Ausdom ANC7 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphone

 
I was contacted by Ausdom to ask if I was interested in reviewing their ANC7 wireless Bluetooth headphones. I'd been asked a few times to review these headphones, especially after I reviewed the Sony h.ear model, so the timing couldn't have been better
 
 
Like the M05s, the AN7s were initially attractive out of the box -- lightweight and seemingly fairly well-built with most of the outside surfaces having a rubberised texture. This texture should last a few years before it deteriorates which I think is OK on a pair of headphones at this price. The controls are fairly straight-forward, the buttons have bumps on them making it easy to feel for the control you want. Thankfully unlike the M05 the USB charging port is un-covered. The battery charge is supposed to last 10 hours and they can be left switched off for weeks without the battery going flat.
 
 
For comfort, they are reasonable, with sufficient padding on the headband and earpads, enhanced by the lack of weight. The cups adjust in the common way, with metal pieces in the headband sliding in and out. They are somewhat stiff and don't slide smoothly, but hold in place well. Finally, the cups rotate through about 100 degrees (flat through to angled) allowing for both comfort adjustment as well as easy packing.
 
Pairing them up with my computer and phone was straight-forward. 
 
With the noise cancelling off, there is some harshness through the mid-range and treble, most noticeable playing back piano, but it doesn't come through so strongly on a lot of music, such as vocals. The bass is quite weak, very noticeable with "club" music and similar. However when the noise cancelling is turned on, the treble drops down, the soundstage become smaller and the bass becomes quite a bit stronger, a bit too much with some music, overall somewhat muffled-sounding, but is not unlistenable. 
 
 
Most troubling was that without music playing, the noise cancelling mode seems to reduce low-frequency sounds a bit from the outside, but I was still able to clearly hear a lot of sounds around me when anything less than fairly complex music was playing. Experimentally I put music on my speakers and listened to a variety of music through the headphones with the noise cancelling on. With a regular pop-music track, the music playing through the speakers was blocked well enough, but with quieter music, such as a piano solo, I could clearly here the music playing in the background.
 
 
After seeing someone post a modification guide for the M05, I pulled the earpads off and had a quick look inside the cups. I found a block of white sound dampening material inside, but no other sound deadening material at all. This makes me wonder if it wouldn't have been better, given the sound quality drop when activated, if a better effort at making the actual headphones isolate passively was made, before noise cancelling was implemented to begin with.
 
Overall given the poor performance of the noise cancelling, I'd recommend just getting a regular pair of wireless headphones, like the Noontec, for the same price instead. If noise cancelling is desired, saving money for the Sony 100-ABN, which have excellent sound quality, or the Bose, which have excellent isolation. 
 

Introduction
Ausdom makes a variety of products, from webcams, wireless speakers to headphones. Their previous Bluetooth headphone M05 made a splash in Head-Fi, in the relatively uncharted terrain of wireless headphones. The new ANC7 on-ears already hint at the new function of Active Noise Cancelling, targeted at busy people on-the-go. It reduces background noise to barely noticeable levels. Mainly for plane, train or bus use, or for people with really talky mothers-in-law. I would like to thank Grace from Ausdom for the review sample.

Equipment Used:
Ausdom ANC7
Honor 6
 
Songs Listened:
A selection of 320kbps MP3s and lossless FLACs from my cellphone, including:
Katherine McPhee – Terrified (female vocals)
Fall Out Boy – The Phoenix (bass speed, slam)
James Bay – Hold Back the River (male vocals)
Sheppard – Geronimo (soundstage)
Nirvana – About a Girl (imaging, immersion)
Radiohead – Creep (treble, balance)
Adele – When We Were Young (female vocals, mids)
Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight (midbass, separation)
Pink Floyd – High Hopes (treble, soundstage)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Road Trippin’ (male vocals, mids)
And many others.





Packaging and Accessories
In an unassuming beige box the Ausdom ANC7 comes. Minimalist and understated, with black and silver text. The front of the box is straight-up two lines of text! You don’t see packaging like this anywhere. Open that up, and you get an attractive carbon fibre design case, which houses the headphones and its accessories. Included with the headphones are a manual, charge cable, and 3.5mm cable for wired listening. A clean, handy and appealing package.

Design, Build Quality and Cables
The headphones look good. The earcups and headband have the same carbon fibre design as the case, while the black and red design is a head-turner. The matte plastic at the slider and housing has a nice feel to it. I have no qualms at all about the design. Will I wear it out? Definitely. Is it a chick magnet? Err… no, unless they have a thing for carbon fibre designs. Build quality is average, no complaints other than one side of the slider having more pull resistance than the other. I would love some metal parts or anything that suggests durability because as far as I can see, this is all plastic. The 3.5mm cable seems like an afterthought rather than a main feature. They come in handy when the battery runs out, but it’s thin, tangly and does not inspire confidence. Wearing the headphones out in wired mode will negate any chick-magnet effect the ANC7 has, unless you’re Dwayne Johnson.

Fit, Isolation and Comfort
Having only tried over-ears at this point, I’m quite surprised at the level of comfort the ANC7 on-ears brings. I have a ginormous head (that likely houses an industrial-sized brain), and feared the worst. But fully stretched, the ANC7 feels light and comfy, the feeling is just short of strapping pillows onto my ears. As expected isolation is poor without ANC. Environmental noises leak in and you can only drown them by turning the music up. Unless you love visiting the audiologist (or the ENT surgeon) you’ll need a backup plan. The ANC switch decreases background noise significantly, the din caused by engines, fans, wheels and whatnot are muted. It doesn’t isolate as completely as say, CIEMs, but it’s definitely an improvement. In wired mode the isolation switch works similarly.

Pairing and Battery Life
No problem with pairing. Easy-peasy, no-hassle connecting. Signal strength is excellent, with sound quality maintained for up to 30 feet. Battery life is INSANE in the membrane! On one full charge since I got it two weeks ago, with 1-2 hours daily listening, it’s still nowhere near finished. What is this, nuclear-powered?



 

Overall Signature
The ANC7 has two distinct sound signatures, owing to the ANC switch. With ANC off, it’s a mid-forward, neutralish signature with boosted mids and low treble, and flat bass. The bass takes a big hit in this setting. Midbass is audible and detailed, but lacks any impact whatsoever. Subbass is practically missing. With ANC on, it takes on a more balanced, smoother signature. The bass has come out to play, but in exchange of that, the mids and treble are veiled to a degree. The ANC does its job well, cancelling out at least half of the background noise. I would say ANC off is great for vocals and acoustic-driven tracks with simpler arrangements, while ANC on is more suited for modern, mainstream music. Switching back and forth I preferred the sound quality of ANC-off mode, but have learnt to appreciate the usefulness of ANC-on as well.

Bass
ANC off: You get a level (maybe even less than that), detailed midbass with very good note articulation. Bass detail is definitely up there. However, slam, impact, rumble, decay, basically anything that makes a bass a BASS, isn’t there. Subbass is inaudible to my ears, the roll-off might have ended too early.
ANC on: This is better! Subbass rumble is light but definitely an improvement. Midbass detail is sacrificed for thicker notes, longer decay, and good slam and impact. A good bass with no bleed, if generic and slightly muddy. Proves you can’t have it all.

Mids
ANC off: For the price, the mids are beautiful and clear. Just as detailed as the bass but sounding more prominent, natural and resolved. Vocals are a treat and come alive, as do acoustic guitars and piano. They are even a tinge exciting and vibrant, striking a good balance between technicality and smoothness.
ANC on: You can’t question it, since a/b-ing is just a flick of a switch away. There is a veil. It envelops the mids with a smoothness that nearly becomes a smear in between notes. It is consistent with the note thickness of the bass however, but lacking detail and clarity in exchange for some warmth. Sounds dull compared to ANC off, but more coherent with the rest of the signature. For my taste I prefer a brighter presentation.

Treble
Treble on the whole is gentle, smooth and inoffensive, good for prolonged listening. The only difference I can tell between both trebles is that the lower treble is brighter, thinner and more prominent for ANC-off. Meaning the detail and clarity-oriented signature for ANC-off is consistent. Likewise, the smoother, darker ANC-on signature is also continued. Those looking for sparkle will be disappointed, they are quite subdued. Great news for treble-sensitive people however, harshness and sibilance are not an issue at all here. The treble rolls off quite early for both modes. It plays safe to the point that it takes no risks at all, rendering it… offensively inoffensive?



 

Soundstage and Imaging
ANC off: Without any bass enhancement to weigh down the sound, the signature is predictably airy. It’s pleasant, expansive and wide, with a bit of depth as well. There’s quite an impressive headspace too, I hear sounds inches in front of, and around my head. Owing to the thinner notes, separation between notes and instruments are excellent for the asking price. Listening to classical or jazz will surprise you as to what the ANC7 is capable of.
ANC on: So for a better-balanced sound signature, the soundstage suffers. It’s narrower and shallower than the staging of ANC-off and sounds congested in complicated passages. The thicker, smooth-ended notes muddle the separation as well. Owing to the fact that ANC functions more to cancel out background noise, I do understand the functionally smaller stage of this mode. In other words, in a crowded place, the last thing you’ll appreciate is how clean and airy your music is anyway.

Conclusion:
The Ausdom ANC7 presents itself as a value-for-money package with a good active noise cancelling function, and as a bonus, two distinct sound signatures. It’s like getting two headphones for the price of one, so long as you know which mode suits which music the best, you have a veritable all-rounder in your hands. Of course, signature-wise I’d love the mids, treble and soundstage of the ANC-off mode coupled with the bass and isolation of ANC-on, but we don’t live in a perfect world. The stellar battery life and attractive form-fitting case means this will get a lot of outdoor time as well. All-in-all, it is a worthy package to consider, and definitely a good alternative to the ANC stable currently dominated by Bose.

The ANC7 arrived very quickly and was well packaged. An inner cardboard sleeve as well as a bag and then the case. The headphone folds flat and fits easily into the case, making it a good travelling companion. It's a good looker with its red trim and so looks pretty good if worn in public.









The use of Bluetooth means that of course, no wires are necessary but should you run out of power, then a wire is provided so that you can continue to listen as you would a normal headphone. The Bluetooth uses aptx which means lag is less than normal Bluetooth if you have an aptx sending device and also, the sound is slightly improved via this technology. The range of Bluetooth receive is extremely good. I was able to mow the lawn with the sending device up on the decking and it was reliable with no drop out. Of course, with Bluetooth, there is often a compromise as far as sound goes. The technology hasn't been able to properly match a wired headphone sound yet, but then again, you have the convenience and mobility offered by having no wires.




Sound via Bluetooth with NC off is pretty balanced. It's not a typical 'boombox' sound and it's pretty even throughout. This is a step up in sound from the m04s for sure since the bass no longer dominates the rest of the spectrum. It's very good with podcast and speech since there is very little 'booming' with mens' voices.

Turn the noise cancellation on and there is yet more likelihood of noise via the NC circuit, let alone Bluetooth. The potential for high levels of noise is more likely. A small amount of hiss is introduced with the circuit switched in and as with many NC headphones, the timbre of the ANC7 changes. This is a common thing even with more expensive options such as the Sony mdr100abn (which I also use) and the Bose QC25. With these two, we're talking a lot more money than the Ausdom headphone and still, with the NC circuits switched in, there is a 'hissing' noise introduced. Also, the timbre of both change, just like the ANC7, although the Sony changes less.




With NC switched on, the ANC7 develops a deeper bass and mids become more recessed. It's perhaps a little 'boomer'. With some music, this is an advantage but then, you also have to think about when you are likely to use noise cancellation. I switch mine in on the Sony or the Ausdom when the TV is on or obviously, if you're on a bus, train or whatever. The effect of the NC just takes out mostly bass sounds. High sounds are managed by the pads. So with it switched in, you can hear people talking, but with low noises taken out, it in effect sounds like you're in another room. Talking is not distracting.

I get a better seal with the Sony headphone, so for me, talking sounds are taken out more than with the Ausdom, but there is quite a large price difference between them. The Ausdom does well up against the Sony.



Since the NC is being used in noisy situations, it is often a good idea to boost the bass and that hiss becomes irrelevant. It's kind of false to be testing NC in a quite room so that you can hear the circuit because in real life situations, you wouldn't hear it.

I think that we need to remember that Bluetooth and noise cancellation is a compromise that allows you freedom and the ability to listen in a noisy environment without turning up too loud.

So in a quiet situation, I turn the NC off and in a noisy situation, it goes on. No problem then with hearing circuit hiss. It is at a very low level. As a test, I mowed the lawn with NC on and it worked superbly. The noise of the mower went down to a background whir and I had no need to turn up mu music loud at all. Sitting in the garden is a quiet activity, until some neighbour decides to mow or perhaps an airplane goes overhead. With NC on, this is wiped out.

I've given this headphone five stars because of its price and listening options. It is less than half the price of the Bose or Sony and does a good job. You have choices to listen with or without wire, NC on or off or even as a passive headphone. It's convenient and yes, there is a compromise in sound, but that is to be expected with this technology. The same goes for its more expensive rivals. It depends whether you'd like to spend another £100+ than the Ausdom, so I feel that there is good value for money here and the sound is reasonable and to be honest, pretty balanced.

Product link:
https://www.amazon.com/AUSDOM-Cancelling-Headphones-Bluetooth-Technology/dp/B01ERMHI2E/
 
A bit about myself - I'm a female student from HK studying in the US. I mainly listen to classical, instrumental and pop, and in general I tend to enjoy headphones that are balanced with a touch of warmth. I also value a wide soundstage, accurate positioning, and to a slightly lesser degree clarity and micro-detail retrieval. I should also mention that I'm not very tolerant towards sibilance and shrill treble in general. I’ve used the QC25 for a long-ish period of time before, but this is the first pair of noise-cancelling (NC)+Bluetooth (BT) headphones I’ve owned. These retail for $129 on Amazon.
 
Disclaimer: I was kindly provided with the Ausdom ANC7 by @gracesheng for review purposes. However, I also took the retail value of the ANC7 into consideration while writing this review, so hope that’s good enough for all of you!
 
Introduction
 
The Ausdom ANC7 is a pair of NC+BT circumaural headphones. Compared to leading names such as Bose on the market, they are relatively low-priced at ~$130 per pair. This is, I believe, the first NC+BT headphone that Ausdom has released; however, they aren’t new to the BT headphone market at all – their M05 has been well reviewed on HF as a pretty decent BT offering at an even more decent price. However, some people claimed that they had somewhat of a boosted mid-bass section. The ANC7, therefore, is their maiden journey into the interesting realm of NC+BT headphones. I didn’t have extremely high expectations – I almost never do – but this pair of headphones has surpassed my modest expectations and deserves some recognition.
 
Appearance, Build Quality, Comfort & Others
 
These came in a simple cardboard box that had the product name and some specs on it – the usual. Unpacking the cardboard box, there was a hard case with carbon fiber pattern that was protecting the headphones. The case feels extremely sturdy – I’ve dropped my headphones (with the case) a couple of times since receiving them and they’ve held up just fine, as well as the case. Other accessories include a micro-USB to USB charging cable and a 3.5mm cable to use the headphones wired. The headphones fold flat and fit perfectly into the provided headphone case - nice portability form factor. Overall, there aren’t a lot of accessories but sufficient – I would also mention that the 3.5mm cable is pretty thin so I bought a cheap 3.5mm cable that also does the job and I heard no sound difference. I evaluated the wired sound according to my own cable as well.
 
The build quality is decent IMO, nothing spectacular but definitely good enough to withstand some torture – the carbon fiber looks pretty nice and, since I’m kind of a carbon fiber addict (see: me spending 2 hours to make the perfect carbon fiber sticker for my DAPs), I really like the design. The headphones are mainly made out of rubberized plastic that feels smooth to the touch. The pads are made out of a soft synthetic leather material that seemed comfortable but has its issues (which I will talk about later). The NC/BT control and switches are another favorite – very tactile to the touch and feels pretty solid. Overall, I would say that build quality’s average – probably middle of the road for a $130 headphone. The joints of the headphone, especially the cup adjustment hinge and the headband adjuster, could be more secure, but I wouldn’t call it flimsy either. In terms of ease of use, I felt that the button placement was pretty intuitive – once I realized that the switch for NC was on the left and BT on the right, I didn’t even need to look at the manual to figure out the BT controls – I just guessed and got it right. One weird thing about these, however, is that the cable entry is on the right earcup, which I find awkward. For others it might be convenient but I often tried to plug the cable into the left earcup and found nothing, and then trying to figure out what was wrong!
 
The pads on the ANC7 are pretty small for a circumaural headphone – I believe that some people may even need to wear them as a pair of supra-aural headphones. The headphones themselves are very light and are one of the more comfortable ones I’ve tried. The pads are rather shallow and my ears were often touching the bottom of the pads after half an hour or so of listening. I did attempt to try switching out the pads, but I still haven’t figured it out for fear of breaking the headphones – some brave soul should try it! However, the pads themselves are fine besides the depth; they are pretty soft and provide a decent seal, albeit not perfect. The swiveling earcups design also provide for a better seal that facilitates the NC. Another personal note – I have a small head, and even in the smallest setting the headphones were a bit too loose and big. Clamping force is low, but I couldn’t use these for more than 2 hours without taking a small break in the middle. These also isolate above-average – I wasn’t able to get a perfect seal with the pads due to the headband issue but, even with that, the headphones manage to isolate pretty well. Of course this is somewhat rendered useless with the NC but I still find the passive isolation pretty important due to the sound differences, which I’ll talk about later.
 
Some pictures – again, I’m not good at taking pictures so forgive the poor quality:
 

I actually quite liked the minimalistic cardboard packaging.
 
 

So they went with carbon fiber...  
 

The headphones folded flat in the case along with its accessories - the USB cable, the 3.5mm cable and the warranty card.
 

Headphones in action - they actually look rather nice with the red accents! 
 

The cups are a bit shallow, but very comfortable nonetheless.
 
 
Sound Quality
 
This is a bit complicated just because there are four ways you could set up the headphones – wired with no NC, wired with NC, BT with no NC, and BT with NC. I’m going to evaluate the sound quality based on its performance wired with no NC because it was subjectively the best to me, but I’ll also evaluate them based on their performance in the other three settings. In general, these are pretty neutral headphones. They are decently balanced across the spectrum, with a slight mid-bass hump and decent treble extension.
 
Bass
 
These have some pretty linear bass with a small mid-bass hump. The closed-back design helps that as it provides the ANC7 with good impact despite the linear bass – I auditioned them with some pop pieces as well as some large organ pieces and never found the bass lacking. However, it does lack some oomph compared to basshead cans that I’ve briefly listened to, which is entirely fine by me. In fact, I quite enjoy the bass in passive wired mode; it is rather controlled and detailed in nature. They seemed to have removed the mid-bass hump that many people complained about in the M05 and made the bass a lot more “hifi” in nature. There was a little bit of distortion when I put on some really hard-hitting hifi testing tracks that I had just for fun, so that’s also something to keep in mind. Despite the good bass extension, I did find myself wanting a little bit more thump at times in the sub-bass region, but that’s just nitpicking now… J
 
Mids
 
Another can for the mid-heads! Mids are very forward in their presentation and are rather detailed. Despite the closed design, vocals don’t sound “stuffed-in” and have quite a bit of air to it. They don’t have the upper-mid spike that many headphones have – at most a very small one – and therefore female vocals sounds particularly pleasant, as evident from this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeEpRzU-mws
 
(Not the best quality, I know…)
 
Treble
 
Decent extension, nothing spectacular. I would say that it’s a little bit on the bright side, not really sibilant but enough for me to notice with some organ pieces that are in the higher octaves. Just like the rest of the spectrum, they are pretty detailed with a bit of sparkle. For most people it’d probably be very tolerable, but I’m kind of sensitive to treble so it was just very slightly irritating at times. Like I said just now, nothing much though – on the absolute majority of songs the treble isn’t too sharp yet maintains a nice amount of detail to satisfy hifi lovers. It was also slightly grainy at times, but nothing much. Considering the rest of the spectrum, I’d actually say that the treble is well balanced – kudos to Ausdom for tuning them well!
 
Across the spectrum and other notes
 
These are very balanced headphones – I’d argue that some may even call it analytical if they’re used to warmer headphones. They are pretty consistent across the spectrum in terms of the amount of detail, which is a wonderful thing. Those looking for extreme musicality might want to look elsewhere, but for me it was a pretty good balance between dry and musical. They manage to not sound dry while sounding fairly musical – you know, those Jack of all trades? Yeah, that’s the ANC7 in a nutshell. I would argue that you could find better bass/midrange/treble elsewhere, but even simply considering the SQ they offer a nice balance of everything to please most hifi lovers.
 
The soundstage is worth mentioning in its own paragraph (yay)! They have one of the more spacious soundstage I’ve heard in the closed headphone group. Many closed headphones sacrifice soundstage for isolation and produces a closed-in presentation that is, frankly, claustrophobic at times (the issues of growing up in a hifi family that exclusively messed around with speakers). The ANC7 is the exception to the closed-is-bad-for-soundstage rule by producing a presentation that is well rounded, out of the head and has good separation and placement. I love the soundstage on these things!
 
NC and Bluetooth
 
Let’s be honest here – most people buying them will be using them with NC on, BT on, or both. To a certain extent this section is even more important than the others because there’s probably no point in buying a pair of NC/BT headphones that perform horribly under those conditions, right?
 
Let’s move on.
 
NC on
 
The midrange sounded noticeably recessed with NC on and in a quiet environment, sounding muffled and distant. At the same time, the mid and sub-bass were boosted significantly – in general, they became a far more bass-oriented headphone than with NC off. I wasn’t a fan of this signature in a quiet environment because it destroyed much of the liquid midrange that was originally there. However, using them in a noisy environment, I finally realized why they were tuned that way. I was using them in my school dining hall with NC on and oddly everything sounded more in balance - the bass was not really overpowering any more. In terms of the NC itself, it efficiently blocked out most of the lower frequencies (although, of course, it doesn’t beat the QC25) and I could very easily see myself using them on a 16-hour flight from US to HK!
 
BT On
 
Surprisingly, the loss in sound quality when using BT was not as much as I expected. There was a loss in details and the sub-bass/treble were a bit more rolled-off. However, the excellent implementation of BT meant that the convenience of using BT sometimes trumped the drop-off in sound quality. Pairing was very easy with my Macbook Air, although I had issues originally pairing with my LG G4. I would say the range is more than the 10m quoted – I still had good connection around 2x m away.
 
Battery Life
 
Although I haven’t been using them extremely heavily, I’ve never needed to charge them since I received around 2 weeks ago. I would believe battery life is more than the 18 hours quoted (especially if you have mixed usage), but since I didn’t time myself using them or anything take this with a grain of salt. Regardless, these seem to have pretty good battery life.
 
Conclusion
 
These headphones are most definitely a solid offering by Ausdom at $130. I could find headphones with better comfort, or better bass/mid/treble, or even better BT/NC capabilities at similar prices, but what the ANC7 provides is an all-rounded package – a perfect jack-of-all-trades headphone. Combined with its comfort and the nice carrying case, I’d recommend the ANC7 to anyone looking for traveling headphones without wanting to burn their wallet down. Even on its SQ alone, however, they deserve a recommendation as a pair of closed, portable cans most notably because of its soundstage that I particularly enjoyed.

Ausdom Intro

ABOUT US
 
WHO WE ARE    
 

Focusing on product development and innovation, AUSDOM designs products with best customer experience so that each user can enjoy life with simple and smart technology. For each product, our designers and engineers will carefully study the user's habits, and use their creativity and experience to provide the consumers with convenient, efficient and valuable products. Every AUSDOM product is made with care, every detail counts to impress our customers. Giving our customers the perfect experience has always been AUSDOM’s goal. The recognition of our customers and their suggestions are our driving force.

AUSDOM is a team dedicated to design. They are not afraid to follow their dream. We advocate for innovation and Internet culture, we adhere to international perspective. We share the convenience of the Internet. We facilitate our customers’ life by bringing intelligent and convenient products in their life.

We are consumer-centric. We establish a system with ecosystem values: focus, equality, freedom, openness, sharing and win-win. We hope that we can all grow, progress and have fun in work and in life.

FYI - taken from Ausdom company website


GET THEM HERE - Amazon

Thank you very much to Ausdom and Grace Heng for providing me with Ausdom ANC7 for review.
 
 
Packaging
 
The Ausdom ANC7 comes in compact cream cardboard box and inside the 2^nd cardboard box is the well designed rigid case with a flat design and black carbon motif. Inside the case are as follow :-
 
- ANC7 Bluettooth HP with ANC feature

1. Charging cable
2. 3.5mm to 3.5mm male cable jack
3. Ausdom ANC7 manual
4. Ausdom Green Card for Extra 1 Year Warranty

 
To start, the Ausdom ANC7 comes very well packaged in a box within a box. Get to the 2nd box and you will find the headset ensconced in a very well made rigid protective case with black carbon fibre motif for the headset and its charging cable.
 
 Here is the specifications copied from Ausdom ANC7 website :
 
 
    
      
 
 
Features
 

1. Active Noise Cancelling (On/Off Switch on the left side of the cup)
2. Battery run out - not a problem - 3.5 to 3.5mm male to male cable is provided - can function as normal cable Headphone (3.5mm female input on the left side of the cup)
3. Bluetooth  (On/Off Switch and all the control functions listed below also on the left side of the cup)
4. Pairing is easy
5. Volume Control
6. Play & Pause
7. Next & Previous Song
8. Voice Dialing
9. Answering & Ending Phone Calls
10. Rejecting Phone Calls 
11. Last Number Redialing

 
Design & Built Quality
 

1. Design and finishing is excellent -especially love the black carbon fibre motif with tinge of red trim makes the headphone look very stylish
2. The hard shelled flat design case is great for travel n storage
3. Headphone is very light and so comfortable to wear and no discomfort whatsoever and its the really first headphone that I can wear for hours at end
4. the ear pad and headband cushion under is well padded and soft
5. the headphone steel band mechanism is easy to adjust and look solid.
6. no clamping force out of the box and rest comfortably - BIG PLUS IN MY BOOK

 
There’s also a built in microphone with all the controls listed in the features section for convenience. The battery lasts up to 18 hours (120 hours standby time) and charging is done via a standard micro USB cable that is included via the left side of the cup . Also the ear cup can be swivels to lay flat and case is in point is why the protective case is flat and really good for travelling.
 
  
Top pic :Left Side
Bottom pic :Right Side                                                                                                                           
 
Connectivity
 

1. Will be using my Samsung SII phone with V4A installed.
2. Pairing was a easy
3. good strong connection ( 10m operation max distance )
    

Pictures
 

 

 

 
 

 
Sound
 
Bluetooth On
 
The bass is nicely done imho for my listening preference and it is not overpowering and dig quite deep but detailed and punchy. But it will not meet expectation of lover of heavy bass and those who required thumping sensation in their sound but did noticed some distortion for some heavy bass song from me collection old skool hip hop song and certain EDM tracks.
 
Personally like the vocal and mid presentation in ANC7 and to me they are quite forward which how me like my sound preference. They sound good on my prefer genre which is mainly blues and some old skool Nina Simone glorious piano tinkling and her vocal sound rich and sweet honey to me ears...
 

 
Treble quality is decent with enough detail and clarity with some nice sparkle enough to satisfy the treble head in me  -YMMV. Did pass it to a friend for a try and he said its quite bright and did not like it at all .....can't blame him cuz his prefer weapon of choice is Beats ....LOL.
 
Overall I find ANC7 with Bluetooth mode very enjoyable that I will regularly use as it offer the sound signature that is pleasing with well balanced sound with the right amount of bass that is not show stopper and really sound quite musical without sounding dry.  All in all very relaxed and good for long listening session.
 
Active Noise Cancelling On
 
When i first turn on the ANC feature - it gives me the sensation of being in a cave without the echo or feedback but when I tried them in a supermarket where its a noisy environment ......it makes me appreciate the noise cancelling function ! 
 
But when its on - the mid become veiled and sounds distant but the bass monster do come out to play. The bass has more thump and sub bass rumble is in spades and very nicely done without sounding muddy or bloated. Though me am not a fan of this sound signature , its a trade off from the noise or loud distraction from enjoying music , did a test with a friend talking very loudly in front of me (about a feet away from me) and it works very well and can imho cut off about 80% of the ding from the outside world and can only hear slight hum and can never really figure out what he was talking about unless one try very hard to read lips - which is me next lesson in my Shaolin training after current lesson on invisibility is completed...LOL
 
Must Buy Factor
 
 

1. Comfort factor is A+  and it doesn't matter how good the headphone sound if its not comfortable. 
2. One headphone do it all - bluetooth, ANC and cable when the batterry run out.
3. Good bluetooth connection
4. Quality sound signature
5. Value for money for buyer who are looking for exceptionally versatile usage and most of all - NOT A HOARDER

 
and still say " I HAVE NO HEADPHONE TO WEAR" 
 

1. WHY NOT ! - if you are a hoarder !

 
Conclusion
 
 
ANC7 is one multi purpose headphone I will have no reservation to recommend to friends who are interested in getting a new headphone.
 
Cool design with black carbon fibre with touch of red .
 
Excellent travel case
 
Thank you for reading.
 

 
 

Pros:
Bright and realistic sound.
Noise cancelling works well in blocking out all kinds of background noise.
Solid battery life.
Possible for both wired and wireless use.

 

Cons:
The volume is significantly lower while the noise cancelling is off.
The build quality is only average among headphones in this price range.

 
Active noise cancelling has always been considered a feature only for high-end headphones. But here come the Ausdom ANC7, which have a price tag of $129 on Amazon. Since many wiereless headphones released by this Shenzhen based manufacture offer quite compelling values, we’d like to take a closer look at these all new headphones.

 


Packaging and accessories

 



 
 



 
 

Many Chinese headphone brands seem to be obsessed with excessive packaging, hoping to win the customers over with their beautiful boxes and accessories. Ausdom takes a completely different approach. The Ausdom ANC7 comes with very simple packaging, inside the box you will find a very good-looking semi-hard carrying case with a zippered closure.

 



 
 

Inside the case you will find the headphones with their earpieces fold flat, a wire with 3.5mm straight plugs on its two ends, a Micro USB charging cable, a user manual and a warranty card.

 

 
Design and build

 



 
 

The Ausdom ANC7 has an overall design language identical to the Ausdom M05, the only difference you will instantly notice is the red color on the top band and ear cups.

 



 
 

Each ear cup has a carbon-fibre exterior finish which offers much more resistance to scratches than normal plastic seen on many other over the ear headphones. I didn’t find any marks after one month of using them.

 



 
 

The extendable arms are made of metal, offering both flexibility and strength to the frame. The headband and earmuffs are fabricated from artificial leather, which makes those headphones comfortable to wear for a long time.

 



 
 

A few physical controls and ports can be found on the ANC7, the left-hand ear cup has a noise cancelling switch and a Micro USB charging port, while the right-hand ear cup plays host to a multi-purpose button (power/Bluetooth connection/play/pause), a volume rocker and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 



 
 

The build quality of the Ausdom ANC7 doesn’t blow us away like the Ausdom M05 did two months ago. In fact it is only average among headphones in the same price range. These headphones are not fragile, but they don’t feel very solid, either. The using of red colors gives them a more interesting look than the M05, but the overall plastic feel still dominates. The portability of the ANC7 is also average, these headphones can be folded, but not in a shape shifting way which makes them much smaller than they are while we are using them. Thanks to the slim and solid carrying case, they are still easy to throw into a cross-shoulder bag or a backpack.

 

 
Fit and Isolation

 



 
 

These headphones are relatively comfortable to wear, thanks to the lightweight ear cups and soft cushions. These cups can completely cover your ears, and you probably won’t feel any unpleasant pressure even after hours of wearing them. When the noise cancelling switched off, the ANC7 can still passively filter out 80% of the background sound.

 

 

Pairing

 



 
 

Pairing the ANC7 is as easy as pairing any Bluetooth headphones and speakers. Holding the power button for a few seconds and the headphones will announce they are ready to pair, the LED will also flash in red and blue. Then you only need to turn on the Bluetooth on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, find the Ausdom ANC7 and tap to pair them up. Once you have established the first-time pair, next time you only have to turn on the headphones and they will be automatically connected to the devices they were paired up with.

The Bluetooth connection was stable without interferences from other devices most of the time, but there are a few occasions where these headphones seemed to stop delivering the sound for half a second and then back on while I was playing movies on my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with the ANC7 connected. I have no similar issues connecting the ANC7 to my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3 or Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, but I am sure my Surface Pro 3 doesn’t have a problem because it also have no such issue while connected to the Ausdom M05 or the Astrotec BX50.

 

 

Performance

 



 
 

Sources: iriver U100, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G3, LG G Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, Microsoft Surface Pro 3

 

Tracks:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White privilege (MP3@320kbps)
Emeli Sande – Heaven (APE)
Drake – Controlla (APE)
G Eazy – Me, Myself and I
Adele – River Lea (MP3@320kbps)
Alicia Keys – Girl on Fire (FLAC)
Shawn Mendez – Stitches (FLAC)
Nick Jonas – Chains (MP3@320kbps)
Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer (APE)
Drake – Keep the Family Close (MP3@320kbps)
Beyonce – Pray You Catch me (MP3@320kbps)
Future & The Weeknd – Low Life (MP3@320kbps)

 
Comparisons:

Monster Inspiration (with active noise cancelling), Ausdom M05, 1more E1001 Triple Driver, Bose Freestyle
The sound profile of the Ausdom ANC7 is a little different from other Ausdom headphones. The bass can go extremely deep, but it never sounds boomy. Also, the ANC7’s bass is much brighter than most entry-level headphones, with a lot of details.

The midrange of the ANC7 follows form, in that it is quite ruler-flat, perhaps even to the point of sounding slightly dry and uninvolving. Also, due to the lack of warmth, is not very natural on vocals, especially female vocals and some acoustic instruments. This is not to say the ANC7's midrange is bad, but it will take a specific preference to appreciate.

The highs of the ANC7 are not as clean as my 1more E1001 triple driver headphones. At the very top of the treble, the sound starts to break up a little, and is a bit more fragile than my personal preference.

The ANC7's soundstage is a bit more open than that of most entry-level headphones, with a better sense of what is going on at the edges.

On the whole, the Ausdom ANC7 headphones are more "Hi-Fi" sounding than "musical" sounding. They can be spectacular, especially when watching a movie or listening to pop, hip-hop and R&B music, but they are not natural with acoustic music. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the sound quality of the ANC7. As I was really blown away by the Ausdom M05, which were less than half the price of the ANC7, so I had high expectations for the ANC7, but they didn’t seem to live up to those expectations.

The active noise cancelling on the ANC7 was pretty effective at blocking out background noises, including human voices, someone can shout in your face and you will have no idea what it is about. I was always annoyed by the electrical whine in the background while listening to my Monster Inspiration with active noise cancelling on, but fortunately it is not the case with the ANC7. With that said, it does seem that the ANC7 lose a lot of volume while active noise cancelling is off.

 

 

Battery life

 

The battery life of the ANC7 was average among wireless headphones, lasting around 18 hours between charges. With noise cancelling turned on, the battery could be killed a little bit faster, but you could still get more than 15 hours on a full charge. Charging only took just over an hour using the stock micro USB cable.

 

 
Conclusion

 



 
 

There’s a lot to love about the Ausdom ANC7. They offer enjoyable and balanced sound, especially if your music choice is more towards pop than classical. Active noise cancelling is a welcome feature, and works extremely well in keeping out almost all the noises in the background. Also, they are very comfortable to wear, and can be used with a wire after running out of battery.

Priced at $129, the ANC7 are one of the cheapest pair of headphones to feature active noise cancelling, so the value it offers is pretty compelling for those who are interested in this feature but don’t want to spend $300 on a BOSE QC25. But compared to industry-leading high-end headphones such as the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless and Definitive Technology Symphony 1, the lack of overall build quality is still quite obvious. And they didn’t really wow me with their audio performance like the Ausdom M05 did when I tested them a few months ago as I was astonished by how much a pair of headphones priced under $50 could offer in terms of sound quality. The ANC7 are pretty nice headphones in almost every aspect, but I expect them to be nice at this price point.