In 2019, noise canceling headphones have finally become more or less mainstream. This is confirmed by two simple facts: firstly, Apple entered the ANC headphones market this year with its AirPods Pro, and secondly, Chinese companies began to actively shine on it, traditionally offering 'top for their money ', and the money is very modest. Therefore, today, on the eve of the New Year holidays, when the whole world chooses gifts for themselves and loved ones, I decided to make a selection of inexpensive models worth paying attention to, up to 12,000 rubles. Go!
Budget up to 4,000 rubles
In the segment of super-cheap headphones with ANC up to 4 thousand rubles, of course, Chinese companies rule the ball. Among them, Bluedio, Ausdom and Mixcder have recently become popular. All these headphones offer an ineffective noise reduction, which can save some of the sounds at home, in an office, a cafe and on an uninhabited street, but in the subway or plane there will be very little sense from it. As for the sound, my colleagues often praise it, because it is probably worth the money. But the key word here is precisely 'price', so only those with undemanding ears should consider these models for purchase.
Ausdom ANC10. The most inexpensive model, which is sold on AliExpress for about 3 thousand without discounts and coupons, and during sales can be found for 2 thousand rubles. Roman Belykh shot a video about her in a blitz format and noted a very modest appearance, typical for cheap 'Chinese', and an incomprehensible fit, because of which Roman's rather big head drowned in the headphones even without pulling out the bowls.
And I also met a funny fact on the Web that, despite the full-size design, the ears may not completely fit into the bowls. But they play really well – for their money, for sure. And the claimed autonomy with ANC is up to 20 hours, but in the case of Chinese headphones, it is better to immediately divide by two and rejoice if they work longer.
Mixcder E7. More interesting headphones in terms of design, they look especially cool in orange.
These are on-ear headphones, and the fit is more thoughtful and versatile, and the headband is made of eco-leather, which makes the headphones look more expensive than they actually cost. The claimed autonomy is up to 25 hours, but I already wrote above what figure to divide it by.
- Mixcder E7 ANC Headphone Quick Review
Bluedio T7. This model stands out with more efficient noise reduction than the other two models, a USB-C connector for charging (but no 3.5 mm for a wired connection), and a sensor that pauses playback when the headphones are removed. Plus, they have the largest claimed autonomy – up to 30 hours. Not bad for a $ 3k price tag, isn't it?
Budget up to 8,000 rubles
If you have a little more budget for the purchase of headphones than none, then starting from the amount of 6-8 thousand rubles, you can already find something from recognized brands, for example, Sennheiser or Plantronics.
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC. One of the most inexpensive and interesting full-size models with ANC recently began to be sold for almost 6 thousand rubles, although more recently it was sold for 12 thousand, and even for this money they were excellent headphones.
There is Apt-X, and NFC, and an excellent design with an abundance of eco-leather elements, and a chic autonomy (up to 19 hours). The only noticeable disadvantage is not the newest Bluetooth version 4.1, but with all the other advantages, this moment seems insignificant. If you are planning to buy noise canceling headphones and want to pay a minimum of money and still get great sound and effective ANC, then definitely look towards the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC. I think you will not be disappointed.
Plantronics BackBeat GO 810. The younger brother of the still popular BackBeat Pro 2 model, which received a more modest appearance: a plastic headband instead of a leather one, no plastic wood inserts and a good complete case. But this model received the same decent sound and effective ANC as the older model.
Unfortunately, Apt-X is not here, but thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 there is no noticeable audio lag when working with iPhone and Android smartphones, which is valuable. Real runtime – over 20 hours with ANC activated. Today, these headphones can be found from 7 thousand rubles.
- Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 review
Budget up to 12,000 rubles
In this segment you can already find Sony headphones, as well as an interesting novelty in a form factor unusual for ANC.
Sony WH-CH700N. The youngest model in the current line of full-size Sony with ANC, but using a number of Japanese developments from the older models. It combines the most effective noise reduction for its price and a fairly clean and even sound without accents on any spectrum.
Supported codecs Apt-X HD and AAC (but not proprietary LDAC, which is a pity), there is NFC, and a record 35 hours with activated noise reduction is declared. These headphones cost 10 thousand rubles, and today this is almost the best option in the indicated budget. Questions here can only arise about the design – it is very old-fashioned, in my opinion.
Huawei FreeBuds 3. These are almost the only headphones in the world with active noise canceling, made in the form factor of 'droplets'. Due to this, ANC should not be perceived as the main feature – nevertheless, the effectiveness of the noise reduction, due to the complete lack of sound insulation, is noticeably inferior to the full-size and overhead options. But, one way or another, this is not a marketing ploy, but a really working function that allows you to hear less surrounding sounds.
In addition, there is excellent sound, a convenient and compact case with wireless charging, sensitive microphones for voice calls and serious autonomy for TWS up to 5 hours with ANC activated. At a cost of 11 thousand rubles, they are a worthy competitor for AirPods, which will suit owners of Android devices without any problems.
- HUAWEI FreeBuds 3 Review
Conclusion
As you may have noticed, active noise control is confidently striding into the masses, and the number of models in the lower price segments is becoming more and more. It's nice that there really is plenty to choose from, even with only 3 thousand rubles in your pocket, and by allocating 6-10 thousand rubles for the purchase, you can generally buy excellent headphones both in terms of sound and in terms of ANC efficiency. Today, in order to get a little more comfort when being in noisy places, it is not necessary to have an extra 20-30 thousand, as 2-3 years ago, and this is good.