STACK #183 Jan 2020

FEATURE MUSIC

Block out the noise in 2020 with the excellent Audio-Technica ATH-ANC900BT headphones. Words | Paul Jones

I t’s January and that can only mean one thing – holidays. Whether that means redoing the garden, heading off to some lush part of this amazing country or hopping on a plane on an international voyage, there couldn’t be a better time to invest in a pair of noise- cancelling headphones. Listening to music or podcasts is something that, ideally, you want to do undisturbed, and this means cutting out peripheral noise too (e.g. the family). Walk into any JB store and you’ll be presented with a wall of different options ranging in price, manufacturer and even colour. But my golden rule with headphones is: don’t scrimp on the quality, especially if you’re a committed audiophile. Pick the brands with a solid track history and – most of the time – you can’t go wrong. Audio-Technica has always been a go-to brand for many of us in the office, and for good reason: they develop and produce excellent products. And such is the case with the noise- cancelling ATH-ANC900BT, which I’ve had on loan and on my head for the last three weeks. Inside the box you get a shell carry case, the headphones that fold flat, a 1.2 metre wired cable, a charging cable and an airline adaptor. To pick up, these are light but feel premium, and

the soft foam over-ear cups are extremely comfortable to wear, even for extended

periods. On the left cup is an on/ off switch, a pass-through button, a 2.5mm headphone jack and a micro USB charging port.

Battery life clocks in at an impressive 35 hours wirelessly...

Battery life clocks in at an impressive 35 hours wirelessly, or 60 with a cable attached, so even that dreaded trip to Europe can be completed with one charge. The noise

on the left cup immediately drops the music you’re listening to so you can hear that pre- flight safety check without removing them from your ears. The A-T Connect app even allows users to control the level of noise cancellation depending on where you are: plane, office, train, etc. 40mm diamond-like carbon drivers deliver an impressive, full range of sound across multiple music genres and video with an excellent balance of bass. Volume and call-answering functionality can be controlled via a touch- sensitive pad on the right cup. To summarise: if you’re looking for a first set of noise-cancelling headphones, or are perhaps in the market for an upgrade, for the price point, the audio quality, convenience and comfort, it really doesn’t get much better!

cancelling is top drawer – on a recent flight to Sydney, the engine sound was completely isolated. The audio pass-through button

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