Introduction
Ausdom makes a variety of products, from webcams, wireless speakers to headphones. Their previous Bluetooth headphone M05 made a splash in Head-Fi, in the relatively uncharted terrain of wireless headphones. The new ANC7 on-ears already hint at the new function of Active Noise Cancelling, targeted at busy people on-the-go. It reduces background noise to barely noticeable levels. Mainly for plane, train or bus use, or for people with really talky mothers-in-law. I would like to thank Grace from Ausdom for the review sample.
Equipment Used:
Ausdom ANC7
Honor 6
Songs Listened:
A selection of 320kbps MP3s and lossless FLACs from my cellphone, including:
Katherine McPhee – Terrified (female vocals)
Fall Out Boy – The Phoenix (bass speed, slam)
James Bay – Hold Back the River (male vocals)
Sheppard – Geronimo (soundstage)
Nirvana – About a Girl (imaging, immersion)
Radiohead – Creep (treble, balance)
Adele – When We Were Young (female vocals, mids)
Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight (midbass, separation)
Pink Floyd – High Hopes (treble, soundstage)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Road Trippin’ (male vocals, mids)
And many others.
Packaging and Accessories
In an unassuming beige box the Ausdom ANC7 comes. Minimalist and understated, with black and silver text. The front of the box is straight-up two lines of text! You don’t see packaging like this anywhere. Open that up, and you get an attractive carbon fibre design case, which houses the headphones and its accessories. Included with the headphones are a manual, charge cable, and 3.5mm cable for wired listening. A clean, handy and appealing package.
Design, Build Quality and Cables
The headphones look good. The earcups and headband have the same carbon fibre design as the case, while the black and red design is a head-turner. The matte plastic at the slider and housing has a nice feel to it. I have no qualms at all about the design. Will I wear it out? Definitely. Is it a chick magnet? Err… no, unless they have a thing for carbon fibre designs. Build quality is average, no complaints other than one side of the slider having more pull resistance than the other. I would love some metal parts or anything that suggests durability because as far as I can see, this is all plastic. The 3.5mm cable seems like an afterthought rather than a main feature. They come in handy when the battery runs out, but it’s thin, tangly and does not inspire confidence. Wearing the headphones out in wired mode will negate any chick-magnet effect the ANC7 has, unless you’re Dwayne Johnson.
Fit, Isolation and Comfort
Having only tried over-ears at this point, I’m quite surprised at the level of comfort the ANC7 on-ears brings. I have a ginormous head (that likely houses an industrial-sized brain), and feared the worst. But fully stretched, the ANC7 feels light and comfy, the feeling is just short of strapping pillows onto my ears. As expected isolation is poor without ANC. Environmental noises leak in and you can only drown them by turning the music up. Unless you love visiting the audiologist (or the ENT surgeon) you’ll need a backup plan. The ANC switch decreases background noise significantly, the din caused by engines, fans, wheels and whatnot are muted. It doesn’t isolate as completely as say, CIEMs, but it’s definitely an improvement. In wired mode the isolation switch works similarly.
Pairing and Battery Life
No problem with pairing. Easy-peasy, no-hassle connecting. Signal strength is excellent, with sound quality maintained for up to 30 feet. Battery life is INSANE in the membrane! On one full charge since I got it two weeks ago, with 1-2 hours daily listening, it’s still nowhere near finished. What is this, nuclear-powered?
Overall Signature
The ANC7 has two distinct sound signatures, owing to the ANC switch. With ANC off, it’s a mid-forward, neutralish signature with boosted mids and low treble, and flat bass. The bass takes a big hit in this setting. Midbass is audible and detailed, but lacks any impact whatsoever. Subbass is practically missing. With ANC on, it takes on a more balanced, smoother signature. The bass has come out to play, but in exchange of that, the mids and treble are veiled to a degree. The ANC does its job well, cancelling out at least half of the background noise. I would say ANC off is great for vocals and acoustic-driven tracks with simpler arrangements, while ANC on is more suited for modern, mainstream music. Switching back and forth I preferred the sound quality of ANC-off mode, but have learnt to appreciate the usefulness of ANC-on as well.
Bass
ANC off: You get a level (maybe even less than that), detailed midbass with very good note articulation. Bass detail is definitely up there. However, slam, impact, rumble, decay, basically anything that makes a bass a BASS, isn’t there. Subbass is inaudible to my ears, the roll-off might have ended too early.
ANC on: This is better! Subbass rumble is light but definitely an improvement. Midbass detail is sacrificed for thicker notes, longer decay, and good slam and impact. A good bass with no bleed, if generic and slightly muddy. Proves you can’t have it all.
Mids
ANC off: For the price, the mids are beautiful and clear. Just as detailed as the bass but sounding more prominent, natural and resolved. Vocals are a treat and come alive, as do acoustic guitars and piano. They are even a tinge exciting and vibrant, striking a good balance between technicality and smoothness.
ANC on: You can’t question it, since a/b-ing is just a flick of a switch away. There is a veil. It envelops the mids with a smoothness that nearly becomes a smear in between notes. It is consistent with the note thickness of the bass however, but lacking detail and clarity in exchange for some warmth. Sounds dull compared to ANC off, but more coherent with the rest of the signature. For my taste I prefer a brighter presentation.
Treble
Treble on the whole is gentle, smooth and inoffensive, good for prolonged listening. The only difference I can tell between both trebles is that the lower treble is brighter, thinner and more prominent for ANC-off. Meaning the detail and clarity-oriented signature for ANC-off is consistent. Likewise, the smoother, darker ANC-on signature is also continued. Those looking for sparkle will be disappointed, they are quite subdued. Great news for treble-sensitive people however, harshness and sibilance are not an issue at all here. The treble rolls off quite early for both modes. It plays safe to the point that it takes no risks at all, rendering it… offensively inoffensive?
Soundstage and Imaging
ANC off: Without any bass enhancement to weigh down the sound, the signature is predictably airy. It’s pleasant, expansive and wide, with a bit of depth as well. There’s quite an impressive headspace too, I hear sounds inches in front of, and around my head. Owing to the thinner notes, separation between notes and instruments are excellent for the asking price. Listening to classical or jazz will surprise you as to what the ANC7 is capable of.
ANC on: So for a better-balanced sound signature, the soundstage suffers. It’s narrower and shallower than the staging of ANC-off and sounds congested in complicated passages. The thicker, smooth-ended notes muddle the separation as well. Owing to the fact that ANC functions more to cancel out background noise, I do understand the functionally smaller stage of this mode. In other words, in a crowded place, the last thing you’ll appreciate is how clean and airy your music is anyway.
Conclusion:
The Ausdom ANC7 presents itself as a value-for-money package with a good active noise cancelling function, and as a bonus, two distinct sound signatures. It’s like getting two headphones for the price of one, so long as you know which mode suits which music the best, you have a veritable all-rounder in your hands. Of course, signature-wise I’d love the mids, treble and soundstage of the ANC-off mode coupled with the bass and isolation of ANC-on, but we don’t live in a perfect world. The stellar battery life and attractive form-fitting case means this will get a lot of outdoor time as well. All-in-all, it is a worthy package to consider, and definitely a good alternative to the ANC stable currently dominated by Bose.