Review: Able Planet NC200 Noise Cancelling Headphones

Overview

Being an urban dweller I often find myself wanting a bit of peace and quiet, some space to relax with my thoughts and my music - or just to escape the strange gazes on the tube. So for me, a pair of noise cancelling headphones makes a lot of sense and having tried several already I was keen to get my hands on these NC200s.

Review

First things first and as first impressions count – I really like the matte black of these headphones. It definitely gives them a nice finish, though they aren’t the ‘coolest’ or best looking on the block. Truth be told, they feel a little on the cheap-end of the spectrum, but they are a budget version of Able Planet’s $349 award winning NC1000H model so that’s not a total surprise.

Able Planet thoughtfully include a AAA battery and a 1/4-inch jack adaptor in case you want to plug it into a stereo, rather than 3.5mm output. The NC200’s also come with a little carry-bag, but it offers zero protection so the point is a little lost on me.

They fold for extra portability and convenience which is pretty nifty in itself, but combined with the wire being totally removable from the headphones, it means that you shouldn’t have problems caused by wrapping it up too many times either. Though we can’t vouch for whether or not you will lose it!

Obviously, it’s really the sound quality that makes or breaks a pair of headphones and with Able Planet’s award winning LINX audio technology, as well as active noise cancellation (ANC) I had high hopes.

The active noise cancelling feature is powered by the triple A battery but unlike on some rival manufacturers headphones, the NC200s can be used with or without the ANC turned on. At least in theory.

I very quickly noticed that with the ANC turned off the headphones produced a very weak sound, as if the music was somewhere in the distance; perhaps "muddy" might be the best way to describe it, certainly not a sound quality you would want to listen to on a permanent basis.

A quick flick of the switch located on the right hand earpiece is all it took to switch to ANC mode and immediately I noticed a vast difference in clarity. The sound being produced was far more clear, and gave a nice crisp quality to mids and trebles, and whilst it obviously boosted the bass and gave more of a thump, it did tend to distort a little at higher volumes. I found that the leakage on these is fairly substantial so listening to them too loud might not be the best idea in public anyway.

I tested these thoroughly in central London - on the tube, on the streets, even on my bike for a little while (though I cannot conscientiously recommend noise cancelling headphones whilst cycling!) and the noise cancellation feature does work to an extent, it just comes at a cost. In this case the cost is slightly overpowering mid and treble and unfortunately the ANC feature also produces a very low level hiss that’s audible when there isn’t anything playing or you’re at a quiet part in the song or film. Fortunately it’s not a total action-killer for me, in the course of listening to your everyday music and in most situations it’s not that noticeable - only when it goes quiet.

I do really like the fact that they included an inline-volume control part way down the headphone cord - very handy indeed, particularly on these cold, gloved Winter days.

In terms of comfort the NC200s are perform well, certainly not weighing too heavily or becoming uncomfortable during late night gaming sessions, though I would have preferred a slightly more snug fit to my head.

Gaj-it Verdict

Design: 6
Useability: 7
Features:7
Value:8

We Say

Overall these are a decent set of noise cancelling cans. They fold away neatly, the cable is fully removable, and they do actually help combat exterior noise. Sure, they aren’t up to Bose quality but then again they don’t have a Bose price tag either because you can pick a pair up for around $70-$100 which really represents great value for money.

So, if you’re an audiophile and want the best sound you can get then you may want to check out the more expensive options such as the NC100H, or the competition’s offerings. But if you’re in the market with a more modest budget (who isn’t at the moment!) you can do much worse than to check out the NC200s, as long as you aren’t bothered by the low level background hiss in quiet moments.

They do the job, and do it reasonably well - just not the best, but I no longer have to listen to the constant assault of city noise which is always something to be thankful for, and as an added bonus, they keep your ears warm too!