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TECH REVIEW

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power/pause and volume up/ down/track skip. There’s a single button on the right-hand cup

for ANC, allowing you to access ANC on, hear-through mode for when you need a little situational awareness, and ANC off. Hold the button to activate baked-in Google Assistant and Siri voice support. A supplied 1.2m cable presents a hardwired option for the headphones. On the cable is an inline mic and controls. Multipoint functionality means you can switch between a smartphone and a laptop. How do they do they sound? Fitted with 40mm drivers, the ATH-S300BTs perform impressively well for the price bracket. Given that it’s Audio-Technica, we probably shouldn’t be overly surprised, but the soundstage here is expansive, crisp, and detailed, with a punchy low end. These are not limited to music, though – we had equally quality results from watching our go-to movie test, Saving Private Ryan , and playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III . Is the ANC any good? Yep. Audio-Technica is calling it digital hybrid noise-cancelling, which essentially means the headphones use external and internal microphones to cancel out a wider range of frequencies. These were tested during the height of school holidays (is there a sterner testing environment?) while we worked from home. The ANC coped admirably amid the chaos of There’s a lot to talk about here – around 90 hours worth. Yep, the S300BTs have a gigantic 90 hours of battery life without ANC engaged. However, even with ANC on, these still hold 60 hours of charge. Just let that sink in – 60 hours! With this much battery life in a single charge, the S300BTs are the ideal companion for those long-haul travel missions. And even if you do run out of battery, a quick three-minute charge will get an impressive 2.5 hours. To conclude The ATH-S300BTs are a robust and flexible pair of headphones that are comfortable to wear over a prolonged time. They feature high quality audio and good ANC matched with an incomparable battery life. For the price, you’ll struggle to find a better recommendation for a solid all-rounder. dog barking and children playing. Let’s talk battery life!

REVIEW

Noise cancelling, great audio quality, and a genuinely mammoth battery life head up this neat pair of Audio-Technica headphones. Words Paul Jones AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-S300BT WIRELESS HEADPHONES

A ctive noise cancellation (ANC) was once the preserve of top-shelf premium headphones with a weighty price tag to match. But now, if you shop smart, you can get good sound and ANC at a price that won’t shock your accountant. What are they? The Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT wireless headphones are an affordable entry point for ANC, with features you’d expect in more premium models. The battery life is a talking point. Far out, it's next level! They come in two

also sits at the top of the headband. These are pretty light headphones, and the padding on the earcups means you can wear these quite comfortably for hours on end. They fold flat for easy stowage in a bag. What do we have control-wise? On the left cup, there are physical buttons for

colour shades: black and beige. Are they comfortable?

You’ll notice how soft the earcups are when you lift the S300BTs out of the box. An arc of foam

86 AUGUST 2024

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