Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00 am
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:22 am
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 Picture
6.3
Mixed Usage
7.3
Neutral Sound
6.2
Commute/Travel
5.8
Sports/Fitness
6.4
Office
5.4
Wireless Gaming
7.1
Wired Gaming
6.5
Phone Call

The Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC70 are decent sounding headphones. They do a good job with audio reproduction but lack a little bass. Unfortunately, noise Isolation is very weak and leaves much to be desired. On the upside, they barely leak, so they won't be distracting in quieter environments.

Our Verdict

6.3 Mixed Usage

The ATH-ANC70 do not shine in any particular category or use case. This makes them average-at-best as everyday headphones with a few flaws in design and sound.

Pros
  • Lightweight.
  • Good button placement.
  • Good leakage performance.
Cons
  • Weak build and creaky joints.
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Weak Bass and tapered Highs.
7.3 Neutral Sound

Average for neutral listening. They reproduce track sufficiently well and will sound good enough for most casual listeners. However, they lack a bit of the ambiance necessary for pure neutral listening due to their closed-back design and slightly inconsistent treble range.

6.2 Commute/Travel

Mediocre for commuting. They're moderately comfortable but have a weak noise isolation which is not ideal for the loud environments of a busy commute

5.8 Sports/Fitness

Mediocre-at-best for sports use. These headphones are cumbersome and far too unstable to use while exercising or running.

6.4 Office

Decent for office use. They don't leak too much but the weak isolation won't block the chatter of a busy office.

7.1 Wired Gaming
  • 6.3 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Neutral Sound
  • 6.2 Commute/Travel
  • 5.8 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.4 Office
  • 5.4 Wireless Gaming
  • 7.1 Wired Gaming
  • 6.5 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Oct 02, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
  5. Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  6. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  7. Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

Simple, slim headband design with light padding. Large lightweight ear cups. Thes headphones have an all-black color scheme with silver accents. They look very average and have no remarkable design style.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.55 lbs
Clamping Force
0.84 lbs

Lightweight, comfortable headphones. Certain areas of the headband feel a tiny bit stiff, but not terribly.

5.9
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use Okay
Feedback Okay
Call/Music Control Yes
Volume Control Yes
Microphone Control No
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control No
Talk-Through
No
Additional Buttons No

The placement and feel of the buttons are clear enough to avoid any confusion. The volume slider, however, doesn't give enough tactile feedback.

7.1
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 3.9 °C
6.1
Design
Portability
L 4.72"
W 6.1"
H 3.35"
Volume 96.41 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The ATH-ANC70 are decently portable headphones. They have larger ear cups than typical over ear models but have a much thinner headband. The earcups also lay flat or fold up into a more compact format, which makes the relatively big headphones take up less space in a bag. However, they are still too cumbersome to carry on your person and will not fit into large jacket pockets or smaller handbags.

7.5
Design
Case
Type Hard case
L 7.87"
W 7.09"
H 1.97"
Volume 109.9 in³

Comes with a stylish hard case that will protect the headphones from scratches and falls. It also doesn't add too much bulk to the headphones and will shield them from minor water damage.

6.5
Design
Build Quality

The ear cups and their buttons are of a decent quality, but the headband feels a little weak and has a few points which could be prone to breaking. The headband adjustment doesn't produce the clearest click, but it's not too bad.

5.5
Design
Stability

The ATH-ANC70 are not stable headphones. The thin headband and large earcups make these headphones sway a lot during moderate physical activity. They will fall off your head while running and are unideal for use while doing sports. On the upside, they have a detachable cable that should disconnect when hooked by something but because of the weak tension of these headphones, they may fall off before the cable can detach.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 Headphones
  • Flight adapter
  • Audio cable
  • Carrying case
  • Carrying pouch
  • Manual
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
  • AAA Battery

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-4.96 dB
Treble Amount
-0.97 dB
8.0
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.39 dB
Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.0
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.48 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
65.36 Hz
Low-Bass
-3.87 dB
Mid-Bass
-2.28 dB
High-Bass
0.86 dB
7.2
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.71 dB
Low-Mid
0.62 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.03 dB
High-Mid
5.95 dB
7.4
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.01 dB
Low-Treble
2.18 dB
Mid-Treble
-4.62 dB
High-Treble
2.78 dB
6.8
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.89 dB
Dips
2.28 dB
8.0
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.35
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.83
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.62
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.52
5.7
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
1.81 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
8.5 dB
PRTF Distance
10.82 dB
Openness
4.3
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.1
7.0
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.263
WHD @ 100
0.516
Isolation
5.5
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-13.49 dB
Noise Cancelling Yes
Bass
-3.04 dB
Mid
-11.69 dB
Treble
-26.49 dB

The ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) doesn't do very much. It does best at around 200 Hz, offering about 12dB of reduction, which isn't much. At other frequencies, it offers even less noise reduction.

7.5
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
36.65 dB

Very good leakage performance. There is minimum leakage up to 500Hz, but noticeable leakage from 1KHz to 4KHz. Practically, this will make vocals and cymbals sound thinned-out.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-line
Yes
Boom
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic Yes
7.7
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
4.61 dB
HFE
7,896.12 Hz
Weighted THD
1.073
Gain
17.18 dB
6.0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
11.93 dB
Active Features
7.8
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
AAA
Continuous Battery Life
47 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
47 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
No
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port N/A

The ANC-70 use standard AAA batteries that give them up to 47 hours of battery life. They do not have additional features like an auto off timer and cannot be used without the batteries. Luckily the two-day continuous battery life means you do not have to swap out the AAA as often especially if you're on a trip or a particularly long flight.

0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A
0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4 ft
Connection 1/8" TRRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A