Computer Shopper - UK (2019-12)

ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 37

AKG N700NCM2

★★★★★

£269•From http://www.samsung.com

OVER-EAR BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES

AKG’SLONGHISTORYin studio headphones
is well established, but it’s not quiteasw ell
known that the brand istodaypart of
Samsung-owned Harman. That’s why you’ll
see AKG-tuned earbuds supplied with
Samsung’stop-end smartphones, and it’s a
relationship that has helped the firm gain a
foothold in the high-tech headphone market.
This is where its latest AKGNͶ00NC Û2
headphones sit. They’re the latest attempt
by Samsung/AKGtod islodge the Bose
ĒuietComfort 35 II (Shopper362) and the
Sony WH-1000XÛ3 (Shopper3Ͷ5) from
their positions as the best noise-cancelling
headphones moneycan buy.

WELLWORN
As adirect rivalto those most popularof
headphones, it shouldn’t come as any surprise
to find that the corefeature setof the AKG
NͶ00NC Û2 makesforfamiliar reading. This is
apair of primarily wireless headphones that
use Bluetooth 4.2to connectto and receive
audio from your smartphone.
Like the ĒuietComfort 35 II, they’re
over-the-ear models thatfold awa yneatly and
have active noise cancellation that cuts down
on background noise such as aeroplane
engines and train clatter.They’re battery-
powered,too, and will give you 23 hoursof
playback with Bluetooth and noise cancellation
enabled, and upto 32 hours with Bluetoothoff
when listening via an analogue 3.5mm cable.
In the box isa2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable that
allows youto do just that, and this is
complementedby al·SB Type-C
charging cable,adouble-
pronged airline adaptor
and acompact,
semi-hard caseto
stow the headphones
in aɗer use.
At Δ269,the AKG
NͶ00NC Û2 are
unusually cheapforapair
of flagship wireless ANC
headphones͵ most headphones
of this ilk generally come in at Δ329
or more.While that’s goodto see,they’re
still atouch more expensive than the
WH-1000XÛ3 and the ĒuietComfort 35
II, which have both been discounted
since launch from Δ330to Δ260.
That’s not muchof adiscrepancy,
however,and there’s plenty about
these headphones that make them
worth considering. They’re very well

made,for starters. They’re more

robust-feeling than the

ĒuietComfort 35 II and their slightly

more compact memoryfoam

earpads are very comfortable,too.If

you have large ears, you might want

to try be fore you buy,because

there’s less room inside the cups

foryour lugsto breathe.

AMBIANCE CHASER

AKGhas also kept the controls

simple,with no fiddlytouch-sensitive

areas to worry about settingoff by

accident. The leɗearcup gives you

three buttonsforpause and play, volume

and skip,and on the right earcup is the

combined power and pairing switch, as well

as abutton that activates the AKG’sTalk Thru

and AmbientAware functions.

Ŵoucan choose whichfeature is assigned

to the button in the accompanying

smartphone app.Choose Talk Thru and, when

you hit the button, the music is muted

dramatically,and the external microphones

are activated so you can carry out a

conversation without havingto remove the

headphones. AmbientAware mode leaves the

music volume largely as it is, but mixes in a

little external audio so you’re not completely

sealed off from the outside world.

What you don’t get with the AKGNͶ00NC

Û2 is adigital assistant activation button or

any kindof adjustabilityforthe noise

cancellation beyond the two ambient sound

options. It is possibleto createyour

own LĒ settings through the

app,however.

Possibly the most

disappointing element

of the AK GNͶ00NC

Û2 is the strengthof

the active noise

cancellation.We

compared the

headphones backto

back withapair of

the ĒuietComfort 35 II

on the London

l·nderground and, while

the AKG’s noise

cancellation was

reasonablyeffective at

cutting out the clatter and

roar of the train on the

tracks, itfell well shortof

the standards setby Bose’s

headphones. Sufficeto saythe NͶ00NC Û2

won’t beat the WH-1000XÛ3, either,as

these haveeven moreeffect ANC than the

ĒuietComfort 35 II.

Sound quality,ont he other hand, is a

different matter entirely.Inl ess extreme

environments, where the noise cancellation

level isn’t as critical, the NͶ00NC Û2 truly

shine: performance is superb across the

audio spectrum, and especially in the bass.

Ûany headphones struggle with reproducing

the soundof adouble bass sound, getting all

boomy or simply not injecting the audio with

enough oomph, but this isn’t the case with

the NͶ00NC Û2, which absolutely nail the

sense of solidity,control and clarity.

INSTRUMENTAL SUCCESS

Theyrepeat this performance through the mid

range,too,extending well at thetopend and

performing well with pretty much any musical

genre we threw at them. Heavy metal is

dispatchedwithasmuchclarityandauthorityas

classical͵ these are multi-talented headphones

that never seemto be unsettledby anything,

and they’re simplyajoy to listen to.

The Sony WH-1000XÛ3 still have better

noise cancellation, which might be preferable

if you travel regularly or commutevia train,

but the NͶ00NC Û2 win out on sheer audio

quality.Since they’re also comfortable and

finely craɗed, theyare absolutely worthyof

your consideration.

»o˪ƎthƎ˪rƎѽ

VERDICT

Theseheadphones’noisecancellingisn’tthe
best,buttheirsoundqualityjustmightbe

HEADPH ONESSUBTYPEOver-ear•PLUGTYPE3.5mm•

WEIGHT277g•CABL ELENGTH1m•WARRANTYOne

yearRTB•DETAILSwww.akg .com•PARTCO DE

GP-N700HAHCIWA

SPECIFICATIONS