Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling Headphone

I've tried the QC2 and QC3, and in my opinion, the ATH-ANC7s beat them both!

If you're looking for near-audiophile balanced sound (bass, mid and high-frequencies), I think you won't be disappointed. Great design, great noise cancelling, great battery life, detachable cord, very comfortable, and less than half the price of th QC2. They look better in real life than in the picures.

High quality product, reasonable price. Highly recommended.

I bought these recently before a long plane trip (10 hours each way from Seattle to Paris) and I have been overwhelmingly pleased with their performance.

I wore them the entire flight both ways, from as soon as electronic devices could be turned on until they had to be turned off for landing. And it did this whole trip with just a single AAA battery.

As other reviewers have noted, this works great with an Ipod at low volumes. I switched between using my Ipod and listening to the in-flight programming. I recommend getting an inline volume control to use with the plane's sound system, as the sound level it puts out is usually incredibly loud (which just goes to show how loud it has to be to be heard through all the plane drone)

These really have to be heard on a plane to be believed. You put them on and hit the switch, and it's like the plane noise just disappears. It's like the difference in noise level between driving on the freeway with the windows down, and sitting at a stop light with the windows up.

Pros:
+ Comfortable for extended wearing, ten hours or more
+ Superb noise cancelation
+ Clear, clean sound quality
+ Comes with everything you need for a long plane ride. supply your own music player or use the included adapter to listen to the plane's entertainment system.

Cons:
- No built-in volume control, which is very handy to have on a plane
- The headphones won't fit in the included case unless you collapse the size adjustment all the way, which means you have to readjust the size each time you take them out.

As everybody I'm sure, I debated between these and the Bose Quiet comforts. I have listened to all 3 and I myself like the over the ear better first of all, so the QC 3 were out ( and they pretty much compare evenly with the QC2 ). Now for the review of this product versus the QC2, my two remaining choices.

QC 2 - Excellent noise canceling, overall excellent balance in music tone. Good Highs, Good Mid-range but EXCELLENT bass. Downside is 300 dollars and very flimsy (cheaply made)

ATH-ANC7
1.SUPERB Noise canceling: Plane: W/O music - everything is muffled as if you were in a room by yourself but you could hear people outside the door. With Music: I had trouble hearing ANY Noise outside the music, It was almost completely silent...I could turn my Ipod down to around 25% of max volume and could hear every instrument and then some. These are BETTER than Bose as far as Noise canceling.
2. The High and Mid-range on these things are some of the best I've heard, and I am now comparing with the Bose as well as some Grado's. These demolish Bose in that area, you almost can FEEL the snare drums and the breath of the singer...honestly.
3. Bass - This is kind of the downside. The bass is there, but definitely is not as apparent as with the Bose. It has a nice muffled thumping sound, but is kind of back shadowed by the highs, but after adjusting the EQ you could hear it more, and it was fairly decent with no distortion. There was,however, some distortion with the very deep punchy bass on some songs, which is kind of annoying. You can't hear it that much enough to mess with the song, but it is there sometimes, I'm trying to guess whether it is my headphones or it just does this, but all in all the bass is a 5.5/10.
4. Comfort - Excellent comfort, more so than the QC 2. Has a more padded cushion, and it fits nicely over my ears.
5. Construction - Doesn't feel as flimsy as the QC 2's, and has a nice solid feel.

+++ Added Bonus - The Noise Canceling option runs off of AAA batteries (one to be exact) versus charging with the QC3s. This is SOOO much easier than charging, and the battery lasts for around 40 hours. I absolutely love this feature.

All in all I think you know which one i recommend. I bought these new for half the price of Bose, and I can't tell you enough how much these are actually better than the Bose. You will be saving money and getting better features along with it. If it sounds to good to be true - it isn't. I am the first reviewer of these and I went out on a limb buying these, now I come to you to let you know that you don't have ONE choice when it comes to noise canceling headphones. So I thank you for reading my review, and happy listening!

I've been using a pair of Bose QC2 headphones for the past couple of years. I recently bought a pair of these ATs as a spare. Since the Bose noise-cancelling headphones are considered by most to be the performance leaders, the most meaningful review would be to compare the two.

NOISE-CANCELLING: To my surprise, the AT headphones outperformed Bose. Noise-cancelling headphones perform better on low-frequency noise; so, some higher-frequency noise will always be audible. But, this remaining noise was quieter with the AT headphones.

SOUND QUALITY: The AT sounds very good, but not quite as good as the QC2. The most noticeable difference is in the upper-bass where the AT sounds muffled compared to Bose. In general, the Bose sound is more open and detailed.

COMFORT: Here, QC2 has a big edge. In fact, I would characterize the AT headphones as uncomfortable. First, the earcups are a bit too small (and I don't have big ears). Second, the stitching in the earcup cushions are not placed far enough inside the cups, so they come in contact with the ears. Taken together with the undersized earcups and the higher pressure of the headband, they make for an uncomfortable experience, especially, if you will be using them for extended periods of time.

Another minor quibble is the lack of a shoulder strap for the carrying case. On the bright side, you pay a third less than you would for a pair of Bose QC2.

RECOMMENDATION: If you can afford it, get the Bose QC2. They sound better and are much more comfortable. You give up a smidgen on noise-cancelling, but with music playing, you won't notice it.

I read about 25 reviews about the Audio-Technica headphones before purchasing them and felt confident that I was getting a great set of headphones, well...they may have great sound inside the headset, but for the person next to me to able to hear what I was listening to was unacceptable. I did not even have my iPod at 1/2 volume and others sitting next to me could hear the songs!

I purchased this item after the positive reviews on various sites. I was disappointed in the performance of the headphones as the sound quality was good for the price but the insulation quantlity was not good. I purchaased these headphones for air travel and when I tried them out, the person sittling next to you could clearly hear the music on a low or medium volume. This is not the purpose of using headphones. I ended up returning the headphones and biting the bullet and purchased the BOSE. I am very satisfied with my BOSE purchase and so will my seating neighbor on the airplane.