Audio Technica ATH-ANC7B Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones
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Arrive refreshed after a long flight, avoid distractions in a noisy office, or find peace & quiet in your living room…with ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint® Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones. These lightweight, compact headphones effectively reduce distracting background noise by up to 85% while offering the superior audio quality that has made Audio-Technica a worldwide leader in electro-acoustic technology. Ideal for use with MP3, CD, DVD & in-flight entertainment systems, ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint® closed-back headphones deliver clear, high-resolution sound, with impactful bass, a detailed midrange, extended treble and accurate imaging in an immersive soundfield. Their earcups have been redesigned for greater comfort, with generously cushioned padding and a shape that fits easily over any ear. The ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint® headphones feature large-aperture 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems and extremely high 109dB sensitivity to provide generous volume levels from any music source. The headphones also work when the noise-cancelling function is turned off, and operate in passive mode without batteries. Noise-cancelling electronics are fully integrated in each earpiece, with no need for external modules.
Features
- ATH-ANC7B QuietPoint noise-cancelling headphones feature ANC circuitry that effectively reduces environmental noise by up to 85%
- Lightweight, compact, fold-flat design is ideal for travel
- Ideal for use with Apple iPod, iPhone and iPod touch portable music and DVD players, laptop computers, in-flight entertainment systems, other devices
- Closed-back headphones feature large-aperture 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems for impactful bass, extended treble and higher fidelity
- Comfortable earcups with generously cushioned padding and a shape that fits easily over any ear
- Dimensions (W x H x L): 3 x 11 x 8 inches
- Weight: 2 pounds
Why didn’t I buy these sooner!
These headphones are fantastic, some of the best money I have ever spent. Almost as good as the Bose ones, but who want’s to spend 300 on headphones anyways, not me! It was hard enough to justify $120, but once I heard these things it was all worth it. I use these daily at work because I sit under the air duct, works perfect. I can hear things I’ve never heard before and at much lower volume. When I take these headphones off I am impressed that I had been listening to music at a lower volume than the loudness of the office noises around me! I have also used these in cars, planes, etc. and they never fail to impress me.
Great product
I pretty much agree with the reviews already posted, and just wanted to add a couple things
I have absolutely no problem with the noise leakage of these headphones; I think the only people having problems are those who listen to their music at excessively loud levels. The whole point of me buying these headphones was to be able to listen to my music at lower volumes on the bus/train/plane, and at my normal listening levels in those environments, people around me can’t hear anything. Even at work, which is relatively quiet, this is the case. That being said if you want to listen to your music really loud, probably get something else.
They’re great if you have a headache, and will prevent loud/obnoxious noises from making it worse.
Turns out you can’t set custom equalizers on your Ipod to balance out the heavy bass, but the treble booster setting rounds out the sound nicely (the mid-range is a little soft with this setup, but the noise canceling makes it so it’s still clear).
I got these for 1/3 the price of the Bose QC3
Great Headphones
After a lot of research, I found these Audio Technica headphones, and they are just great. I have had lots of different headphones but none compare to these.
The noise canelling quality is good, probably not as good as Bose, but why waste 300 bucks? For the money, the quality is great. It quiets all ambient noises, and just softens everything. Though, it doesnt mute talking to much, but it’s ok. I bought these because I wanted to save myself from going deaf. I am on the MTA pretty much everyday, but to listen to your music well will make your boost up the volume. So I searched for the right noise cancelling head phones, and came across these. Lets just say before I got these, I had to listen to music more than three quarters full on my iPod and now I listen to it less than one quarter.
The sound quality is still great, but if you turn off the noise cancelling then the music gets a bit muffled.
For the money, and quality, I recommend these headphones 100 percent. They also come with a perdy case with usefull things like a longer cable, a quarter inch adapter, and an airplane jack.
- Aiden
Nice headphones
I bought these and I’m impressed. The headphones fit my ears and effectively isolate any background noise. I’m not an audiophile but when I turn off the noise-canceling option, the headphones produce muffled sound but it’s still listenable. On the contrary, when I turn on the function, they sound very clear and I love it. I’d recommend these.
Awful
I have been using headphones on a regular basis for approximately 15 years. I tend to lean towards Sony, as almost all of the headphones that I’ve had that lasted me longer than the span of several months have been Sony’s. But when my previous pair of headphones went (only getting sound to 1 side) I started to, once again, research for the latest and greatest headphones in the $99-150 range which is where I’ve had the most success. I couldn’t find much for Sony that looked any good since they seem to be excessively cheapening their products, something that I’ve also seen in Bose, so I thought I would give these headphones a try.
The first thing I noticed about these headphones is that the feel to them is really constricting. The head band was so tight against my head and especially my ears I simply counldn’t stand it. The ears cups were also too small for my ears to fit into them which resulted in the cups pressing my ears against my head which really hurt after just minutes and was unbearable not long after. And then worst part of all was how they sounded. I tried to correct the sound through using the equalizer but to no avail. When I would reduce or increase certain bandwidths it just never sounded right. With my ipod, though, I was stuck with whatever sound it would make. At best it would sound like it was a mono version, at worst it sounded squacky. Other reviewers said that there were things added to or way over amplified that the average person would never hear under normal circumstances, and they were right.
I sent these back to Beach Audio and they reimbursed me without hassle, except for a 10% restocking. I didn’t like that much but at least I got most of my money back. I have since bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 pro’s and I am much happier with them. If you don’t mind losing a little bass then I would suggest a decent pair of Sennheisers.
great if you have reasonable expectations
I work in a noisy computer lab, and purchased these headphones to wear during work. For this task they do a pretty good job, reducing the sound of server fans by what I would estimate as 80%. I chose these because a) they are circumaural – they surround the ear, they don’t sit on the ear compressing it (which I find uncomfortable) b)they are a third of the price of the Bose quietcomfort 15 and c)I’m going to be leaving them at my desk, and would be _very_ upset if someone stole headphones as expensive as the Boses from me.
On first use, if you’re not used to sudden quiet, the noise reduction feature is a bit disconcerting. It feels a bit like having your ears covered up, but there’s nothing physically there. Walking into a proper anechoic chamber does the same thing, but is a bit more strange… anyway.
The way I use these headphones – to listen to music at quiet to moderate volumes – is probably the ideal use for them. With noise reduction turned on you can play music _very_ quietly, and still hear it, and it’s incredibly clear. Turning the noise reduction off really changes things though. The music still sounds OK, but it’s clearly fighting so many external noises, it sounds kinda muddled.
For those who were looking at the ATH-ANC7 note that the difference is larger ear cups, and removal of patent-infringing technology (like quiet white noise in the background). The white noise would definitely be nice when not listening to music, as the feeling of that kind of quiet is a bit uncomfortable at first for your ears. Alas, I only use these with music. If I were going to use ear protection without music, I’d get something specialized – like that which is used on firing ranges.
These are worth the money
I bought these headphones with the hope they would drown out the noise in my office. I work in a wide open office where there is a ton of noise; noise from other conversations, music, fans, heaters, basically just general noise. These headphones work perfectly for eliminating all of distracting noise, it even works quite well without audio playing. Without audio I can still hear people talking, but barely and only if they are fairly close to me, with audio I can hear almost nothing else.
As far as audio quality goes, they seem great. I am by no means as picky as some people when it comes to audio quality. I listen to Pandora One (www.pandora.com), and my iPod, and they sound great. They are comfortable and seem like they are pretty sturdy. I would definitely recommend these headphones.
Jets, Brats, and John Denver
We recently bought 2 sets of Audio Technica noise cancelling headphones because we plan to do a lot of travelling in the next few years. We gave them a workout on a flight from Copenhagen to Paris to Montreal. First, the roar of the jet engines virtually vanished, while we could still hear the captain making all his announcements. Next, we had a full battery of bored spolied little kids in diapers, who kicked the seat backs, threw stuff on the floor, bit their mothers, climbed over the seats, and screamed, almost all at the same time. We could still hear the commotion, so we plugged in our iPods and ta-da, no more screaming kids. Our volume settings on our iPods were the same as we set them when at home out for walks. Peace. John Denver’s Leaving on a Jet Plane lulling me to sleep. I thought these earphones were expensive but I think they paid for themselves on that one flight. We won’t leave home without them.
Dale and Vicki
Audio Technics ATH–ANC7B – excellent choice..
Purchased the product after reading a number of reviews, including Amazon’s comments on the product. I report that I am not displeased, the quality is good, noise cancelling is excellent and in my opinion a better product than others that I have used. A excellent choice over Bose when you consider the price difference.
Defect in Left Earcup speaker
Now I am going to make this one star review as useful as possible because i hate it when i read a one star review and it doesn’t help me at all. So I bought these headphones and they sounded amazing, cancelled sound out great, and were super comfortable…..until i noticed a major defect. When i put my left ear cup on a certain way and/or i sat down in a certain way, the speaker would start vibrating like crazy shaking the whole earcup. Now i noticed that this only happens on noise cancelling. However, with noise cancelling off, the sound quality was fine and it still cancelled out sound amazingly so i realized that its not really a big deal. But then after listening to a few songs, i noticed that the bass was unequal in both ears. So i ran some bass frequency tests and found out that the left earcup would not play low frequency bass. Now I am sure that these headphones would be amazing if they had no defect like this but to me it was a big turn off, I returned them right away, and i probably won’t get another pair from this company. So basically my main reason for this 1 star review was for the defect but i will still list some pros and cons based on the ear cups when they worked and my bass conclusion in solely on the right earcup since left didn’t work.
Noise Canceling: Great. Very Isolated. Blocks out most sound ambient sound. Same quality as bose i tried out.
Sound Quality w/noise canceling on: Very clear. Treble is boosted and louder. Music is overall louder. Less bass.
Sound Quality w/noise canceling off: Still clear. Treble is not as prominent and bass is more prominent. Music is not as loud and seems distant (good for listening to calming music)
Bass: Not loud at all. Not strong and booming. Good but not for hip/hop or techno songs that have major bass (i tried the bose headphones and the bass is amazing. I also tried the Dr. Dre Beats headphones and they shake your head the bass is so loud. They are much louder and stronger than these.
Quality: Well i guess besides the earcup defect they were alright. They felt sturdy and felt durable.
Comfort: Very comfortable. I could wear them for a long time until my ears over heated.
So really its your choice to get them. If you want to take a risk like i did and get defective headphones go for it. If i buy headphones again i’ll probably get the bose quiet comfort or Beats by Dr. Dre. cuz i tried both out and they are better in my opinion.
good but looks silly
There great headphones. Can barely hear anything else while listing to them with the noise canceling on. But i said barely, you can still hear some stuff. there pretty comfortable. Only one thing against these headphones are that they look really silly on. I wanted some big head phones to wear when im on my laptop or ipod, but I didn’t realize how funny they look when your wearing them. the head part sticks out to the sides. you might want to try them on before you buy them
Great technology; terrible quality of materials
I purchased this product less than two years ago. The noise cancelling feature worked quite well and effectively made the audio/video programming on long flights a pleasant experience. The headphones were used about 4 times for international flights and maybe 5 or 6 times on domestic flights. The first problem occurred within a year of purchase – the two-pronged plug simply split into 2 pieces. I fixed the problem using tape to bind the pieces together. Then, on my last flight, the jack that fits into the headphones only played into one ear at a time. If I pressed the plug lightly into the jack, one side played. A little harder, then the other side played. But, never both sides.
For a product that cost nearly $150, surely Audio Technica could have spent an extra dollar for better quality components. My recollection of Audio Technica from the 70’s was that they made great stereo sound equipment. What happened?
Isolation is good, but that’s all!!
This headphone adds frequencies that are NOT there, and took some…
I really HATED the sound, the active isolation works really well, but it’s a drawback for audio quality.
Outstanding
I’ve reviewed several high end headphones lately in the $250 to $300 price range thinking they would be better than the rest……Boy was I wrong! In my hunt for my near perfect headphone I discovered the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B’s, and Im thrilled to report on them here. These headphones are still pricy but they can certainly be had for nearly half that of the MSRP.
So here goes:
The headphones look nearly identical to that of the Bose QC15’s, but everything else is different. The audio quality is absolutely superior, crisper, cleaner and near perfect tone with the right amount of bass (not over bearing). The build quality is argue-ability better and design in my opinion is slightly better due to the can swivel mechanism and operation without batteries. Noise canceling abilities are only minutely less than that of the QC15’s. As far as sound leaking no one around me complained. Then again the highest volume I ever go to is 70% on my iPod.
Side-by -side comparison ANC7B’s and QC15’s
Sound Quality: ANC7b- 9.0, QC15- 7.9
Noise Canceling: ANC7b- 9.5, QC15- 10.0
Build Quality: ANC7b- 8.0, QC15- 7.0
Looks: ANC7b- 8.9, QC15- 9.0
Sound leak: Yes, on both at Highest Volume. Nothing to be concerned about (nearly the same for each).
Fit: ANC7b- 8.9, QC15- 9.0
Price (VALUE): ANC7b- 9.5, QC15- 8.0 (Paid $113.95 and FREE shipping for the ANC7b’s)
So, in my comparison if your thinking about the QC15’s you really may want to consider the ANC7b’s from Audio-Technica. Incredible sound at a incredible price if you dare. Good luck in your hunt!
Great Phones
These are simply great noise-cancelling phones. Audio sound quality is superb, whether the noise-cancelling circuit is on or not. They are comfortable to wear for long periods of time (like an over ocean flight). Be a little careful opening them; there is not much room for the battery to go in. Highly recommended!
Good enough product, but butt ugly.
When I first got the headset I was very disapointed. It did not meet my expectations at all. In retrospect I guess they were a little high after reading some of the reviews in here. Some nearly claimed to be unable to hear just about anything when turning the power on, which was far from my experience. Even weak scratching on my table were not damped noticebly. I got an audiofile from the Audio Technica support with noise from an aircabin, and I can certainly say that the noise reduction is no way near 85% on that kind of noise.
But I am very pleased with its performance in my office. We have an open solution with all the noise that follows. The noise reduction here is very satisfying, and when plugging the jack in my computer and playing some ambient sounds like creeks and thunder I feel very distant from the noise. I have yet to try them on an airplane, but I am sure they will be adequate.
There are only two drawbacks. The first is that they are not as easy to wear as I would like. They apply some pressure on my head, and after a while it gets a little annoying. The second drawback is that they look like something from a 1950 construction site when it comes to size. Luckily I only intend to wear them at work and when traveling by plane, so I dont really care so much about that. But it would be nice to be able to use them in public without having people turning when you pass them on the streets.
A superb set of cans
When I first came across these headphones, I was skeptical of the quality since the price was cut nearly in half. If a headphone is favored by the public, then why would the amazon price differ so greatly from the retail price? Well, I decided to purchase them regardless; I just didn’t feel like shelling out an extra $200 just for a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones.
When they arrived, I found the package very easy to open and handle. On top of that, the little headphone carrying case seemed very convenient for me- it had a hook on the top in case you wanted to clip it to your backpack or anything of that sort, the case was relatively hard and will protect the headphones very well, the left side of the interior has a small compartment for wires/adapters/batteries, and the right interior (where you put the headphones) is very snug.
I’m not gonna lie, when I looked at the headphones, they sent a chill down my back- they were pretty dam sexy. They came wrapped and double wrapped in bubble-wrap, thus ensuring that the headphones come to you in pristine shape. The materials which the headphones are made of are very high-quality (They probably won’t form stress cracks like how Bose Quiet Comforts always do after 3-4 months of usage). I also love the silver ring around the outside of the headphones.
When I put them on, I very soon forgot that I even had them on. I also tried wearing them for 8 hours straight today, and I have absolutely no complaints about the comfort. I also took a look in the mirror- despite their size, they actually look pretty good due to their sleek design. The only downside to this is that it presses the hair around your ears into your head, so that when you take them off, you may first think that some of your hair had just disappeared, but that’s not much of an issue.
The sound quality is by far the best I’ve ever heard so far. I don’t have the funds to go out and purchase brand new Bose QC 3’s and 15’s, Sennheiser PX 450’s, etc, but I did go to a friend who owns both the QC 2’s, 3’s, and 15’s. The ANC7B’s sound quality blows away that of the QC 2’s, and the AT’s mid and high range frequencies are far more crisp and detailed than those of the 3’s and 15’s. The only thing that the ANC7B lacks is the Bose Bass punch, but then again, the difference is only minimal. If you’ve never had headphones like these before, then you’re guaranteed to hear notes/beats that you’ve never heard before.
Both Bose models beat the ANC7B in terms of noise cancellation, but only by a slight margin- 5%-10% at max. Besides the fact, I tried my headphones in the basement, which is where my AC unit is housed, and all I have to say is “Wow.” The ANC7B’s immediately reduced the rumbling noise which my ears had perceived only seconds before; Audio Technica’s headphones definitely lived up to its claim of 85% ambient noise reduction. Now I have a legit reason to walk away and pretend that my mother isn’t talking to me. One thing to add, when you have the noise cancellation on, the mechanism makes this noise that sounds like a very quiet ocean breeze (It’s almost impossible to detect unless you’re in a quiet room).
Everything is gold-plated, so that is a very reassuring sign that Audio Technica intends on delivering the highest quality of music to its consumers. One thing that I love about these headphones is that the music cord is detachable on both ends, meaning that if you are on the plane and wish to go for a quick walk or stretch, you can simply take the cable out of the cans and leave.
As for the sound leakage, other users are correct, these headphones do leak a significant amount of sound when the volume is pumped up. However, that’s the thing- the volume has to be relatively high in order for the sound to leak through. With these headphones, there isn’t much need to turn the volume up even halfway, therefore, I personally don’t find the sound leakage to be much of a problem.
All in all, these headphones are absolutely wonderful, and at the price of $118, it just makes no sense to purchase any of Bose’s headphones at $300-$350.
*Suggestion* You may want to consider making sure that your music source is good. It makes no sense to have wonderful headphones if your source doesn’t have maximal clarity and fidelity. I hope that this review helped!
**Update 8/1/10**
Everything is holding up just fine. The headphones actually perform better now than they did before (Dynamic headphones usually take a while to break-in). None of the cables have shown any signs of cracking, which is expected- the cables are of very high quality. The leather earpads are doing pretty well (showing no signs of cracking), although I would recommend that for anyone using headphones with leather pads, to buy leather wipes (The human oil damages and cracks leather products). The only complaint I have with these headphones is that they make my ears sweat whenever I’m not in an AC’d environment.
I’ve also noticed a relative lack of bass in these headphones after purchasing an audio speaker set. I’ve more-or-less converted myself into a basshead (I want music that just melts my head off), which may have something to do with me noticing a lack of bass, but nevertheless, the sound quality of the headphones is very good. I listen to hip hop and R&B by the way.
why pay extra for Bose ?
These are a great product at a great price. I read some comparisons between these and the Bose equivelant and they came out about even. However, the advantage of these are that the headphones still work even if the battery has run out.
Also, I have noticed that the battery lasts a lot longer in these headphones than they specify !
The title says it all …
Hearing-saving headphones
I bought these Audio Technica ATH-ANC7B headphones as a cheaper alternative to expensive Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphones. They are great, not only for frequent travelers, but also for anyone who has to work in a very noisy environment. My only objection is that the expendable arch could have been just a little bit bigger since I can feel it sitting on top of my head and hurting a little wearing them for a several hours. Nevertheless, I am highly recommending this headphones.
Great value-Does what it’s suppose to…
I recently purchased 2 sets of the ANC7B’s for a trip to Korea. VERY glad I did. I read many reviews about these NC headphones, many good, some bad, and felt it was worth the gamble for my upcoming 12+ hr flight. The ANC7B does exactly what they are suppose to: cancel out low frequency noise, like the drone of airplane/bus engines. They do NOT create some kind of sound-nirvana with complete noiselessness; they simply cancel out those constant, annoying background frequencies.
I highly recommend these NC headphones for anyone who finds airplane travel a noisy/tiresome ordeal. I felt using these headphones helped decrease the stress and drain that a very long flight can place on you… okay, I cannot speak for you, but they did work for me. They were comfortable during extended wear times (many hours), but did cause some ear discomfort by the end of the flight (~10 hrs total wearing time.)
I only used these headphones on the plane for listening to the on-flight entertainment (movies/some music) and multiple podcasts on my ipod, so I cannot comment on performance in different settings. The sound quality was perfectly acceptable to me, but as others have suggested, the sound quality s**ks without the NC turned on. I also had a couple bus rides of 1+hrs and these headphones worked great on road noise as well. My mother also enjoyed having these NC headphones during the flight.
Overall this is a great product for the price (less than half the cost of the comparable Bose NC headphones), NC functions as expected-it blocks the low frequencies, as I was not expecting complete silence (neither should you); sound quality works for me but I’m not a huge audiophile (and if you are, you’re probably looking at different NCHps anyway); well constructed, seem like they will be quite durable; nice case, extra room for a few small items. My only complaint is the direction the headphones fold to lay flat… if you are wearing them around your neck the ear cups face away from you leaving the headphones interior unprotected from damage, falling food, etc, unless you flip them completely around which is kind of unhandy… definitely not a deal breaker though.
If you want NC headphones but don’t want to break the bank– BUY THESE, you won’t regret it…