Gadling gear review – Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC3 noise canceling headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

In one of the final Gadling gear reviews of 2009, I’ll show off the Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC3 noise canceling headphones. The ATH-ANC3’s use active noise cancellation to drown out the noise around you. The exact technology behind noise cancellation is pretty complicated, but all you need to know is that these headphones use tiny microphones to listen to the sounds around you, and use something called “antinoise” to cancel out engine noise, crying babies and nagging seatmates.

The ATH-ANC3’s consist of a small control box, a regular 3.5mm headphone jack and 2 earpieces. The earpieces are slightly larger than “normal” earphones, but are extremely comfortable. Included with the package are 2 additional sets of replacement ear-gels, so you’ll always be able to find the perfect fit.

Since the earpieces are “in-ear”, they provide a very good sound seal, which is the first level of defense against unwanted noise. Even when not powered on, the headphones block out a considerable amount of sound. The control pod houses a single AAA battery (one is included in the box). The best part of the electronics is that the headphone still work when the battery dies. This means you won’t lose your music if you forget to bring a spare battery.

Controls on the pod are simple – power and monitor. The monitor button allows you to listen to the outside noise, without having to remove the headphones. This is of course perfect if you need to listen to a cabin announcement.

Audio performance from the QuietPoint ATH-ANC3 headphones is quite simply spectacular. Music sounds vibrant, with plenty of bass. When you enable the noise cancellation circuit, you obviously hear a minor reduction in sound quality, but unlike with some other headphones, this reduction is very minor. In addition to this, the ATH-ANC3’s produce virtually no background “hiss”, something many other noise canceling headphones suffer from.

The noise cancellation rating from Audio-Technica is 20dB, or up to 90%. While the ATH-ANC3’s may not kill all engine noise on your flight, they will greatly reduce it, to the point where your flight (and music) becomes much more comfortable.

The headphones come in a very nice hard carrying pouch. Included in the package is a half meter extension cable, airplane jack adapter, a AAA battery and an assortment of replacement earpieces.

Final thoughts

When you start shopping for noise canceling headphones, you need to make several choices – you can go with passive headphones (that only isolate the noise), you can pick large on-ear headphones, or in-ear ones like the ATH-ANC3’s. The advantage of in-ear headphones is that they work well for side sleepers making it possible to take a nap on your flight.

The sound quality of the Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC3 headphones is fantastic, as its ability to cancel outside noise. But perhaps its best feature is the price – the MSRP (from Audio-Technica) is $169.95, but smart shoppers can often find them for as low as $50. We have regularly featured them as one of our daily deals here on Gadling.

To be honest – even at the $170 price point, these headphones are very much worth it. They are compact, run forever off a single battery, and produce exceptional noise cancellation. But when you find them at $50, you are practically stealing them.

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 product page

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The top ten travel products of 2009

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to the Gadling Gear Review “best of 2009”. Winning a spot in the Gadling top ten lineup of travel gadgets is a huge honor – Over 250 gadgets pass through our hands each year, some great, and some not so great.

The ten products in this list show the best of the best in the travel gadget world. Each of these products offers something special, something not found anywhere else or something that is just downright awesome. Every single one of these products has been tested by the Gadling labs – we don’t do cut and paste reviews. The list of the ten products is published in no specific order.


Verizon Wireless MiFi

Getting online has never been easier than with the MiFi. The MiFi is a combination of a wireless router and a mobile broadband adapter, all in a device a third of the thickness of a deck of cards. With its internal battery, you can create your own personal wireless hotspot, anywhere in range of the Verizon Wireless broadband network.

Why it matters for travelers? Screw paid hotel Internet – create your own hotspot where you want.

Price: $49.99 (with a 2 year service agreement)
Where to get it: Verizon Wireless

Manfrotto ModoSteady

The Manfrotto ModoSteady is the perfect accessory for anyone traveling with an HD camera or camcorder. It allows you to play movie director with its steady camera mount, and in a matter of seconds, you can transform it into a mini tripod or shoulder mount.

Why it matters for travelers? One device is a tripod, steady-cam mount and shoulder mount, all in just 500 grams.

Price: $119
Where to get it: www.manfrotto.com
Gadling review: September 2009

Tom Bihn bags Tri-Star

Tom Bihn was featured in our best of 2008 lineup with their Checkpoint Flyer bag, and this year they did it again. Their Tri-Star bag beat every other bag I tested in 2009, and earns a well deserved spot in the this lineup.

The Tri-Star is an astounding bag – it is a shoulder bag, backpack and carry-on all in one. There is enough space for a laptop, documents and clothes for a couple of days.

Why it matters for travelers? The perfect bag for one-bag travelers.

Price: $249
Where to get it: www.tombihn.com
Gadling review: June 2009

iPhone 3GS

In 2009, the iPhone went from good to great. It gained more speed, and a better camera. These minor changes alone are obviously not enough to make it to our list – what helped this phone win a spot in our lineup are the applications. No other phone in the world has the same level of fantastic applications as the iPhone.

Especially in the travel application segment, the iPhone beats every other platform. With fantastic apps like FlightTrack Pro, the iPhone has reached “must have” status for anyone on the road. 2010 may prove to be a challenging year for the iPhone – new devices are going to do their best to knock it from its throne, but without support from developers, the iPhone will still remain the leader.

Why it matters for travelers? The best device for the best in mobile travel applications.

Price: From $199
Where to get it: www.apple.com

Gogo Inflight service

What started as a service on a handful of planes, is now the driving force behind Internet in the skies on almost 700 aircraft. The Gogo Inflight service provides affordable and speedy Internet access for your laptop, PDA or smartphone. It finally brings an end to watching reruns of stuff you don’t even want to watch once.

In just 12 months, Gogo managed to find its way onto 6 airlines, 2 of which offer it on every single one of their planes.

Why it matters for travelers? What better way to spend six hours trapped in a metal tube?

Price: From $5.95 / flight
Where to get it: Participating airlines

Olympus E-P1

Earlier this year, Olympus announced their newest digital camera – the PEN E-P1 offers almost all the features you’d expect from a large digital SLR camera, but without the bulk. Its smaller size makes it perfect for travel, and since it can be outfitted with any Micro Four/Thirds lens, you can pick the right lens for your shots.

Why it matters for travelers? Smaller and lighter than a digital SLR, with the same great photos and great HD video.

Price: $799
Where to get it: www.olympus.com
Gadling review: June 2009

Bose Quiet Comfort QC15

For years, when you wanted noise canceling headphones, you purchased Bose. As the headphone marketplace filled up with new companies, Bose continued to innovate, and churned out even better products. In 2009, they released the QC15 headphones, and instantly secured their spot as the best in the market. The new QC15’s are lighter, and block even more outside noise than the previous models.

Why it matters for travelers? Blocks out crying babies, engine noise and fellow passengers.

Price: $299
Where to get it: www.bose.com

Lug NAPSAC and SNUZSAC

As airlines cut corners, passengers need to carry their own blanket and pillow – something the folks at LUG noticed. They invented the NAPSAC and SNUZSAC.

These products appear to be regular pillows. The smart part of these things is that they can be unzipped, to remove an ultra-soft blanket, then inflated back to their normal shape. End result – a pillow and a blanket. Before landing, you simply deflate the pillow, pop the blanket back inside, and pack it in your bag.

Why it matters for travelers? Airlines don’t care about your comfort, so take good care of yourself

Price: $28 (NAPSAC) $30 (SNUZSAC)
Where to get it: www.lugtravel.com

Callpod Fueltank

I love backup battery chargers. They allow me to charge my equipment anywhere I am. And what could be better than a single battery charger? Well, how about one that charges two devices at the same time! The Callpod Fueltank uses the same power tips as on the award winning Callpod Chargepod, which means you can put together a power kit that’ll charge six products in your room, and two on the go.

Why it matters for travelers? A gadget with an empty battery is about as useful as a fart in a spacesuit.

Price: $59.95
Where to get it: www.callpod.com

Macally PowerLink

This gadget caught me by completely by surprise when I received it. When I read the product description, I didn’t really expect too much, but it has actually turned out to be one of the most impressive little gadgets I’ve seen all year.

The Macally PowerLink is an iPod/iPhone backup charger, 2GB flash drive and USB connector in one device. It’ll charge your device to about 50% (great for emergencies), it holds 2GB of your most important files, and it means you can leave your iPhone cable at home.

Why it matters for travelers? One device to sync, charge and power your iPhone and carry 2GB of your most important files

Price: $49.95
Where to get it: www.macally.com

Gadling gear review – Able Planet Clear Harmony noise canceling headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

Regular travelers will know that a well performing pair of noise canceling headphones are an integral part of a road warrior arsenal. Good headphones block out engine noise, seatmates, crying babies and flight attendants. In recent years. the noise canceling technology inside these headphones has improved to the point where they can cancel out almost all the outside noise. Flying in peace has never been easier.

In this Gadling gear review, we’ll look at the Able Planet Clear Harmony noise canceling headphones. Able Planet may not be the largest manufacturer of headphones, but they produce a very well rated lineup of headphones, including several active noise canceling models.

The technology behind active noise cancellation

Active noise canceling technology works by listening to the noise around your head, and producing anti-noise. By canceling out the waveforms picked up by your ears, you can actually make the noise go away. If you have never worn a pair of active noise canceling headphones, your first experience with them will be awesome.

The Clear Harmony headphones are the top of the line headphones from Able Planet. They come in a very nice sturdy carrying case, and include an audio cable with volume control, dual plug adapter, 1/4″ adapter and batteries.

The headphones themselves are very comfortable – a padded leather headband and earpieces make for a really good fit. On the left earpiece, you’ll find a battery cover (the headphones take 2 AAA batteries), a power switch with green LED indicator and the 3.5mm audio input.

One of the first features I need to point out is that the headphones work when the batteries are empty or the headphones are turned off. This is perfect when you run out of power halfway over the ocean, or when you want to use them during takeoff and landing.

Audio performance

Audio is the next feature that deserves some attention – the Clear Harmony headphones sound absolutely fantastic. Able Planet clearly spent as much time on the noise cancellation as they did on making sure the audio sounded good. Even with the noise cancellation circuit turned on, bass is nice and powerful, and there is little to no “hiss” as found on older generation noise canceling headphones.

Noise cancellation

Now on to the noise cancellation itself; it is good, but not great. I compared the Clear Harmony headphones with the Bose QC2 and QC15 headphones, and the Audio Technica ATH-ANC3 active noise canceling headphones. Sadly, they did not perform as well as any of these competitors. That said – their audio quality was sufficient for me to still enjoy listening to them.

The Able Planet Clear Harmony headphones come with a $299.99 price tag. This is 4 cents more than the retail price of the newest Bose headphones, the Quiet Comfort 15’s.

Thankfully there is good news as well – the Clear Harmony headphones can be found online for as little as $210 – which
suddenly makes them a tremendous good deal.

Final thoughts

Despite the fact that their noise cancellation is weaker than the competition, the Able Planet Clear Harmony headphones make up for this shortcoming with some fantastic audio. The package itself is also great – a good study carrying case and volume control audio cable complete the package.

All in all, I’m happy to recommend the Clear Harmony headphones to anyone looking for an affordable pair of noise canceling headphones, without breaking the bank. You can read more about the Able Planet Clear Harmony headphones at the web site of the manufacturer.

Daily gear deal – $50 off Etymotic Research HF5 noise isolating headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

Noise isolating headphones are a travelers best friend – they are compact, easy to pack, and don’t require batteries. And affordable noise isolating headphones don’t get much better than the Etymotic Research HF5’s.

Not only do these headphones look awesome, they are available in three different colors and deliver fantastic sound quality and noise isolation.

The Etymotic Research HF5’s normally retail for $149, but Amazon is selling them for just $99.99 after you apply a $50 off coupon code. After you have added the color you want to your shopping cart, simply apply coupon code CED3JMZB during checkout.

The HF5’s come complete with a variety of earpieces, a cleaning tool, shirt clip and a carrying pouch.

Daily deal – noise canceling headphone sale

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a decent lineup of discounts on some pretty popular headphones.

Included in the sale is something for everyone. From $100 off the Creative Labs Aurvana X-FI noise canceling headphones (reviewed here last year) to 5 different in-ear isolating earbuds, starting at just $4.99.

Do yourself a favor, and get some decent noise isolating/canceling headphones, you’ll really appreciate getting some peace and quiet on your next flight!

Remember, any order over $25 ships for free, and Amazon prime members can get free 2 day shipping.