Review: Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b Quiet Point Noise-Cancelling Headphones

November 17, 2009 By John Maiorano

multipage

These noise-cancelling headphones looked great right out of the box, but I expected nothing less from Audio-Technica. They've always scored high with me when it came to first appearances. Sound was clear and crisp all around.

I was fairly impressed with the noise cancelling feature. A blue light indicates that the noise-cancelling function has been engaged. When listening to tunes in the office and at home, I had a difficult time hearing anything besides the tune I was listening to, which is certainly what you want. This was not the case with the Sony MDR-NC60 noise cancelling headphones I had reviewed in the past. I would constantly hear voices in the background and that made for a really distracting experience.

Another shining feature of the Audio-Technica headphones is that they can also work when the noise-cancelling function is turned off (they operate in stereo, passive mode without batteries). Unfortunately, the sound you receive out of the headphones is muffled if the noise-cancelling function is not engaged.

Although the Audio-Technica headphones felt fairly comfortable positioned on my ears, after no more than five minutes, both ears got warm and I'd have to take them off for a few minutes. I did not have this problem with the Sony MDR-NC60 headphones.

The Audio-Technica headphones fold flat for storage in a sturdy, protective carrying case and comes with a full-sized stereo adapter and an airline adapter for connection to in-flight entertainment systems.

The MSRP of these headphones is $219.95