on, although at a slightly lesser volume, unlike the Bose. There is no High / Low switch as with the Bose, but I always had my Bose on the High setting, it sounds like the Audio Technicas are defalut at about the Bose high setting. Excellent headphones. This is a no-brainer, get the Audio-Technicas.
Customer Review: Almost 3 years of daily use
Summary: 5 Stars
I got these headphones for Christmas a couple of years ago and they have been the best headphones I have ever had. When I found out how much these cost, I wasn't surprised at the quality. They are definitely worth the money. I am not a big headphone enthusiast, but these are quite comfortable. However, I gave 4 stars for comfort because they pinch my ears a little bit after many hours of wear. My ears are pretty pointy like an elf, and I also wear glasses, so I think that is the problem, not the headphones themselves. The only other slight con with these headphones is the cord length. It might be a little too short for some people. It is easy enough to get a longer cord.
The noise cancelling is excellent. You can't hear anything. Someone could sneak up on you or be talking about you 5 feet away and you wouldn't be able to hear them! However, these headphones don't cancel out other music that well, or high pitched noises I have found. So if the neighbors are playing loud music or a fire alarm is going off, you will be able to hear it. But if a fan is running in the room, or someone is walking around above you, you can't hear it. I imagine this would be nice for airplane trips, though I can't say I have ever used them for this. The noise cancelling is so effective that if I just want silence, I can turn these on (without any music) and it will cancel all the ambient noise around me. The downside to the noise cancelling mode is the battery. It doesn't drain the battery fast, but I frequently forget to switch it off. So my batteries tend to die pretty quickly. Runs on AAAs.
This product doesn't advertise surround sound, and I suppose it doesn't technically have any. But it is pretty good at simulating surround sound, especially in noise cancelling mode. I plus these into my computer, set to 5.1 surround. I play shooters with these and it's very easy to tell which direction an enemy is coming from, or where people are based on their character voices or footsteps. I would rather have another pair of these than any gaming headset any day. These are very lightweight and made with quality.
I should mention that the case for these headphones smells awful. One whiff and you will have a headache. The case still smells pretty bad after all this time, and I never use it for the headphones anyways. It is now an incredibly stinky change holder.
The Audio Technica customer service is extremely good. Some of the best customer service I have experienced. Last year I broke the cord for these because it got slammed in the car door. I emailed them about it and they sent me a replacement for free, which got to me within a few days! It was very nice and they definitely didn't have to do that for me.
Overall, I recommend these, even though there is a newer model!
Customer Review: A confirmed Bose beater - for under $100.
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite the title of this review, money was not a deciding factor. But it sure was sweet when it came time to pay.
I looked at a range of noise-canceling headphones before settling on Audio Technica ANC7's. Other sets considered were the Sennheiser PXC 300 ($149.99), PXC 450 ($349.99), and the Bose QC 3's ($319.99, direct). I'm a confirmed Sennheiser fan - the PX 100 portables I've been using for the last 3 years are insanely good for the money, so I was biased at the outset.
For my purposes, the PXC 450's were just too big. The 300's were good, especially for their size, but I didn't like the huge battery pack. And AB'ing, it was immediately apparent that they couldn't match the sonics of the Audio-Technicas. Physics, I suppose.
I borrowed a friend's set of QC 3's, so I could test them properly. The QC 3's seem well built, and I liked their design and more importantly their size. Not too big, not too small. They're very comfortable too. The noise reduction is excellent, probably a shade better than the ANC7's. Sonically, they present a lot of rich, luxuriant bass. But it's at the expense of detail and clarity. The soundscape and dimensionality were small by comparison to a good set of headphones - it sounds like someone has dropped a sheet over a good set of speakers. To my ears, my $39 PX 100's blew them out of the water. And they're hardly audiophile quality.
If the Bose were half the money, it would have been easier to deal with the coloration of the sound. But $320? No thanks.
When the ANC7's were launched at $220, they received rave reviews, and I would have happily spent that on them. Sonically, they're in a different league to the QC 3's. They're balanced, rich, detailed and three-dimensional. Everything is just as it should be. Some other reviews note that they're light in bass. While it's true that they don't have the thump of the QC 3's, I think they're just right. They're very good, and the sound they produce is surely much closer to what the artist intended for you to hear.
I'd say the noise-cancelling comes close to the Bose quality. The QC 3's do filter out just a bit more. But once the music is playing, it's impossible to detect the difference - except of course in sound quality. They're comfortable too. And they take a standard AAA battery over Bose's rechargeable. Brilliant.
The only downside is that they're bigger than the QC 3, and I don't like looking like an alien on the subway. But for the sonic advantage, I'll take them any day. Now here's the kicker - most of the major stores are selling the ANC7's for under $100. I picked mine up at B&H for $94.99. They're even less on Amazon. Really, it doesn't even need thinking about.