Samsung has just announced the latest addition to its AKG N700 headphone range.
It’s gotten a bit of a shiny refresh, as well as an eyebrow-raising price tag that is placing it in Sony and Bose noise-cancelling territory. And we’re not sure that it should be there.
Let’s just get right into it. These bad boys have an RRP of $499, which is a whole chunk of change for a set of headphones.
Of course, we’re not adverse to recommending cans that are this pricey. The Sony XM3’s are that much, as were the original Bose Quiet Comforts back in the day.
Taking the Sonys as an example, your cold hard cash is not only getting you best-in-class noise cancelling and sound quality, but some lovely extras such as 10-minute quick charge and incredibly comfortable cushions.
While the new AKG N700 NCM2 also offers noise cancellation, ambient mode, talk mode (so you don’t have to take your headphones off) and an app you can use to customise your sound – these are all par for the course when it comes to modern noise-cancelling cans.
At this end of the market, these inclusions should be a base line expectation.
The lack of quick charge is also going to be a detractor when it comes to future proofing, which is important when you’re dropping $500 – you want them to be good for a few years in the very least.
It just doesn’t seem like there is enough to the NCM2’s to declare them 100% worth the money, especially when they’re going up against such strong, tested competitors.
However, 3 hours of USB-C charge on the NCM2’s will get you 23 hours of noise cancelling playback, which is admittedly impressive.
And to be fair, we haven’t gotten to test these properly yet. Perhaps we’ll be blown away and back pedal on our concerns.
But on paper, it’s a tough sell at this point.
That being said, everyone likes different stuff and we support that. If you’re a big fan of the AKG brand and know you’ll froth this new offering, you’ll be able to pick up a pair in a few weeks for $499.