Our Verdict
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.
- Lightweight.
- Good button placement.
- Good leakage performance.
- Weak build and creaky joints.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Weak Bass and tapered Highs.
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.
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
Mediocre-at-best for sports use. These headphones are cumbersome and far too unstable to use while exercising or running.
Decent for office use. They don't leak too much but the weak isolation won't block the chatter of a busy office.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Oct 02, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
Check Price
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
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.
Lightweight, comfortable headphones. Certain areas of the headband feel a tiny bit stiff, but not terribly.
The placement and feel of the buttons are clear enough to avoid any confusion. The volume slider, however, doesn't give enough tactile feedback.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 Headphones
- Flight adapter
- Audio cable
- Carrying case
- Carrying pouch
- Manual
- 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
- AAA Battery
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.
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.
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.
No compatible app.
