Noise-cancelling headphones
Ratings: 4.5/5
Price: $349
The
ANC9s offer a wealth of options for users that will accommodate any location
and soundscape
The greatest gift a pair of
noise-cancelling headphones can give – provided they deliver on what they
promise – is the ability to drown out the noise of the world and offer a
moment, or two, to focus only on the music. It’s selective hearing at its best.
We reviewed Audio Technica’s ANC9
QuietPoint headphones, interested to see if its sound filtering capabilities
stepped up to the plate, and, sure enough, in our testing the headphones
delivered superbly across the board.
ANC9 QuietPoint headphones look like serious
business even before you unbox them: Audio Technica has provided some extra
touches with a semi-hard travelling zip-up case to carry them, two cables,
adapters for stereo systems and aeroplane headphone plugs. There’s also an
inline microphone for answering calls and controlling music.
The design sports a conservative aesthetic,
with black leather-like headphone, matte black plastic ear cups and subtle
silver accents. Each ear cup is padded with memory foam padding for a
comfortable, maintained fit.
We do have an issue with the headphone and
its broad build, however. The headband, put simply, is far too wide; even when
sliding the ear cups up or down to tweak its fit, the band itself does not
move. What results is a pair of headphones with an oblong band that leaves a
gaping space on either side of your head. Although this doesn’t detract from
the model’s overall fir, its form could do with refining.
But that was the only real gripe we ran
into while using the ANC9s, and it was quickly forgotten after we pressed Play.
The headphones deliver rich and bodied sound across a variety of genres of
music, deftly handling tracks with booming vocals, heavy bass and intricate instrumentals.
Inside the ANC9s are four small
microphones, two in each earpiece, working together to filter sound in a range
of environments with up to 30dB reductions.
Depending on where you are, and how much
you want to hear, you can choose from three noise cancellation modes. Mode 1
works best during a flight, or on a train for maximum filtration; Mode 2 is
best-suited in moderately noisy spaces, like an office or busy street as it
targets midrange frequencies; Mode 3 handles quieter environments, in a bedroom,
for example, or a library. We put each mode through its paces in a gamut of
varied environments and the headphones adapted in every location like a pro.
The ANC9s offer a wealth of options for
users that will accommodate any location and soundscape. While the too-wide
headband does look out of place, the overall audio quality is worth every cent.
