The noise-canceling world is tough to measure up to, but Ableplanet has made an awesome product that serves an honest alternative to the Bose systems.
It’s impossible to make a second first impression. Able Planet made a great first impression by
packaging their noise-canceling phones with some handy extras. They included two adapters: a regular1/4” and
one that converts a regular 1/8” jack into to two 1/8” mono jacks (for
airplanes). These adapters and the main
audio cable have their own mesh compartment next to the headphones in a
semi-hard shelled case. The only thing
missing from the case is a place to grab and hold it.
The most dominant feature of these phones is the
noise-canceling feature. With no cord
plugged in, you can just sit back, flip the small switch below the right ear’s
casing and ambient background noise is replaced with gentle white noise. However, when the cord is plugged into a
device, there seems to be a low frequency grounding problem. It becomes completely unnoticeable once music
or audio starts playing, so it’s not interfering with the audio cleanliness.
So how do they stack up against, let’s say, Bose’s
noise-canceling phones? My comparative
Bose model was the QC-1 (now replaced).
Hands down, Ableplanet wins by design.
The Bose have an in-line external box for the batteries and
noise-canceling electronics. The box has
a selector for lo or hi signal level against the noise cancellation. Ableplanet has a single cord from the left
phone with a small volume slider that ultimately serves the same function. The Able Planet’s cord unplugs from the
phones, so you have the option to get the noise-cancellation without anything
else. They also clamp to your head a
little harder which provided better sound isolation.
The dynamics of these phones are best enjoyed when kept at
reasonable levels. Anything “loud” seems
to bury certain timbres, especially vocal lines. When the noise-canceling feature is enabled,
the audio signal’s upper end is boosted by a few decibels starting around what
sound like 3 KHz. This helps drown out
the background noise even more, but also delivers brighter audio and enhances
general presence.
Overall tone of these phones is incredible. The lower end’s instruments translate well in
the mix, especially kick drums, which cuts through neat and tight. When kept at a modest level, the mix also has
plenty of room to breathe, so you can enjoy those deep-in-the-mix tracks. They’re perfect for listening to heavy low
ends with hot transients, so bump Tower
of Power and Stevie
Wonder with complete confidence.
The Verdict
