Audio Technica ATH-ANC700BT QuietPoint Review

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Boy, that title sure was a mouthful, wasn’t it? Let’s break it down. ATH-AudioTecHnica, perhaps? ANC, that one’s easy, it’s Active Noise-Canceling. 700, perhaps a model number correlating to size and position in lineup, toward the higher-end, assuming 999 would be the highest. And BT, that’s Bluetooth, clearly. As for “QuietPoint,” that’s a registered trademark of Audio Technica, and it’s their active noise-canceling branding. Why they need both ANC and “QuietPoint” is beyond me. Something tells me that Audio Technica could use a lesson in mainstream branding. However, it’s right on brand for other high-end headphones. It’s almost like audiophile street cred. Can you pronounce the name of those headphones with less than four syllables? Then how do you know they’re quality?! Air-Pods? Two syllables? That’s barely enough for dime store headphones!

If you’re an audiophile, you know Audio Technica. They have good, clear, reliable sound, with a focus on realism. They’re also insanely cheap for what you’re getting. Their wired headphones are used as monitors for sound professionals all over the world. Truly great headphones for an affordable price. That’s what Audio Technica is known for.

That’s what I knew Audio Technica for. These weren’t my first headphones from them. I also have a fantastic set if in-ear monitors from them. Dual armatures in the ATH-IM02’s, my current favorite wired headphones. I have a turntable from them that I like a whole lot. I’m also not new to reviewing headphones. Everything from high-end Harman Kardon over-ear headphones to AirPods, from HTC’s noise-canceling USB-C headphones to high-end IEMs. I wouldn’t classify myself as an audiophile, but I do care about quality and have some experience in the area.

That brings me to the Audio Technica ATH-ANC700BT. I hated how much I hated these. Let’s get to it.

I Returned These

I returned these headphones within a few weeks of using them. Now, I’m a bit of an oddball. I hate returning items. I feel as though I’ve insulted the people who made the item, I’ve wasted valuable resources in shipping and manufacturing, and, strangest of all, that I’ve insulted the item.

Perhaps that says far too much about me than I should be revealing, but the truth is, I sort of wrap up the perceived emotions of the designers, the engineers, the manufacturers, the marketing department, and everyone who made a product into that one product. I think of the product in the trash, not being appreciated when it, like all things, deserves appreciation. It’s a wonder that I haven’t become a hoarder.

I’ll give you an example. I recently sent back my GoPro Hero2 to receive a discount on a new Hero7. I had used it perhaps twice. But placing in that package, I just felt sad. Like I was betraying an old friend, or saying goodbye to something. Maybe an era. I felt a little bad returning this item I didn’t use much over the past 5 years or so to get something I’ve already used more. It’s the same sort of remorse I feel when I turn in an iPhone every year to get the new one. I haven’t even liked the design of recent models as much as older ones. Perhaps I’ve felt guilty because I didn’t like them as much.

You see where I’m going with this, right? Returning things isn’t easy for me, especially since I know items like headphones are often destroyed, never to be enjoyed by someone else again. So let me tell you, when I return something, I mean it.

These headphones deserved it. Here’s why.

Noise-Canceling

I started work in a new office and one of the first things I noticed was that everyone agreed on buying the same things. Oh, they had different desks toys, keyboards, monitors, monitor stands, clothing, and more. But one thing they agreed on was this: Sony WH-1000XM3 (See? Weird naming) headphones. They’re Sony’s top-of-the-line $350 Noise-Canceling headphones, and they sound incredible. They also make my noisy office sound like my surprisingly quiet apartment. It was astounding. They just turned so much off. It was almost disorienting. The sound quality for music is also top-notch. Reviewers are in love with the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones and the WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless Noise-Canceling AirPods competitors. Sony is at the top of its class.

Then you’ve got the Audio Technica ATH-ANC700BT headphones. They’re over-ear, like the WH-1000XM3 headphones. They’re Bluetooth. They feature multiple microphones for noise-canceling. And they’re just $229. Right now you can get them on sale from even Audio Technica for just $179. A steal!

Well, not really.

So, when I first put my ATH-ANC700BT headphones on, I was a little taken aback. Silence. Not even the hum you normally notice when your ears are covered. I accidentally started my music because I lightly touched the left ear cup, and it startled me. It seemed to be coming from nowhere. I couldn’t pinpoint its location, but it was as though the sound was going perfectly into my ear canals.

But that was in my quiet apartment.

On The Street

I live in NYC. Horns honking, subways screeching, and people talking. It’s a loud city. Usually I need to take it all in. I ride a longboard throughout the city, and I often need to hear cars approaching from behind. However, on train platforms or walking about, I don’t need to hear anything. That’s when I tested these headphones.

I could still hear the train coming. I could just barely hear train announcements. Car horns were still there. But they were soft. I knew they weren’t far away, just less important. I took my headphones off once while a train was arriving at a station and I was surprised at just how quiet they made the incoming train.

Still, I found I was listening to my headphones at a high volume, almost at maximum. This is part of the reason I wanted noise-cancellation. I didn’t want to have to turn the volume up so loud. So, yes, they definitely work on the street, but not quite enough.

In the Office

In my office, I found people literally tapping me on the shoulder more often. I just wouldn’t hear my name over my music. That doesn’t happen with my AirPods or normal headphones. They definitely give me my own little bubble to focus in. These turn my office’s volume from 100% down to maybe 25%. Tolerable, but still there.

That being said, I didn’t realize people sitting next to me were talking to me, so they definitely get the job done. If you’re looking for headphones to help you focus, these might fit the bill.

Compared to Others

This is the part that gets me. The ATH-ANC700BT headphones are actually pretty good at noise-canceling. The situations I’ve described are extreme cases, and, while not exactly what I want, the Audio Technica headphones performed admirably. They’re certainly better than the USB-C headphones that came with my HTC U11 by a long shot. But they’re not better than Sony’s solution. In my opinion, these have good noise canceling. Not the best, but still very good. For what you need noise-canceling for, they work. They’re just not the best at it. For the price? They can’t be beat.

Sound Quality

This is an area that Audio Technica doesn’t skimp on. This is the company that will sell you everything from professional studio quality headphones to in-ear monitors with quad balanced armatures or dual push-pull drivers. These are high-end, over $500 pieces of equipment for your ears. Their most expensive headphones are $4,000, and I have no doubt that, to audiophiles, they’re worth it. Audio Technica knows what they’re doing when it comes to sound quality.

This is perhaps these headphones’ strongest suit. For $180 (on sale now, perhaps permanently), they sound as good as $300 headphones. I wouldn’t say they have a large soundstage, even for closed-back over-ear headphones, but it’s decent enough for the size. Music recreation was pretty detailed. I wouldn’t say it’s as precise as their ATH-IM02 in-ear monitors, but the bass response and “feel” is better than in-ears. They weren’t “boomy” there was detail in the bass, although it wasn’t pumping hard. In fact, it lacked some “body.” This can happen with active noise-cancellation. Often these headphones drown out low frequencies to silence aircraft engines and other motors. You definitely lose some of the “presence” of the bass.

Overall, I was definitely happy with the sound quality. My music sounded great, it had excellent detail, and a decent soundstage for a closed-back design. If I had one reason to keep these headphones, it would have been the sound quality. For this price, Audio Technica is really punching up.

Microphones

I was sitting at home, listening to music when a friend called. I didn’t know where my AirPods were, so I just answered on my ATH-ANC700BT’s. The conversation was a little one-sided. That’s because, despite having multiple microphones, the Audio Technica headphones made me sound as though I was speaking from across the room… and under water. He could barely hear me. I found my AirPods and switched so he could hear me. Afterwards, I popped open the voice recorder app and decided to test them for myself. It was worse than I expected. I sounded muddled, muted, and far away. For a bit, I wondered if the headphones had no microphone at all, and my phone was somehow picking me up from the other room. That would have made more sense!

Truly, the microphone is useless on these headphones. You’ll have to take them off to answer the phone. For Bluetooth headsets, this is simply unacceptable. It’s a large reason why I returned them. These have four microphones, there’s no excuse for sounding this bad. My AirPods cut off background noise and sound crystal clear. If Apple could do it, the audio masters at Audio Technica should have had no problem.

Bluetooth Connection

I’ve been spoiled. The AirPods, 99 times out of 100, work without a second thought. Take them out, pop them in, and I’m up and running. In an extremely rare situation, I might have to put them back in the case and take them back out, or re-pair them, but this is exceedingly rare. I’ve perhaps had to do it three times since I’ve had them. I had to power cycle and forget/reconnect Audio Technica’s headphones twice in the two weeks I owned them, and suffered other accidental disconnects.

Once, while going to pause my music (an adventure I’ll discuss below), they completely disconnected and shut down. I had to power cycle them and reconnect them as a new device on my iPhone. Because I paused! I know my expectations for seamless Bluetooth are high, but this was even lower than my adjusted expectations.

Controls

I’m a software engineer, a curious person, and I try to do things right for the differently abled. That means I’ve used phones with VoiceOver modes and other low or no vision modes for testing. One of the things VoiceOver can do is change how you interact with your phone in a big way. It can enter a double-tap kind of mode, where you tap an item, hear what it is, and then tap again to select it or go back. It can feature a trackpad-like mode. This is because you couldn’t possibly be expected to interact with a touch interface you can’t see. Muscle memory can only get you so far after some practice, and it’ll open you up for mistakes.

You’ve likely figured out where this is going by now.

I do not have eyes outside of my head, pointed at my own ears. That would likely be terrifying. Therefore, I cannot see my headphones as they sit on my hears. I can’t see the tiny Audio Technica logo on the side of my headphone for, and I’m not kidding here, swipe gestures or tap controls. It’s easy to make mistakes, and would take a long time to build up accurate muscle memory. I started to get it by the end of my two week period, but that’s not intuitive or reliable. Often, it just wouldn’t recognize my gestures, or mistake a tap for a swipe.

These controls are trash, and about the worst interface I’ve encountered. And I own a 50% ortholinear keyboard! These are worse than that!

Battery Life

The battery life in these headphones is phenomenal. I used these at work and during my lengthy and crowded commute for about four days. Audio Technica claims you can get 25 hours of battery life off of a single charge, and they’re not exaggerating.

Charging, however, is a slow and tedious affair. It took 5 hours for it to reach a complete charge. Audio Technica’s headphones charge with micro-USB, and that’s not the only thing that’s outdated on them. Charging shouldn’t take most of your workday. These are headphones you’ll want to charge every night overnight just because they’ll be so annoying to use—or rather wait to use—on days when the battery dies.

Finally, there’s another quirk of the battery life in the ATH-ANC700BT. You can only see battery life in arbitrary increments. The first is 30%, then 50%, 70%, 90%, and finally, 100%. After 30%, they’ll start alerting you every 10 minutes that the battery life is dying with an annoying tone. The fact that you can’t tell when the battery will actually die and you hear this every 10 minutes is incredibly frustrating. Charging takes forever, so it’s not as though you’re going to take them off and charge them. They’ll last another 7 hours, at least, so you’ll likely just suffer for the rest of your day.

Design and Comfort

After wearing these for a about an hour, the top of my head started to hurt. I tried to give them more room, but they just never felt comfortable. It’s not the clamping force, that was fine, it’s that they feel as though they’re being pressed down into the top of my skull. So one day I take them home and wear them in front of a mirror. Good god, I look like a dork!

The headphones expand wider, rather than up and down. The point at which they expand is towards the top of the headset. That means that, even if you expand them, it’s more about accommodating the width of your head, rather than trying to reduce the pressure on the top of your head. In fact, because of the curve of the solid parts, it’s actually pressed down into your head more. Many over-ear headphones look cool. These made me look like a Doctor Who Cyberman.

Basically, you get over-ear headphones for two primary reasons. Sound quality and comfort. These weren’t comfortable to wear for more than an hour, and they made me look a bit silly. Wish I knew that before I wore them at work for two weeks.

They do roll inwards, so putting them down flat on a table is awkward, but taking them off and putting them around your neck is… also awkward. Because they expand width-wise, there’s really no way to give your neck some breathing room, so to speak. They’re a little tight up there. I wore them around my neck like this on one of my skates home, and, honestly, I was more excited to get them off me than my helmet! These fold inwards specifically for this reason, and they’re not even good at it.

One last note about the appearance. They’re not as dark as they appear to be in the photos. I had thought I was purchasing some dark gray, almost black headphones. They were just gray. A littler darker than the Cybermen above, but not by much.

Portability

These came with a soft bag. They fold flat and the earcups even twist up, so they’re decently portable. A hard case would have been better, but the soft bag is at least enough to keep them from getting scratched in a backpack. As far as large, over-ear headphones go, it’s about as portable as they can get. I’m quite impressed, really. The bag will protect your headphones from scratches, but not from more serious damage. That won’t give you confidence when carrying them around, and it’s no wonder that third party hard cases are popular with this model.

CHIRP!

I found a few other reviewers noted the same issue. On the right ear, a loud noise would chirp. It sounded like a click or electronic chirp. It would usually be when the volume was turned down, or your music was softer. Perhaps this is the only time I could notice it. Still, this loud, disruptive chirp in one ear made me feel as though I had to be careful with these. They were clearly malfunctioning, and mine weren’t the only ones with this issue. This may be a problem with their active noise-cancellation. It could be a software or firmware issue, or it could be a design flaw. I won’t know, I returned them before I could find out.

Wired Listening

If you told me a few years ago that I’d test headphones and not test them in wired mode at all, I would have thought you were crazy. I have a pair of Bluetooth Harman Kardon headphones, and I never use them in Bluetooth mode. They disconnect frequently, and the sound quality isn’t as good on Bluetooth. Furthermore, there’s audio lag!

But modern Bluetooth is much better. While I did have a few small disconnection issues with these, which means you’d likely have issues about 4-6 times a month, they weren’t so bad that I was reaching for the cable. However, I never tested these with the headphone cable. Not once. The sound quality was great, and I just didn’t see the need.

Congratulations, Apple, you really did kill the headphone jack.

Overall 2 / 10

As hard as it was to return these, it’s even more difficult to give them such a low rating. I love the products this company makes and wanted to like these. I was rooting for them! Audio Technica’s customer service is top-notch and their products last. Usually, they’re great. But this was abysmal. Decent sound quality, surprisingly good battery life, and acceptable noise-cancellation just couldn’t make up for the terrible controls, useless microphones, weird looking design, Bluetooth issues, battery annoyances, extreme discomfort, and disruptive chirping. They’re too flawed to be good enough to tolerate.

Yes, they’re cheap. If all you want is decent sound quality with decent noise canceling and you care about nothing else, they’ll work for you. But honestly? I think spending a little more money on their competitor’s products would be a sound investment.

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After I returned these headphones, I preordered the Beats Solo Pro headphones. Apple then rewarded this preorder by also releasing the AirPods Pro in-ear headphones a few days later. Those reviews are in the works, but here’s a first look at them.