Audio-Technica ATHANC7 Noise-cancelling Headphones
by AUDIO TECHNICA
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List Price: Our Price: $79.99 You Save: $139.96 (64%) 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: Best Value when Compared with Bose QuietComfort 2
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought these headphones to replace a pair of Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones that fell apart after about 4 years of use. The intent of this review is to compare the headphones from these two manufacturers.
NOISE CANCELING
I use headphones to listen to an iPod in a computer room where I sit a few feet away from a rack of 15 PCs and 4 large file servers. The noise is from the fans and hard drives, and might be described a very like white noise. Both headphones do a creditable job of noise reduction, but unexpectedly the A-Ts are actually much better at handling this noise than the Bose. Another feature I like about the A-Ts is that you can listen to music even with the noise canceling turned off, whereas if the battery dies in the Bose it shuts off anything coming through the headphones at all. This is relatively minor since both headphones give you advance warning that the battery is dying by flashing the power LED, but could be worthwhile if you didn't have a replacement battery on hand.
SOUND QUALITY
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm what some call a "senior citizen", although I tend to think of myself as "significantly experienced." Either way, my hearing isn't as precise as it once was. Never the less, I can still recognize quality sound, and both headphones deliver that. The music I listen to is a combination of classical, oldies, and contemporary country. I found that the A-Ts probably deliver slightly crisper highs, but the Bose is much better at bringing out the bass. Interestingly enough, the A-Ts provide much higher audio output at the same volume setting. Both are a pleasure to listen to.
COMFORT
I didn't weigh the two, but the Bose feel a little lighter when you put them on. And they just slightly more comfortable, probably because the padding is a little softer and because they don't seem to press together over your ears as much. Having said that, the A-Ts are still extremely comfortable. I normally wear headphones 4 to 6 hours at a run, sometimes for 8 hours in a day, and at the end of the day the A-Ts still felt just fine.
PHYSICAL CONSTRUCTION
Since I've only owned the A-Ts for about a week, this part of my evaluation honestly has to be called incomplete. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the A-Ts will carry this category hands down. After owning the Bose for just over 2 years, the plastic pieces that tie the earphones to the head band started to crack. At 3 years I had to start using wire ties to keep everything together, and at just about 4 years one of the ear pieces finally broke off. This has to be due simply to the stress of spreading the head band to get them on and off every day (this cracking is a well documented problem with the QC2s - see the Bose reviews). The A-Ts appear to be much more substantial, much better built, and I have little doubt at this point that they will give me many more years of service than the Bose.
BUYING RECOMMENDATION
I suppose if you're not going to wear them every day (and thus not cause as much physical stress to them), and you want absolutely the best comfort, the deepest bass, and you can afford more than 3 times the price, then the Bose are a good choice. But had I known as much 4 years ago as I do today, it would have been a no-brainer; I would pick the A-Ts. I believe that they are far and away the better value.
Customer Review: Excellent overall. Best Noise Cancelling headphones currently available
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading numerous reviews on here as well as magazine reviews, I decided to purchase these to wear during airline travel since I travel quite a bit for work. I do not regret this purchase at all. These headphones are fantastic.
My main reason for purchasing them was sound quality. Every magazine review rated their sound quality as the best available and I would have to agree. My second reason was the noise reduction. I was not disappointed here either.
To test the sound quality, I did a direct comparison with my studio reference headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M40fs). I purchased those headphones about two years ago. At the time, they were Audio-Technica's best headphones for professional use. I regularly use those headphones in my home studio when working on music editing. At first listen, the ATH_ANC7 headphones sound very similar. After a while though, I began to hear subtle differences. The ANC7 headphones have about 90% of the bass response of the M40fs, and about 75% of the low-mids and midrange. The upper mid-range is very similar but the highs on the ANC7's are much more pronounced. I would say they are almost too bright - almost but not quite. They are very clear and distinct but not quite to the point of being harsh. That may sound like I dislike the sound quality, but I certainly don't intend it like that. The sound quality is amazing for travel headphones and I am only picking apart what little I can find to give a more balanced review.
I certainly do not agree with the previous posters who say that these headphones lack in bass. The bass isn't quite as pronounced as other headphones but it certainly isn't lacking at all. It sounds very warm and distinct. My only complaint about it is that in VERY quiet environments, you can hear some of the lowest frequencies starting to distort. This distortion is not audible at all in normal environments.
The noise cancelling ability of these is phenomenal. I like how a previous reviewer put it - it's like putting the rest of the world outside of the room you're in and closing the door. You can still hear the noise, but it is dramatically reduced. That said, there is some slight white noise (hiss) audible in quiet environments, but again, this is not at all audible in normal environments.
I also agree that the earcups could be a bit larger but they are not at all uncomfortable. I wore them recently for four hours straight on a flight and had no discomfort at all. The size of the earcups is purely a subjective thing anyway. While they could stand to be a bit larger, I think they are fine as they are. After all, if they were any larger, then the carry case would have to be bigger and you would have to make more room in your carry-on bag for them.
The styling of them is great. I have no complaints about it. I was actually chuckling to myself when I pulled them out and put them on. I could see two or three people looking over at me to see what they were. I think they found the styling quite attractive too.
Overall, I would give these a 4.7 out of 5, but since the star rating doesn't get that detailed, I have to round it off.
If you are looking for some good noise-cancelling headphones, find a local store and try these out. I'm sure you'll be pleased with them.
Customer Review: Better than expected...
Summary: 5 Stars
Addressing the concerns I had over these headphones:
Noise leakage...Yes it exists with this headset. If you are looking as using these in a quiet library, they're not the ones for you. If you're in an environment with very little noise, I don't really see why you'd need noise canceling headphone but either way, you don't want these if this is going to be an issue. For those worried about it while you fly, don't. There's no way anyone around you can hear any sound leakage over the noise of the flight so it's not something you should be concerned about.
Comfort: The Bose sets ARE more comfortable. People have commented about the Bose feeling flimsy compared to these..and they are but I think that same "flimsy" feeling leads to it being slightly easier on your head and a bit more comfortable. When I first tried these on I felt they were a bit harsh on the head so what I did was wear them a few times and tried to find the right adjustment that would feel comfortable for me as well as "break them in" which I felt was needed. I was definitely worried about what it would be like on a 15 hour flight but having worn them about 13 hours straight, I can definitely say they're comfortable and I'd rather have these which feel much more substantial compared to the Bose which I feel could easily break.
Sound Quality: They're ok when the power is off but fantastic when the power is turned on. Surprisingly good sound quality. At least as good as the QC2 and QC3 and better than the others I've tried.
Noise Cancellation: It's not going to eliminate all noise but it does a REALLY good job of eliminating things like plane noise on a flight. It will take out a good deal of other noise as well. I'd say it does a slightly better job than most.
Volume Control: It doesn't have one. Personally I'm ok w/ this because I'd rather not have this attachment on the cord but I can see why some people would want this and if you want something that controls the volume or mute the sound, this isn't the one for you.
Size: Definitely not a small set of headphones but compacts nicely. Length and Width wise, the case is fairly big but it's not big height wise which makes it easy to fit into a bag, backpack or briefcase. It was actually slimmer than I was expecting so it was a nice surprise. Sennheisers are smaller so if space is a concern, you'll want to take that into consideration.
If you're very particular about sound quality, even on a plane, around the ear is probably where you want to go. Over the ear is probably a bit more comfortable and I probably would've been happy with that as well.
I'd definitely say that if you really want bose type sound quality and noise cancellation at a fraction of the cost, these do VERY well in that department. There are probably a few other headsets that might cost less money and do a decent job of noise cancellation but for a bit more, I feel you're getting a higher quality product with better sound. As I said at the beginning, if you want to use these in a library, probably not the best choice but then again, I don't see a point in having noise canceling headphones in a quiet environment...
Customer Review: Had the Bose...Love these! Buy them
Summary: 5 Stars
This is what capitalism is all about! Bose has had a great run and profit margin from being both innovative and early to market with their headphones. They introduced the concept to the market and got a hefty premium for their headphones at $300 a pop.
Now come on, who doesn't know that we are paying for the Bose name in addition to the R&D involved. I've had the over the ear for 3 years now and never fly without them. Recently, while on a flight, mine finally bit the dust. While disappointed, I was not surprised. My first reaction was to simply replace them but knowing times and competition changes I thought, hey, pause and do a little research on the current state of the market! I'm glad I did!!!
I was amused to find a posting here that EXACTLY mirrored my experience with the Bose headphones. Sure they sound great but the ARE made flimsy. The first two sets I had to return as they fell apart around the part that goes over your head. By the time the exact same thing happened the third time, I did the same as another reader, tightly wrapped them in electric tape to hold them together. Problem solved...wrong. The same thing happened to me as the other writer...I opened the case to find one of the cups broken away from the headset. AAARGH!!!\
So fast forward. I had trepidation on these Audio-Technica phones based on all the responses about bass lacking. I am a bass kinda guy. But at 40% of the price and the reasonable favorable reviews I had to give them a try. Plus I felt like Ok Bose, you got me but shame on me to buy in again to a product of inferior construction. Come on, we all know the state of plastic technology today.....no reason for cheap stuff...I digress.
Got the Technicas and have plugged in my IPOD and done an A/B comparison. I am PLEASED and HAPPY! I've hit a $186 dollar lottery! (Difference in price) It is true that they are sharper and slightly clearer than the Bose, and the noise canceling is equal or better. I then kept going back and forth looking for this much-talked-about bass difference. Didn't hear it! The Technicas are very well balanced with bass that is full, crisp and sharp without being muddy.
These are headphones...who are we trying to fool? Anyone that knows anything about bass knows that you are really talking about the movement of air resulting from reproduction of long wave frequencies. How much of that from a physics perspective do your really think can occur in a cup over you ear? Sure digital reproduction and emulation can help but again, I found the Bass in these phones to be quite sufficient and wondered if it were more...how it would throw off the balance. I put on some heavy and funky tunes that would stress any system such as Stanley Clark and Marcus Miller. They do Bass!
Now, cutting to the chase...No reason to spend the add'l $ on the Bose UNLESS you are brand conscious and want to show the label on your ears. These are great phones, done very well at a competitive price point that makes sense for an informed consumer. Thanks to all for your input and I hope this review assists others in their buying decision.
Customer Review: Great noise-reduction headphones, also comfortable
Summary: 5 Stars
I got these headphones before a long 15 hour flight to India and have used them on that trip and a trip to Germany as well as at home when I want to block out the noise from our washer and dryer. I think they are outstanding in both situations. While I have not ever listened to any of the Bose noise-reduction headphones, I did once try a pair from Sony and sent them back since I did not find them very effective.
It is important to understand that NR headphones do not block out all background noise. They are generally designed to block out low frequency noises like airplane engines. Even then, they will only block out the lower frequencies from the ambient noises. So, instead of hearing the full rumble of an engine, you will only hear a mid-range sound that is more like a quiet fan. NR headphones do not block out voices, so if a baby is crying in the seat behind you, you'll still hear it.
With the above understanding, I think you'll be quite happy with the NR performance of the Audio-technica headphones. I think you'll also like the way your music sounds. My iPod certainly sounds a lot better than it did when I used to listen to it on an airplane with standard $30 headphones. I can now hear the bass very clearly whereas I used to have to press the headphones against my ears to hear the bass over the background engine noise.
I also find them quite comfortable, even on longer 8-15 hour flights. One thing that I discovered about my ears after buying them is that my right ear is a bit larger than the left. It takes a bit of wiggling to get my right ear into the cup so that the pad is not pressing against it. But once I get the headphones on right, I can leave them on for hours without any discomfort.
I wanted to comment on the claims that have been made by other reviewers that these headphones leak sound badly. I do not think that is really the case. I think people end up thinking that because they first test their music with regular headphones or speakers at a comfortable listening volume and then test the Audio-technica set at the same volume with the NR turned on. The problem with this is that turning on the NR switch actually amplifies the music in addition to reducing background noise. I have found that I need to play my iPod or home stereo at a lower volume in order to have it sound the same with these headphones if I have the NR switch turned on. If people would lower the volume so that the music sounds as loud as it did before they turned on the NR switch, I think they would find that the amount of sound leakage is quite small. If I put the headphones on my desk with the cups against the surface, I barely hear anything at all. And, it's not like I play my music at low volumes -- my wife always complains that the stereo and TV are too loud. Even if some sound does leak, I don't think anyone sitting next to you on an airplane or train would ever complain.
So, go ahead and order these from Amazon and save yourself the extra money you would have to spend to get the Bose headphones instead.