Reveiw: Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 Quietpoint headphones

With a noise-cancelling feature, Audio Technica's ATH-ANC7 Quietpoint headphones are ideally suited to commuters wanting to zone out from the hubbub on the train.

They look like a scaled-down version of a conventional full-size set, with an adjustable band that goes over the top of the head, joined by forks, with dual-axis pivots, to the two oval ear cups.

Rather than the cups closing up around the ear, the synthetic pads rest partially on the ear. These clip-on pads can be replaced if they show signs of wear. The ear cups can rotate a full 90 degrees in one direction, so they sit flat in relation the headband for storage in the supplied case.

Also included with the headphones are a 1.6m cable, 1/4in stereo jack adaptor, an AAA battery and an airline audio adaptor. The headphone cable is just the right length for use with an iPod or Walkman and terminates in a straight 3.5mm stereo jack at the headphone end and a right angle 3.5mm jack at the other.

The cable plugs into a socket on the left ear cup. With the cable removed the headphones can be used purely for noise cancellation and, since 3.5mm jack cables are readily available, a longer cable can be fitted if required.

There’s a clip-down hatch on the top of the right ear cup for insertion of the AAA battery that powers the Active Noise Reduction (ANR) circuit. A sliding switch on the outer face of the cup turns the ANR on or off and a blue LED just above it indicates the ANR is on, or flashes for low battery indication.

Sound reproduction through these headphones is clean and transparent in the upper register while the bass is deep and powerful. There is a slight lack of focus to the bass and the stereo soundstage isn’t as open as it might be, which may be due to the closed back, passive noise reduction design of the ear cups. And although the noise reduction works well, it boosts the volume, which can be a little annoying.