I've owned a number of different pieces of audio equipment and lurked here for a while but these are the first that made me want to write about them - they are the best purchase I've made in a long time. Some photos here: https://imgur.com/a/xUI8p
Physical Design:
The ANC33is feel solidly built and over a couple of months use have remained in good condition despite my jamming into pocket storage method. The cable terminates a right angle jack which also feels solid enough.
The ear pieces themselves are fairly large one assumes to accommodate the active noise cancelling components but look nice enough. A small inline microphone and single button are positioned in the normal place along the cable and works. I don’t really know any more than that – people on the other end of calls could hear me fine and the button worked for pausing music or answering calls.
They have a fairly bulky control and battery unit about 30cm from the 3.5mm plug which looks nice enough and features the battery for noise cancelling (1 AAA, included), an on/off switch for the noise cancelling and a volume wheel. This unit also has a clip on the back for attaching to your clothing or otherwise which isn't particularly optional as it is heavy enough with the battery installed to be rather uncomfortable and pull the earpiece out.
The positioning along the cable of this unit however is one of the products major flaws however - it is too far along the cable to be left in my pocket with a source, or clipped to a belt or similar yet not far along enough to be sensibly clipped to a shirt in a standing position. When wearing a t-shirt the only option seems to be either clipping to the bottom of the shirt or loosely attaching it otherwise, neither of which are ideal.
Comfort:
I generally find shallow to standard insertion IEMs comfortable and comfortable for extended periods of time when using them with Comply tips and the ANC33is is no exception. The included silicon tips come in a few sizes which should suit almost anyone however I stuck to the included Comply foam tips for effectively all of my use. The plastic earbuds themselves are fairly large however so as a side sleeper they aren’t great if I fall asleep with them in.
The active noise cancelling effect is definitely noticeable to me in a comfort perspective as well and some may not like the feeling. For those considering these who have used Bose’s implementation on their on and around ear units – it is almost identical in feel. For those who have not, I think the best way to describe it would be as though you are very slightly underwater, just without the noise. I’d strongly advise trying out active noise cancelling before you buy it – at least in Australia it’s very easy to find Bose demo units at stores - to decide if the effect bothers you.
Sound Quality:
I didn’t really bother burning in the ANC33is artificially and have used them daily for a couple of months now and haven’t detected any noticeable change in sound since I got them. My opinion is entirely from use with the noise cancelling feature ON – they do sound different with it off. My primary reference point for comparison is the Sennheiser HD 598 – a headphone I like very much. The tracks I used for testing were a mix of English, Korean and Japanese pop for the most part, with a few ballad tracks thrown in. I’ve used them with my Retina Macbook Pro 15, LG G3 and desktop which has a Xonar DGX soundcard.
And I have to say, at the street price of around $80-$100, these sound great. I can go from listening to my 598s to out the door with the ANC33is and not contemplate if I should have brought them with me – something I've experienced with the other IEMs I've tried (The Brainwavz Beta 2012, Brainwavz M5 and some cheap Logitech things).
Bass is fairly well controlled but very much present, perhaps a little too much for my tastes and depending on the track I even EQ’d down a little. This bass does create somewhat of a “veiled” sound in comparison to the 598. For me this would likely have been a bigger issue if it wasn’t for the strong mids, which to my ear sound better than anything else I’ve heard near this price range such as the Skullcandy Slayers or the Brainwavz HM3, clear and crisp with great detail. Female vocals in particular shine on these. In addition they have well controlled highs that never seemed too harsh to my ears.
Soundstage on these far exceeds other IEMs I’ve heard as well in that there actually IS some semblance of it. It’s obviously a long way from the level of the 598s but comparing them doesn’t feel wrong and for an IEM at this price that is astounding too me.
Isolation/Noise Cancelling:
The reason I bought these – 2 hours of train commute too university. When I initially took these out of the box I was concerned as passively these really don’t do very well even when properly inserted with Comply tips which I’ve previously found isolated rather well (One of the silicon tips which inserted deeper was better in the regard but was too uncomfortable for me). Then I put the battery in and switched them on. Wow. You don’t notice the noise around you until it’s gone. The low hum of my computer fan, the slight whine of the air conditioning, the sound of a disc spinning in a console. All gone, completely, not just muffled like previous IEMs which had no active component.
This creates a somewhat odd effect where certain sounds are still relatively clear and audible – one of the most obvious when using them in a quiet environment is the sound of my mechanical keyboard or someone talking. These types of sounds are barely removed at all.
What this means is that what I wanted these too do they do beautifully – make the train a relatively quiet place to be whilst providing a satisfactory music experience. They aren’t magic though and that baby crying or person talking on their phone isn’t going to go away. But in the “Quiet Carriage” where the only sounds are that of the train and the occasional newspaper being flipped, it’s an almost eerie experience. Listening to a podcast it’s possible to have the volume at a near whisper and still be able to hear where I was often near the max output of my phone before.
The ANC33is does a surprisingly good job when you're just walking around the city as well – that is if you want the city to be a much quieter place than it actually is. Car noise and the constant sound of people which turns into an almost drone is significantly reduced. This probably isn’t a good idea if you need to cross many roads or such though, stick to pedestrian areas because you aren't gonna hear that car coming.
Comparisons to the Bose options so often recommended are inevitable and these aren't as good as either the on or around ear models. I haven’t heard the in ear model but I’d put money on it being the same deal. The Bose are even quieter and get a few more of the annoying sounds from when I’ve tried them compared to the ANC33is. However, they are far from $200+ quieter. The Audio Technicas get about 75% of the noise cancelling capabilities at less than a third of the asking price.
Battery Life:
Using these for a near daily 2+ hour commute and normally remembering to turn them off when I put them in my pocket, I got a bit over a month before the included battery ran out. The included one was at least branded for what that’s worth. I've since put a standard Duracell in it and that’s going on 2 months albeit with somewhat lighter use. Basically – don’t worry about the battery life. It’s plenty and AAAs are easy to find if you really want one in a pinch – these do work without power as well so if you run out halfway through a trip you can at least still listen.
Conclusion:
If you’re in the market for some sub $100 IEMs, don’t pass by the ANC33is just because it has noise cancelling and conventional wisdom states that you’re wasting money. Even without it, these sound fantastic. Additionally, only if you are intending to use them in the quietest of environments would I discard the notion of active noise cancelling. It doesn't take a lot of background noise like a plane to appreciate it, I used them just for the noise cancelling multiple times in libraries not because people were talking but because it just adds that extra level of silence. The only significant issue with the ANC33is is that the cable design is a little annoying. I think for me the most telling thing about this product is that you’d have to work very hard to convince me to buy non active noise cancelling IEMs in the future.
