Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 Review: Noise Cancelling and Cheap

The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 headphones provide a balanced sound without frills, but with superior noise reduction performance.




The $ 119 ATH-ANC9 Audio-Technica hearing aids offer a no-frills design with outstanding Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) performance, balanced sound and a price that's not too heavy to swallow. You can not turn heads, but their off-axis design will not make you feel uncomfortable on the bus, train or plane.
design
The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 presents one of the simplest helmet models I've ever seen. While other models use bright accents and chrome accents to stand out, the ATH-ANC9 is based on a more generic matte black plastic design with small dark silver accents on the outside of the headphones. The build quality is good, and although it is almost entirely plastic, the headset does not sound crisp, even if you turn and bend the headband and earmuffs.

On the outside of the left earbud are the active noise canceling on / off switch and a button that changes the ANC mode used by the headset. In the upper part of the left earphone, there is an LED that flashes blue, red or green, depending on which mode is active.

Unlike other models that use a folding mechanism, the hearing aids of the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 simply rotate 90 degrees so that they can remain tilted in their hard and black housing. Inside is a bag with the two included cable pairs, an adapter from 1/4 to 1/4 inch and a two-pronged aircraft adapter (slightly less relevant) with velcro in the box.

Convenience

When I used ATH-ANC9 for the first time, I felt it put too much pressure on my jaw. After a few weeks, however, they felt very well

The replaceable earpads and faux leather headband were generally comfortable during several listening sessions, each lasting several hours. Synthetic leather is also pretty soft, and earmuffs make a decent job of blocking outside noise.

Unlike most other earmuffs I've tried, the ATH-ANC9 is wired and uses a detachable cable. You get two cables, one with a microphone and a tracking control module inline and the other as a straight audio cable.

control

The use of ATH-ANC9 is easy to change with very few controls or settings. It takes about a minute to remove the battery-adding cart and replace it with the right earphone. When you are ready to change, simply connect one of the two cables supplied to the device and the headphone jack.

Active noise cancellation

Active noise reduction in ATH-ANC9 is pretty good. I compared this headset with the Sennheiser 4.50 BTNC during a three-hour flight to New York, and Audio-Technicas left me speechless. In fact, it did not seem to be a fair comparison as Audio-Technica was much better.

Audio quality

The ATH-ANC9 may not be the strangest headset on the ear, but its 40mm drivers generally give listeners a balanced sound profile. These headphones provide a complete listening experience without weakening in the upper register or blaring in the bass. I realized that some songs sometimes seemed hollow with the ANC circuit. The activation of the ANC offered a slight increase in volume (+1 to 2 decibels) and, as expected, eliminated some external noise, including the low hum of my ceiling fan and the noise of passing traffic. my window

Battery life

As mentioned above, the ATH-ANC9 uses an AA battery to operate the active noise cancellation circuit as compared to the Sennheiser which has a built-in rechargeable battery powered by a micro-USB.

Audio-Technica says the headphones will last up to 35 hours. But I burned batteries several times after forgetting to switch off the headphones after an improvisation. It's really frustrating. You can still hear the headphones when the battery is dead, but you will not hear sound when the ANC switch is on.
Bottom line
At $ 199, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 headphones are comfortable and enjoyable to hear. The best feature by far is the adjustable active noise reduction, as the modes allow you to stay calm in any environment you are in. They're not the most stylish helmets I've ever seen and I do not like them. Use a cable to change the batteries.

If you are looking for headphones that do not interfere with the cable, you can watch the Sennheiser 4.50 BTNC for $ 199. They sacrifice the ANC but get a wireless experience and the freedom of AA batteries. In general, the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC9 headphones are a great option for consumers who are not bothered by a wired headset who want a solid audio player with an excellent ANC and are not looking for a flashy design.