Noise Out

Noise cancellation headphones are a boon for music lovers, the way they deftly blank out the ambient sounds and distractions. Audio-Technica's newly launched ATH-ANC70 headphones, which promise to keep noise at bay, are great for long flights or long work days. They are comfortable to wear as the memory foam cups are soft on the ears.

It comes with 40-mm drivers that offer impactful bass, natural mid-range and high treble in passive mode. The silver logo on the left ear cup can be pressed once to play/pause the music or answer/end the call, pressed twice to go to the next track and pressed thrice to go to the previous track. Along with volume control, there is a toggle that activates active noise cancellation. For this, a replaceable AAA battery has been added to the right ear cup.

Noise cancellation, when active, lives up to the claim of reducing environmental sound by up to 90 per cent. However, there is slight loss of sound when the active noise cancellation is turned on. The wired headset comes with a detachable 1.2-metre cable with 3.5-mm stereo mini plugs, which have to be plugged in to enjoy audio. However, since the 3.5-mm audio port has been eliminated from most flagship devices, a connector with a lightning port and Type C port would have made more sense.

But if you wish to use this only for muting surrounding sound, and not to listen to music, the connecting cable is not required. The headphones come with a soft-finish hard case with a compartment to store accessories such as 6.3-mm stereo adapter, cable and airline adapter. If you have been planning on buying active noise cancellation headphones, the ANC70 for Rs 13,990 is a sweet deal.