At first glance, the ANC7 headphones from Audio-Technica crash-tackle the eye with its stylish black and silver outer body. At $399, they offer a decent price point with similarities to Sennheiser's PXC 350s.

The ANC7's are light to wear and feature soft leather cushioning around the ear-pieces - they're so well fitting they may be almost ‘too comfortable’. After an hour or so, I found my ears over-heating - it could just be that my head is too big or that I just have a pair of unusually warm ears that only a mother could be proud of. But that’s about the only negative feature of an otherwise excellent product.

The promoted “noise cancelling” features do work as promised and deliver a vast definition of sound that is big step up from my $20 in-ear cheapies. The provided hard-case protects the headphones when travelling and is a useful accessory.

The ATH-ANC3’s, which retail for around $249, feature smaller in-ear buds and perform as equally as the larger outer ear ANC7’s when it comes to noise cancellation – but you do have to watch how and where you wear them.



The ANC7’s softer ear muffs provide the edge for longer comfort and better sound. You might prefer the soft, cushy leather cups as an alternative to eardrum probing.

The biggest concern for the ANC3’s are the way you have to fit the ear-buds for maximum noise cancelling. They have to be centered right inside the ear for best use.

We tested both earphones in three key areas:

The office test:
ANC7: the miniature microphone in each speaker cup does a fine a job of cancelling most of the ambient noise, especially in devices such air-conditioners.

Powered by a small AAA battery hidden in a concealed compartment in one of the headphone cups, there's a noticeable difference between turning the unit on and off. Unfortunately, the unit does not work as well without the battery-powered sound reducing microphones, so we recommend you always carry a spare battery on long trips.

Audio-Technica use neodymium magnets which enables the audio to play crystal clear, delivering deep, full bass tones, sharp clear trebles and optimum stereo clarity. All the typical office chatter faded away.

ATH-ANC3: Similar job to the ANC7’s, they worked wonderfully in the office. However, the battery pack (to power the noise cancelling mics) are not concealed and weigh the unit down considerably in a white plastic box.

A provided plastic clamp is not suited for gripping anything without falling off which is a real hassle. Thankfully, the sound quality is vibrant, and mid range tones sounded best.

The outside ‘walk in the park’ test:
ANC7: We don’t recommend you cross the street with these, but they do work nicely in urban park areas, where loud traffic congestion can cause unwanted noise pollution.

The detachable cabling works really well and the headphones work with a range of audio connections that are bundled in-box. If you lose or damage the cable, you can always replace it with another, a must have for travellers or weekend walkers.

ATH-ANC3: The ANC3’s don’t work as well while running.
Again, it could just be my abnormally shaped ear lobes, but I’m guessing these are not built for times when your body’s natural movement can throw the buds out of ear alignment and cause the noise cancelling properties to be rendered useless.

They are shaped a little differently to others on the market, come with 3 sets of different tips for quality fitting and we suggest they are likely to work best when you use a tip that sits snug in your ear.

The commuter test:
This is where noise cancelling headphones are most useful. We listened to a movie on the bus, the sound was miles better than it usually is without the coarse sounds of the engine and the acceleration that often reverberates around the bus.

The audio definition was rich and vibrant - we can definitely recommend either unit for other forms of transport, such as the plane and train. Upper tones and mid tones were favourably reproduced; acoustic rock songs sounded a treat. Head-stomping, back bending metal classics also delivered equally.

Overall: Go the ANC7’s for all-round audio pleasure if you can afford the extra size and cost; watch the ‘warm ear effect’ and you’ll be happy. The ANC3’s can be a slightly annoying ear fit, but are almost half the price of the ANC7’s, deliver similar audio-cancelling benefits and are small and portable enough to be useful for commuting on public transport.