expiredPennyFound | Staff posted Dec 20, 2024 11:45 PM
Item 1 of 4
Item 1 of 4
expiredPennyFound | Staff posted Dec 20, 2024 11:45 PM
AKG N9 Hybrid BT Wireless Headphones w/ Active Noise Cancelling (Black, White)
+ Free Shipping$153
$400
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Updating firmware was a bit of a hassle because it requires dongle to connect to the phone then you update through the phone app. A few tries, and update worked. My ears became sweaty, so do keep that in mind if you decide to use them in the summer warm weather.
Unfortunately, I don't have other wireless headphones to compare them to. My Noble Triumph earbuds are a bit better, but they were $350. For $230, N9 hybrid are decent, especially because I can use them with my pc + have ANC on them. Be sure to check if buying from their ebay store is covered by warranty. My initial impression is good, but I want to try it for a week before deciding.
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First off, I'd give them an 8.5/10 and really like them so far! Especially for the price and given the features.
Pros:
-Sound is very crisp, and the app EQ allows you to customize the profile very well. Sound over Bluetooth using the LDAC codec is better than using the USB C dongle IMO. The USB C dongle provides pretty darn good audio, though, too. Others have mentioned the dongle was problematic; I didn't have any issues testing it with my Android phone (Pixel 9 Pro Fold) or my Windows 11 PC over 1-2 hours of use.
-Comfort is pretty good, and since i have a large head, it's impressive they're as adjustable as they are. Not as comfortable as the wife's new Bose QC and my old Bose QC35s, but certainly pretty good! Wearing them for the 3-4 hours I got to last night was perfectly comfortable. Head clamping force is maybe 5-10% too much for me but not enough get rid of them, and I think they're wearing in actually.
-Noise cancelling is pretty amazing to me, and I have way too many pairs of noise cancelling headphones and earbuds. Bose still reigns supreme here, probably followed by Sony's XM5s, but the N9 is nothing to scoff at and maybe only slightly behind those competitors.
-Controls work very well, with the 2 multi function buttons, volume jogger, and multi function power switch. Switching between USB C dongle audio and BT audio works seamlessly, and I actually prefer it to using multi-connect with my Windows PC and Android phone (audio takeover is almost never seamless for 2 Bluetooth connections across systems). Two flicks on the multi function power switch lets me control when the headphones switch which I love.
-Build quality feels impeccable. From the faux leather earcups/headband cover to the metal in the headband slider, to the controls. Nothing feels cheap. Even the sliding earcup storage for the USB C dongle is satisfying to fidget with (though I recommend against that, ha).
-Battery life appears to be pretty astounding, as after a full charge and using them for 3-4 hours, they were still reporting 100% capacity.
-App works pretty well and allows customization of basically everything. Also does updates for the headphones and USB dongle's firmware which worked, though was a bit fickle.
-The talkthru mode is amazing, and actually amplifies voices slightly better than WITHOUT the headphones. I can hear my wife who talks very quietly better with the headphones on and using talkthru mode than without them on! Standard ambient mode seems to work pretty darn well, too.
Cons:
-They can get a little warm after prolonged periods of use, though this is with any set of closed back and noise cancelling headphones. Only my Bose QC35 seems to give me insane periods of use without heating my ears up. That being said, it's not unbearable and they're quite comfortable otherwise.
-The headphones like to announce the mode they're in when you pop them off and back on. Not sure if this can be turned off, but it's unnecessary and separate from the auto off feature after a non use period.
-App works OK and was a little buggy when doing updates to the headphones and dongle. Had to unplug and replug a few times to get it recognize the headphones. Worked in the end and app recognizes the headphones for adjustments in regular use just fine now.
All in all, I think these are a banging good deal around the $150 mark!
The clamping felt a tad much at the start, but it's mostly fine now. And compared to the Bose QC45s I had before, everything was going to feel more harsh. You really can't beat Bose for pure comfort. Still, it's better than Sony and many others. I do wish more headphone companies would use floating headbands. The Meze I had before were unbeatable for comfort. Sadly they lacked ANC. The battery life is leagues above the Bose and the sound quality is about as good as you can get with wireless ANC headphones.
To turn off the mode being announced, go to the AKG app, and navigate to the others menu. Then go to "Voice Prompts" where you can disable it. I also recommend just maxing out the ANC and disabling the auto-adjust for that depending on your environment.
While I recognize that AKG as an Austrian powerhouse has been dead for years and is now mostly a label, I do think that these headphones at $153 are a steal and worth getting. I'm not sure why there's a fire sale on just Harmon's Ebay branch, but I'm certainly getting my money's worth.
As a final note, a number of codecs may not be supported straight out of the box for Windows via BT (although the dongle was fine). I had to get the "Alternative A2DP Driver" to unlock LDAC and some other cool stuff.
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