We really wish Audio Technica would start naming their headphones something, rather than assigning them an arbitrary and difficult to remember model number. For instance, we might describe the ATH-ANC1 as “Trav-o-nomic” or “Audio Technica InstaLights.” But, alas, we’re stuck with the more conventional ATH-ANC1 headphones. Either way, you don’t have to loiter around here at the intro: Our full review headphone review of these travel-oriented and noise-canceling headphones from Audio Technica can be found below!
Design and Comfort
Audio Technica ATH-ANC1
As mentioned in the title, the ATH-ANC1 headphones are a fully functioning set of over ear noise-canceling cans. This means they’re ready out-of-the-box to remove all that ambient noise that distracts you from a pleasurable listening experience, using a built-in power source to get the job done. Typically, this means the over ear headphones are somewhat bulky, or at the very least somewhat heavy. However, with the ATH-ANC1 headphones, Audio Technica has done an incredible job slimming the cans down. For instance, the headphones are extremely light, due in part to the lack of any padding on the headband. This might sound uncomfortable, but all in all, it’s actually quite cozy. Likewise, we had no problem achieving a snug fit with the ear cups, as we might have anticipated. And with a folding wonder design, we don’t believe you would have any trouble at all carrying these bad boys into the tight confines of an aircraft. However, we do wonder how long that metal headband will last, as it looks potentially quite flimsy, especially over time.
Sound Quality and Performance
One of the real problems we have with other, more expensive models of noise-canceling headphones is that they don’t allow us to listen to our music without battery power. This means any sudden battery shorts also cuts your music. Thankfully, the ATH-ANC1s avoid this by allowing you to perform a passive listen, with the noise-cancellation turned off. That being said, the sound produced in this mode is definitively lacking: If we had to describe it in a word, we’d say “hollow.” However, with the switch flipped, everything is brighter, offering a much more brilliant tone that provided amply spacious highs, buttery mids, and near-perfect lows. All in all it’s a fantastic listen, especially considering the price range the headphones are in. Even the noise-cancellation was on-par, though slightly less efficient as we might have hoped.
Overall Value
We’ll keep thing short and dry: The ATH-ANC1 headphones are only about $80 street, making them an head and shoulders cheaper than any of their competitor’s more comparable noise-canceling headphones. At that price, the included sound performance is a miracle, as is the decent noise-cancellation. All in all, if you’re looking for a cheap way to dive into this part of the headphone realm, we can hardly think of a better recommendation.
