Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint
Manufacturer: Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. Part number: ATH-ANC7
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones offer excellent noise cancellation and relatively solid sound quality for the price.
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CNET editors' review
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint price range: $118.88 - $139.00
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 02/08/2008
- Updated on:10/27/2009
The good: The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones are comfortable and come with useful accessories such as a hard shell travel case and airline adapter. Overall sound quality is good (with noise-cancellation turned on), bass is tight and present, and noise-cancellation feature works well.
The bad: The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 suffers from slightly brittle treble, which makes some tracks sound harsh. The audio has a muffled quality if the noise cancellation is turned off. There's also noticeable sound leakage.
The bottom line: The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones offer excellent noise cancellation and relatively solid sound quality for the price.
Editors' Note: As of August 2009, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones reviewed below have been replaced by the ATH-ANC7b QuietPoint headphones.
The latest export from Audio-Technica are the ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones. They are a noise-canceling headphone set with comfortable earpads and a detachable cable. Although they suffer from a few sound issues and can't really be used without the noise-cancellation feature, these headphones are a reasonable choice for frequent-fliers looking for new cans in the $100 to $200 range.
The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones aren't what you might consider the most portable headphones on the block, with earcups that measure roughly 3.7 inches by 3 inches. However, these do fold flat for storage, and you get a hard shell case to transport them in. The package also includes an airplane adapter, which adds to their travel-friendliness. Although Audio-Technica asserts that the ATH-ANC7s are closed-back headphones, we find that a fair amount of sound leaks through thanks to a small pass-through speaker on the back of each earcup. This is worth noting if you have concerns about disturbing your neighbor, or (ahem) would rather outsiders not be part of your listening experience.
One of the benefits of around-the-ear headphones is that they have relatively large earcups, which generally are more comfortable than those that rest on the cartilage of your ears. This is certainly true of the ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones, which are lined with a cushy padding that rests comfortably against the sides of the head. The top of the headband is padded, while the plastic edges are designed to curve out and away from the head. The headband is also fully adjustable, and the included, detachable cable is plenty long at 63 inches.
As the name suggests, the ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones offer an active noise-cancellation feature. The feature draws its power from a single AAA battery (included), inserted into the left earpiece. A switch on this same side allows you to control the power of this feature (the headphones work whether it is on or off). Audio-Technica reports that these headphones reduce background noise by up to 85 percent (or 20dB, for the technical people out there). Although we have no way to accurately measure this amount, we found that these headphones succeed at blocking a significant amount of low-end rumblings. A nearby server was completely canceled out, and our cubemate's voice lost its bass tones. Still, don't expect sharper noises to be noticeably diminished.
Coming around to sound quality, we have a few minor quibbles with the ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones. With the noise-cancellation feature turned off, sound definitely has a muffled quality, with vocals and high-end details giving the impression that you're listening underwater. Yet, with the noise canceling turned on, the treble seems slightly brittle for the most part, and straight-up harsh in certain cases. Industrial metal such as Orgy and some party hip-hop tracks with a lot of high-end sound effects suffer. That being said, most genres come through fine, and the mids are certainly warm and encompassing. Bass response is also tight and plenty impressive--though not as thumping as some competitors. The little pass-through speakers mentioned earlier do a nice job of opening up the sound and keeping it outside of your head.
User reviews
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BOSE KILLER!!!!
by soundpro707 on July 31, 2007
Pros: Great dynamic range. Lite weight. Very clean sound even at high levels.
Cons: Head phone cups could be a little bigger for those with larger ears.
Summary: Nosie cancellation is wonderful with excellent music reproduction. Aside from flying around the country and have them block out crying babys and jet engine nosie, I have use these headphone ...
Summary: Nosie cancellation is wonderful with excellent music reproduction. Aside from flying around the country and have them block out crying babys and jet engine nosie, I have use these headphone as my front-of-house monitoring headphones when mixing live concerts and even in those extreme high SPL enviroments the headphone keep up.
At this point just about any brand can cancel nosie but not any brand reproduce music well... These are best of both worlds.6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best headphones on the market!!!
by Colin2626 on July 16, 2007
Pros: Price, Noise reduction quality, Sound quality, Noise reduction works without music
Cons: None that I can tell
Summary: I was looking for a top-of-the-line noise reduction headphone and it came down to the Bose QC2 and the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7. A review in the NY Times stated that ...
Summary: I was looking for a top-of-the-line noise reduction headphone and it came down to the Bose QC2 and the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7. A review in the NY Times stated that the ANC7 were exactly like the Bose so I went ahead and ordered them. Halfway through the first song I was in love. The sound quality is unreal! One of the best features of this headphone over the Bose is that these can reduce noise without music playing, whereas the Bose require that it be hooked up to some kind of audio player. Even without music, the noise reduction gets rid of almost all noise, but when playing music along with the noise reduction feature all other noise is gone. I also wanted good looking headphones to wear in public and I must say these headphones are incredibly stylish. In terms of comfort these headphones are amazing, you forget they're on your head plus they fit so snug that if you were to jump or walk down stairs they'd remain in place on your head.
These headphones provide better sound quality/noise reduction quality that the Bose QC series and cost half the price (Bose cost more for 1 reason, their name and reputation), its a no brainer get these headphones.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great product!
by sbmgroove on January 16, 2008
Pros: Excellent sound quality
Cons: No volume control.
Summary: These are my 4th pair of noise-cancelling headphones and by far the best. I have had them for 6 months and I am very pleased. The sound quality is good, ...
Summary: These are my 4th pair of noise-cancelling headphones and by far the best. I have had them for 6 months and I am very pleased. The sound quality is good, as is the noise-cancelling. I fly every week for work and these make flying more tolerable. My only negative comment would be the lack of an in-line volume control.
I have read several reviews complaining of "noise leakage", but have noticed none in my usage. I have even asked people seated next to me in the plane and they can't hear any sound.
A great buy for the price. I don't own Bose, but I can't imagine they would be worth $175 more than these.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great sound quality, but bad portability and design...
by PrinceNick87 on June 22, 2009
Pros: The Audio Teahnica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint is a great headphone with great sound quality. Is fair with the price tag. A single AAA battery bring 40 hours of noise-canceling, and it still work well without battery.Highly recommend.
Cons: Is great that the headphone comes with case, but it still did not really show out the portability of the headphone. Is big, and the angle design is bad.
Summary: The sound quality and value is still a big advantage for all people. Is like a great entry-level noise-canceling headphone for all user. It worth for everyone.
Summary: The sound quality and value is still a big advantage for all people. Is like a great entry-level noise-canceling headphone for all user. It worth for everyone.
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Good, But Not Great. Things to watch out for
by BiffCunningham on June 2, 2009
Pros: Very effective noise cancellation, above average sound quality (with NC on), comfortable padding for long use
Cons: Sound leakage like non-other. Cannot listen to anything in a quiet room without others hearing. Fuzz/static in the background very often. Listening to music without NC on is like listening to music underwater, horribly crappy and pointless.
Summary: This product is excellent for at home or for use on a plane. Good sound quality makes listening basically awesome, as long as the noise cancelling function is turned on. ...
Summary: This product is excellent for at home or for use on a plane. Good sound quality makes listening basically awesome, as long as the noise cancelling function is turned on. If you are planning on listening to music while at work or at any quiet public place, be prepared to have everyone in the room listening as well, because the headphones pretty much leak the music out loudly, even at medium volume.
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Good product/gets the job done - not the best sounding
by gsuen on February 24, 2009
Pros: I use these primarily at work and while traveling by air. They greatly reduce the fatigue caused by the droning (white noise?) of flying. Pretty comfortable, over the ear (not on the ear).
Cons: I own a lot of headphones including Grado SR-60, Sennheiser HD580, and Sennheiser ER-6i. These don't sound as good as any of these and don't give the sound isolation of the ER-6i.
Summary: I thnk these headphones and the Panasonic RP-HC500 are virtually identical. I did not have both at the same time. The Panasonics chirped when my hand went near the noise ...
Summary: I thnk these headphones and the Panasonic RP-HC500 are virtually identical. I did not have both at the same time. The Panasonics chirped when my hand went near the noise cancellation microphone and the ATs did not. I recall that I thought the Panasonics sounded more clear and because of that I upped the volume which in turn isolated me further from the outside. It's possible that the drivers are different in the headphones but I'm sure both companies source from the same noise cancellation supplier.
The headphones come with a nice case and all the accessories needed for travel. Battery life was good. I didn't need to change the batteries as I flew cross country and used them while waiting for my much delayed flights at the airport. I recommend these for the reasons above and though I gave away the Panasonic set, I might go with the Panasonic head phones even if the cost is a little more and would need to learn how to not make them chirp. -
OUTSTANDING!!! Big Time Bose Killer!!!!!
by rancid36 on February 24, 2009
Pros: Great sound in games, music, ipod ect.. ect... CNET reviewer simply ignorant. Tight bass, great mids, good highs, excellent case, excellent construction. Comes with battery.
Cons: Hmmm... NONE.
Summary: You can't go wrong with this headphone for the price. Yeah, Bose has a bit better bass but for the $200.00 difference.. well you figure it out.
Summary: You can't go wrong with this headphone for the price. Yeah, Bose has a bit better bass but for the $200.00 difference.. well you figure it out.
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It took 10 second of testing to end my 3 month search
by xtrememorph on January 19, 2009
Pros: The noise cancellation function is excellent. The audio is clear. It sill consider not so heavy. It comes with good casing and accessories. It works!
Cons: Still too expensive for the average Joe. Sound muffle out when noise cancellation is off. Still big.
Summary: I never know traveling on train daily to work with all the noise can be so exhausting, never realize it or knew it. After i use this headphone cancel out ...
Summary: I never know traveling on train daily to work with all the noise can be so exhausting, never realize it or knew it. After i use this headphone cancel out all the noise, i still felt good and refresh when i reach my destinations.
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great sound and comfort but not for your neighbour
by Ivo4u2 on January 13, 2009
Pros: quality finish
Very comfortable
very good sound
will operate with a flat battery
Nice walletCons: Terrible insolation! Noise from the outside is gone, but be aware others can hear what you listen too!
Bulky compared to Senheiser
No monitor switch
I have small ears so no issue but big ears bewareSummary: Very nice quality product
Hushing capabilities are very nice
Great sound also
Very very comfortable for small ears
Does someone now how to make them more hushed towards the outside ...Summary: Very nice quality product
Hushing capabilities are very nice
Great sound also
Very very comfortable for small ears
Does someone now how to make them more hushed towards the outside world (open the cans and insert some glass whool like in speakers, or glue some thin rubber on the outside)
This is not an issue in a noisy environment, but it is in a relative silent one, people realy can hear what you play.
you might get sweaty ears of them
compared with my old broken senheiser pcx 150 these sound much better are more comfortable of higher quality but also bigger to transport and might give you sweaty ears.
Very very nice product (except that other people can hear what you listen too). -
Great sound - even in passive mode
by transtech on January 8, 2009
Pros: Work well for drummers, great sound quality in passive and active modes, great value!
Cons: Warm on the ears, earpieces might not fit right on some people
Summary: My husband got these for Christmas and uses it when he practices drumming. He loves them because now he can turn the volume down on songs when he plays. He ...
Summary: My husband got these for Christmas and uses it when he practices drumming. He loves them because now he can turn the volume down on songs when he plays. He said that they're so good that it's sometimes difficult to hear the drums, but he can always use them in passive mode as well, so it works out perfectly for him. I liked his so much that I got myself a pair - two pairs at half the cost of Bose!
I mainly use the headphones while working, since they keep out all other distractions and help me concentrate better. As for sound leakage, if you're deaf and have the volume turned way up, that would do it. Any person with normal hearing wouldn't need to turn the volume up that high - even on a plane!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Audio-Technica U.S., Inc.
- Part number: ATH-ANC7
- Description: Arrive refreshed after a long flight, avoid distractions in a noisy office, or find peace and quiet in your living room... with ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Canceling 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 and in-flight entertainment systems, ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint closed-back headphones feature large-aperture 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnet systems for deeper bass, extended treble and higher fidelity. Noise-canceling electronics are fully integrated in each earpiece, with no need for external modules.
General
- Recommended Use The noise canceling feature keeps out ambient sounds on buses and airplanes. Plus, they are portable for easy transport. Active noise canceling technology makes these circumaural headphones ideal for commuting and air travel.
- Product Type Headphones
- Weight 7.1 oz
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor Ear-cup
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Active Noise Canceling Yes
- Response Bandwidth 10 - 25000 Hz
- Sensitivity 109 dB
- Impedance 260 Ohm
- Diaphragm 1.6 in
- Magnet Material Neodymium
Remote Control
- Type None
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x Headphones cable - Detachable - 5 ft
- Included Accessories 6.3 mm (1/4") stereo adapter
Power
- Power Device None
- Battery 1 x Standard battery - AAA type - Alkaline
Manufacturer info
- Audio-Technica U.S., Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.audiotechnica.com/
- Address:
1221 Commerce Drive, Stow, OH - Phone: 330-686-2600
- Email: les@atus.com
- Fax: 330-688-3752
