AKG N700NC M2  Headphones Review

The AKG N700NCM2 have a near-identical look to their predecessor, the AKG N700NC Wireless. They have a premium look with curved hinges and dense padding. However, they only come in 'Black'.

The AKG N700NC M2 are comfortable, thanks to their lightweight design and good padding. However, they clamp tightly on your head, and some users may find this sensation feels uncomfortable over time.

The AKG N700NCM2 have good controls. There are physical buttons on each ear cup, which are clicky. There's a chime to let you know when you've reached max volume and when you've paired the headphones to your device. There aren't any voice prompts, though, and the beeps sound similar for all commands.

On the left earcup:

• '+' button:
• Single press: Raises the volume.
• Three-second press: Skips the track forward.
• '-' button:
• Single press: Lowers the volume.
• Three-second press: Skips the track backward.
• Center button:
• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends calls.
• Press and hold: Declines a call.

On the right earcup:

• Action (AmbientAware) button:
• Single press: Turns 'AmbientAware' on and off. This setting keeps your audio at the same volume while also letting you hear your surroundings. You can remap this command to trigger 'TalkThru' via the companion app instead. This is advertised to boost the frequency range of human voices and reduce your own audio's volume so that you can hear conversations more clearly. When you're in a call, this button also mutes and unmutes your mic.
• Double press: Activates voice assistant.
• Power button:
• Single press: Turns the headphones on and off.
• Slide downwards: Enters Bluetooth pairing mode.

The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Headphones have a somewhat bulky design, which is to be expected for over-ear headphones. You can fold them inwards or lay the ear cups flat to help save space. They also come with a carrying case to protect them when you're on the go.

These headphones come with a great carrying case. It's made of a cloth material, which feels solid and durable. There's a zipper that fully closes and a rubber material to cover it. There's also a small carrying handle.

The build quality is good. They're mostly made of plastic, with faux leather padding and a metal plate to help reinforce the headband. As a result, they can survive an accidental drop or two without taking too much damage. However, some users have reported the hinges of their units breaking over continuous use.

The AKG N700NCM2 have a slightly more stable fit than the AKG N700NC Wireless due to their higher clamping force. However, they're not designed for use during workouts or sport and can fall off your head with more intense movement. They won't move around if you're listening to audio at your desk or on the couch, though.

• AKG N700NC M2 wireless headphones
• Carrying case
• Airplane adapter
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• 1/16" to 1/8" TRRS audio cable
• Manuals

The AKG N700NC M2 have a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that delivers a touch of extra thump, rumble, and boom. They don't sound very bloated, and vocals and lead instruments are clear, present, and detailed in your mixes. If you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a parametric EQ that you can use to adjust their sound to your liking.

The frequency response consistency is decent. You may notice a drop of bass if you have thick hair or glasses. However, it's somewhat minor. The headphones are more sensitive to fit and positioning, though, which can affect treble delivery. You may need to adjust them on your head each time you use them to get a more consistent sound.

The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Headphones' bass accuracy is excellent. It's overemphasized across the range, but it isn't overwhelming or bloated. Mixes have a touch of extra thump, rumble, and boom.

The mid accuracy is outstanding. The response is fairly flat, so vocals and lead instruments are clear and present in your mixes. However, they slightly lack detail.

The AKG N700NCM2 have great treble accuracy. They're slightly underemphasized across the range, but vocals and lead instruments still sound clear and detailed. Sibilants like S and T sounds are slightly dulled but still present.

The AKG N700NCM2's peaks and dips performance is great. It's mostly flat across the range, although a peak in the low-treble makes vocals and lead instruments sound a bit honky. Another peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.

The AKG N700NC M2 have excellent imaging. The group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers are well-matched in phase, amplitude, and frequency response, ensuring the accurate placement of objects like voices and instruments in the stereo image. However, our results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The AKG N700NC M2's passive soundstage performance is disappointing. For over-ear headphones, their soundstage seems large and decently out-of-head. However, it isn't very accurate or open.

The AKG N700NC M2's weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. Although there's a small peak in the low to mid-treble, it's minor and can be hard to hear with real-life content. As a result, most frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the AKG N700NCM2. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The AKG N700NC M2 have an adaptive ANC system that automatically adjusts its level to better suit the noise around you. They can block out bass-range noise, like the rumble of bus and plane engines, well, making them a solid choice for commuting and traveling. They also do an outstanding job of reducing ambient chatter and the high-pitched hum of AC units.

Note: These headphones have an ANC system that you can't turn off. To test passive noise isolation, we turned the headphones off.

These headphones do a similarly fantastic job of blocking out sound in more dynamic scenarios. They can isolate you from the sounds of airplane engine rumbles and busy streets. They can also reduce office sounds well.

Wind interacts with the ANC's microphone, which causes the system to produce anti-noise, even though wind sound doesn't reach your ears. As a result, you'll hear some unwanted noise. While these headphones lack a wind reduction feature to help minimize sound, their overall wind handling performance is similar to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless, which have this feature. Overall, wind noise is still present, but it's subdued a bit.

The AKG N700NC M2's leakage performance is fair. Most of their leakage is concentrated in the mid range, which sounds fuller than leakage from in-ears and earbuds. If you like to listen to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment like a busy office, others around you may notice it.

The AKG N700NC M2's integrated mic offers a decent overall recording quality. Your voice sounds clear and natural, although a bit veiled.

When using the in-line microphone, your voice sounds similarly clear and natural. However, they also lack brightness. You can hear a recording of this mic's performance here.

The mic's noise handling performance is sub-par. It struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you, which could be frustrating if you're taking a call from a busy street.

The in-line mic offers a similar performance with pink noise. The background noise is noticeable and annoying, but the voice is still present and clear. You can hear a recording of the in-line mic's pink noise handling here. When it comes to subway noise, the in-line mic offers better noise handling performance than the integrated mic. While your voice gets lost in very loud noise, it can still keep your voice above moderate ambient noise. You can hear the subway noise handling recording here.

The AKG N700NCM2 have an excellent battery performance. They're advertised to have 23 hours of continuous playback time, but we measured slightly less than that at under 21 hours. However, battery life can vary depending on usage, so your mileage may vary. That said, they're equipped with an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when you're not using them.

The AKG Headphone app is good. Although it's a bit basic in design, it offers a parametric EQ to help you adjust their sound to your liking, and you can even create a few EQ presets. You can also remap 'AmbientAware' or 'TalkThru', depending on your needs. You can see the headphones' battery life, access tips on using them, see the firmware version, and use the quick start guide. Like the AKG N700NC Wireless, you can turn the auto-off timer on and off, depending on your needs.

The AKG N700NCM2 come with a 1/16" TRRS to 1/8" TRRS cable with an in-line mic. They also come with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. If you take a lot of flights, they come with an airplane adapter, too.

These headphones have great Bluetooth connectivity. Unlike the Razer Opus Wireless 2021, they support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them to up to two devices at once. That said, in terms of codec support, they're limited to SBC and AAC, which can be disappointing if you want to stream audio in higher quality. Their SBC latency on PCs is also somewhat high, causing a slight lip-sync mismatch. However, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.

The AKG N700NC M2 are fully compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can also connect them to your PC using their included analog cable with full compatibility. However, the headphones use the in-line mic rather than the integrated mic using this connection.

These headphones are fully compatible with PS4 and PS5 consoles via an analog connection. The headphones use the in-line mic, though, rather than the integrated mic.

The AKG N700NCM2 are compatible with Xbox consoles when connected to your controller via an analog connection. However, the headphones use the in-line mic rather than the integrated mic when using this connection.