AKG N700NC

FOR Solid design; rich, controlled sound; good detail and weight AGAINST Lack subtlety; noise cancelling is bettered

Our first impression of the N700NCS is positive. Build quality is solid, with smooth surfaces and a rubberised finish on the covers. Chrome and silver accents around buttons and the edges of earcups give them a visual lift. The hinged design means portability isn’t a problem. They can either be laid flat for storage or folded up and dropped in a bag. Or you can use the matching case. The leatherette-clad memoryfoam cushions comfortably envelope your ears, while the earcups swivel so they can they be angled to achieve the best fit. An extra layer of cushioning under the headband allows them to nestle on your head without digging in.

Higher quality support

The AKG N700NCS use Bluetooth 4.2 but, as with the Bose, there’s no aptx to support higher-quality audio. The lack of aptx Low Latency support means the headphones are prone to lip sync issues.

The button arrangement is pretty straightforward, with controls on the left and power and noise-cancelling options on the right. All the buttons respond with a solid, confident click. The AKG Headphone app allows you to control the Smart Ambient feature, which is split into two elements. The slick Ambient Aware feature drops both the sound level and the noise-cancelling down a notch so more outside audio is allowed through. Talk Thru drops the volume completely so you can have a conversation or listen to announcements.

Battery life is 20 hours with Bluetooth and noise-cancelling turned on, rising to 36 hours with a wired connection. In the box, there is an aeroplane adapter, USB charging cable and headphone cable with a one-button control that will work across most mobile devices.

Compared with rivals, such as the Sony WH-1000XM3S or Bose QC35 IIS, the AKGS don’t display the same prowess when it comes to noise-cancelling. They don’t suck all the external sound away in the same way the very best do. We are still aware of certain noises, and never get the same feeling of isolation and clarity that you get from its rivals.

Solid sound

The AKG’S are easy to listen to, with a solid and controlled sound. Playing Tokyo Myers’ Bloodstream, there’s a good sense of solidity to the piano notes, but the AKGS struggle to communicate the dynamic shifts and subtleties in the notes as well as the best. Rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM3S and B&W PXS extract more detail and handle the delicate keystrokes with greater care.

As the track gets into its stride, the AKGS don’t follow the rhythm quite as effortlessly as the class-leaders. There is a good sense of weight and power, but rivals convey the drama with more finesse. It's a solid performance, but one that never quite reaches the heights.

The best headphones in this category deliver a higher standard of sound quality and also boast superior noise cancelling. That’s not to say the N700NCS don’t have plus points – their solid, confident sound is appealing in itself – but there aren’t enough of them to elevate their rating above four stars.