Screenshot courtesy of Parker Hall
It works better on some productions than others. I liked it on much acoustic music, but a recent version of “Seventeen” by Sharon Van Etten with Norah Jones gets a bit too forward in the kick drum and bass, leaving out a bit of the vocal detail that sits just above it on higher-end pairs.
Adjusting the EQ inside the associated Audio Technica Connect App to the Clear Vocal setting (you can also pick between Bass Boost, V-Shaped, and Treble Enhance, among others) worked well to solve this problem. The app also has controls for noise canceling and hear-through modes, and you can tailor an individual five-band EQ to your liking if you don’t like the presets.
The app is also where you’ll get software and firmware updates for the headphones, which easily install in a few minutes as long as the headphones are paired via Bluetooth.
Dual microphones on the earbuds mean that you’ll sound fine on calls, and the noise canceling quality is actually very solid, especially for buds in this price range. It’s nearly impossible to hear the clicks of my very bright-sounding mechanical keyboard with even low-level music playing, thanks to the excellent seal of the earbuds. HVAC noises all but disappear as well. You’ll get better reduction from the best of Apple, Bose, and Sony, but these hold their own with the vast majority of competitors this side of $250.
The weirdest part of these buds is a “Soundscape” function in the app, in which Audio Technica included “relaxing sounds of nature, a masking noise to help you concentrate, or sounds for meditation.” I’m not sure why I needed that in an app to control wireless earbuds, but sure.
As far as a pair of earbuds that sound decent, work awesome, and can take all that life throws at them (including the occasional misplacing of their charging case), there is very little to dislike about these. They work well, fit great, and have the longest battery life I’ve ever seen from a pair of wireless buds. For $150, that’s a solid deal.
