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Nicholas Vinen reviews . . . Ausdom ANC7S Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones from Altronics These rechargeable Bluetooth headphones feature active noise cancellation technology and offer outstanding sound quality. They cost much less than you would pay for most name-brand noise-cancelling headphones like Bose or Sony. A ltronics sent us a pair of these Bluetooth headphones to review. We understand that while they are a relatively new product, they have been selling well. First, a bit of background: I find jet engine noise very bothersome, so I need to use something to drown it out. Without something to block that engine noise, my ears ring for days after a long flight. I also find the headphones supplied by airlines very poor (at least in economy class). They make my ears sore after hours of use, and I have to turn the volume up very loud to hear the dialog over the engine noise, which only makes the ringing ears worse! The situation is slowly getting better, but I still regard airline-supplied headphones as being virtually unusable. So, I think you really need a good pair of headphones to make a long flight tolerable. They should ideally be able to plug into the plane’s entertainment system (in case they have something worth watching – not a given, unfortunately). I also like to be able to play music from my phone (set to flight mode). Some airlines will allow you to use Bluetooth, and most phones will let you switch it on even in flight mode. Failing that, you can use a cable connection. Check with your airline first, though. A handful of airlines won’t let you use a phone in flight, even in flight mode; primarily those based in mainland China. Bizarrely, they won’t stop you from using a tablet, even if it can make phone calls. Of course, in that case, you still use flight mode. How do they stack up? In my family, we have several pairs of active noise-cancelling (ANC) Bluetooth headphones of various makes and models. They were purchased mainly for use when travelling overseas, especially dur94 Silicon Chip ing flights; some of them were quite cheap and some not so cheap. So I have a few ‘reference points’ to compare with these headphones. First, the good news: the sound quality is excellent. I find the bass/mid/treble balance and clarity very good. The bass is perhaps not as ‘punchy’ as the best Bluetooth headphones I have tried. But in terms of overall sound quality, they are very good, limited only by Bluetooth digital compression (which is not too bad). And especially when you consider the price, the sound quality is quite astounding. In fact, I would put these headphones right up there with some very expensive Sennheiser, Philips and other name-brand hifi headphones in terms of overall sound quality, including distortion performance, frequency response and bass reproduction. Importantly, they don’t have the excessive boomy bass that is quite common these days. The bass is present and well defined, but not over-the-top. They are also very comfortable, which is very important for any listening session, fitting snugly over the ears but without undue pressure. The surrounds are quite soft, which helps, and they form a pretty good mechanical seal, which helps keep out external noise even without using the ANC feature. As with most Bluetooth headphones these days, they contain an internal lithium-based battery which is recharged using a USB cable (micro type-B). Charging time is around two hours, and a full charge lasts for about 18 hours of use, enough for the longest flights. A USB charging cable is supplied, along with an audio cable with 3.5mm plugs each end. Australia’s electronics magazine siliconchip.com.au Here’s what you get with the Ausdom ANC7S Noise Cancelling Headphones from Altronics. There’s the headphones themselves (!), a soft drawstring carry bag, a micro-USB charging cable, (charge from any USB or 5V DC source), a stereo headphone cable and a user manual. Recommended retail price is $139.00, including GST (Cat C-9021A). Bluetooth pairing is effortless (just follow the instructions in the booklet). And note that the noise-cancelling switch is separate from the Bluetooth controls. So you can easily engage ANC without actually listening to any audio, and similarly, you can use them like regular headphones (wired or wireless) without ANC if you are at home or in a more quiet environment. The Bluetooth range meets or exceeds the stated 10m; I was able to get it to work over around that distance, even with intervening obstacles like bookshelves. But the effectiveness of the active noise cancellation is a little disappointing. While it is effective enough to knock back a lot of the background jet noise you will experience in-flight, it hardly provides the cosseting experience that (much more expensive) Bose, Sony and Panasonic noise-cancelling headphones can offer. All ANC systems are more effective at lower frequencies (because the longer wavelength is easier to cancel), but this system lets through a lot more mid-to-high-frequency noise than I would like. With my wife’s Sony MDX1000 headphones, they reduce the background noise so much, you can forget you are on a plane. They’re so effective that you probably won’t even notice if someone is talking to you at a normal volume. While I have not yet taken the Ausdom headphones on a plane, based on tests I conducted with fans and other noise sources, I do not think you would get quite the same experience. You would be a lot more comfortable, but you still would be aware of the engine noise. For example, I tested these headphones in an office near a busy siliconchip.com.au road, with a closed window. While the already-muffled traffic noise was dulled by turning ANC on, it did not vanish entirely. But perhaps I am spoiled; the MDX1000 are considered one of the best noise-cancelling headphones. Other reviewers have compared the ANC7S favourably to some well-regarded Bose noisecancelling models, Conclusion Despite my criticism of the noise cancellation, I still think these headphones are good value, especially if you just want a good pair of headphones to use at home, in the office etc. And if you are not as noise sensitive as me, or lucky enough to be on a modern aircraft with lower than average engine noise, you may be satisfied with the noise cancellation performance. Similarly, the ANC7S may well be effective enough to allow you to listen to music on a train or bus with a lot less annoying background noise, or perhaps reduce background noise in an office or near a busy road. If you’re listening to some good music, you might find yourself cranking the volume up a bit more to enjoy the excellent sound quality, and that will go a long way towards drowning out any background noises anyway! The ANC7S headphones can be purchased from your local Altronics store for $139 including GST (Cat C9021A), or via their website (siliconchip.com.au/link/aav5). More information on the ’phones is also available at that link. You may also want to pick up their “plane socket adaptor” (Cat P0318 – $4.95) at the same time, to allow a wired connection to the older-style dual plug airline sockets. SC Australia’s electronics magazine December 2019  95