When it comes to noise cancellation, Bose still leads the industry with its $400 Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
But Bose isn't the only game in town, especially if you place more of an emphasis on audio performance than ANC (active noise cancellation).
AKG's N700NC M2 Wireless headphones may not roll off the tongue, but at $299 they cost far less than the Bose pair and deliver a stronger sound signature, with wonderful balance and more realistic bass.
In terms of ANC, Bose still has the edge, but AKG is no slouch.
So if audio performance is more important to you than noise cancellation, but you want both, these headphones are a compelling option.
Design
The N700NC M2 Wireless headphones have a handsome shape, with smooth lines and oblong, oval earcups lined with leatherette cushions and aluminum accents with a gray, eggshell finish.
The look is modern, with a focus on shape over branding, though the AKG logo is quite visible on each earcups's outer panel.
The fit is secure, and exceptionally comfortable—the interior frame is generously padded with memory foam in the earcups and under the headband.
Along the side panel of the right earcup, there's a power/pairing switch, and a button that defaults to turning the Ambient Aware mode on or off (it can be assigned to TalkThru mode in the app).
When held down, this same button mutes or unmutes the microphone.
There's also a USB-C port here for the included charging cable.
In addition to the cables, AKG includes an airline plug adapter and the earcups swivel down flat to fit into an included hardshell travel case that has a black leather hanging strap attached.
The side panel of the left earcup houses a connection for the included audio cable (which features a single-button inline remote control and mic), and plus/minus buttons for volume control, and when held in for multiple seconds, track navigation.
We're not fans of combining volume and track navigation on the same buttons, as it's far too easy to accidentally skip a track.
There's also a central multifunction button that handles playback and call management.
The AKG Headphones app provides firmware upgrades, as well as customizable controls.
For instance, you can assign the Ambient Aware button to turn on TalkThru mode instead, or enable/disable the "auto-off" feature that powers the headphones down when they haven't been used in 10 minutes.
There's also EQ with customizable user presets.
Unfortunately, there's no way to turn the ANC on or off, or to adjust it in any way.
True, you can use the headphones in wired mode with the ANC on, or power the headphones down and use them as regular wired headphones with no ANC, but there's no way to use the headphones in Bluetooth mode with the ANC off.
(Yes, it can be toggled off by switching to Ambient Aware Mode, but there's no way to have both Ambient Aware/Talk Thru and ANC off at the same time and use the headphones.)
The headphones use Bluetooth 4.1 and supports AAC, SBC, and Samsung Scalable Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX.
AKG estimates battery life to be roughly 23 hours when ANC and wireless are both used, or 36 hours for wired ANC usage, but your results will also vary with your volume levels.
Performance
The headphones deliver above-average noise cancellation.
High frequencies are tamped down, and voices (even your own) are dialed back significantly.
Low-frequency rumble like you hear on a train or plane is also sufficiently lowered.
Much of this is the work of the circuitry, but you can tell how much of a role the earcups themselves play in this by wearing the headphones when they're powered down—things are significantly quieter, even with no ANC, especially in the highs.
The ANC then helps eliminate more mids and lows when powered up.
The Ambient Aware mode lets you hear your surroundings without taking off the headphones and is quite useful, while the Talk Thru mode provides some boosting in the frequency range of the human voice.
Both worked well in testing.
Internally, the headphones employ 40mm drivers, delivering a frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz and an impedance of 16 ohms.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," they deliver powerful bass thump, even with the EQ set to default neutral mode.
The high-mids aren't overwhelmed by the powerful bass, so things are generally balanced.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the overall sound signature.
The drums on this track sound superb through the N700NC M2 Wireless—they're neither overly boosted nor thin.
There's a fullness and roundness to the sound, and Callahan's baritone vocals receive ideal measures of low-mid richness and high-mid crispness.
The acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits have a lovely clarity to them that is bright, but not overly boosted or sculpted.
The bass depth might be a little boosted, but it sounds excellent.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an ideal amount of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its punchiness.
The vinyl hiss and crackle, typically relegated to background status, takes a very slight step forward here, indicating some subtle boosting in the high-mids and highs.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with ideal depth—they sound deep, warm, and powerful, but they never come close to overpowering the balance of the mix or stealing the spotlight.
The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity and not a hint of added sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound wonderful through the N700NC M2 Wireless.
The lower-register instrumentation gets just the right amount of lower-frequency presence—things are never pushed too far forward in the mix, nor does the mix sound brittle.
The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals are defined and clear.
It's a wonderfully balanced sound that doesn't neglect any part of the frequency range.
Using the cable for audio, the bass depth seems to get dialed back ever so slightly.
This is with the power on.
You can use the headphones in passive mode, with no power, and the volume doesn't drop off, but the sound signature is notably altered.
Things sound pinched and filtered, and there's less bass and less clarity in the highs.
The mic offers solid intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded.
The signal wasn't weak and the mic didn't sound too distant, though there was some typical Bluetooth distortion around the edges.
People on the other end of the line should be able to understand you clearly.
Conclusions
The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless headphones offer good noise cancellation with superb audio performance.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, by contrast, can be described as offering superb noise cancelling with very good audio performance, and remain our Editors' Choice.
But there's no denying the AKG sound signature is fantastic, and these headphones can be viewed as a solid choice for audiophiles seeking ANC, alongside the $280 Sony WH-1000XM3.
For less money, meanwhile, we're fans of the $200 Marshall Mid ANC and the $250 true wireless Apple AirPods Pro.
Pros
Excellent audio performance.
Comfortable fit.
App includes customizable EQ.
Ambient Aware/Talk Thru modes.
Can be used in wired or passive modes.
View More
Cons
Expensive.
ANC cannot be disabled.
The Bottom Line
The pricey AKG N700NC M2 Wireless headphones offer solid noise cancellation, but their audio performance is the real selling point.
AKG N700NC M2 Wireless Specs
Type
Circumaural (over-ear)
Wireless
Yes
True Wireless
No
Connection Type
Bluetooth, Stereo 3.5mm
Water/Sweat-Resistant
No
Active Noise Cancellation
Yes
When it comes to noise cancellation, Bose still leads the industry with its $400 Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
But Bose isn't the only game in town, especially if you place more of an emphasis on audio performance than ANC (active noise cancellation).
AKG's N700NC M2 Wireless headphones may not roll off the tongue, but at $299 they cost far less than the Bose pair and deliver a stronger sound signature, with wonderful balance and more realistic bass.
In terms of ANC, Bose still has the edge, but AKG is no slouch.
So if audio performance is more important to you than noise cancellation, but you want both, these headphones are a compelling option.
Design
The N700NC M2 Wireless headphones have a handsome shape, with smooth lines and oblong, oval earcups lined with leatherette cushions and aluminum accents with a gray, eggshell finish.
The look is modern, with a focus on shape over branding, though the AKG logo is quite visible on each earcups's outer panel.
The fit is secure, and exceptionally comfortable—the interior frame is generously padded with memory foam in the earcups and under the headband.
Along the side panel of the right earcup, there's a power/pairing switch, and a button that defaults to turning the Ambient Aware mode on or off (it can be assigned to TalkThru mode in the app).
When held down, this same button mutes or unmutes the microphone.
There's also a USB-C port here for the included charging cable.
In addition to the cables, AKG includes an airline plug adapter and the earcups swivel down flat to fit into an included hardshell travel case that has a black leather hanging strap attached.
The side panel of the left earcup houses a connection for the included audio cable (which features a single-button inline remote control and mic), and plus/minus buttons for volume control, and when held in for multiple seconds, track navigation.
We're not fans of combining volume and track navigation on the same buttons, as it's far too easy to accidentally skip a track.
There's also a central multifunction button that handles playback and call management.
The AKG Headphones app provides firmware upgrades, as well as customizable controls.
For instance, you can assign the Ambient Aware button to turn on TalkThru mode instead, or enable/disable the "auto-off" feature that powers the headphones down when they haven't been used in 10 minutes.
There's also EQ with customizable user presets.
Unfortunately, there's no way to turn the ANC on or off, or to adjust it in any way.
True, you can use the headphones in wired mode with the ANC on, or power the headphones down and use them as regular wired headphones with no ANC, but there's no way to use the headphones in Bluetooth mode with the ANC off.
(Yes, it can be toggled off by switching to Ambient Aware Mode, but there's no way to have both Ambient Aware/Talk Thru and ANC off at the same time and use the headphones.)
The headphones use Bluetooth 4.1 and supports AAC, SBC, and Samsung Scalable Bluetooth codecs, but not AptX.
AKG estimates battery life to be roughly 23 hours when ANC and wireless are both used, or 36 hours for wired ANC usage, but your results will also vary with your volume levels.
Performance
The headphones deliver above-average noise cancellation.
High frequencies are tamped down, and voices (even your own) are dialed back significantly.
Low-frequency rumble like you hear on a train or plane is also sufficiently lowered.
Much of this is the work of the circuitry, but you can tell how much of a role the earcups themselves play in this by wearing the headphones when they're powered down—things are significantly quieter, even with no ANC, especially in the highs.
The ANC then helps eliminate more mids and lows when powered up.
The Ambient Aware mode lets you hear your surroundings without taking off the headphones and is quite useful, while the Talk Thru mode provides some boosting in the frequency range of the human voice.
Both worked well in testing.
Internally, the headphones employ 40mm drivers, delivering a frequency range of 10Hz to 20kHz and an impedance of 16 ohms.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," they deliver powerful bass thump, even with the EQ set to default neutral mode.
The high-mids aren't overwhelmed by the powerful bass, so things are generally balanced.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the overall sound signature.
The drums on this track sound superb through the N700NC M2 Wireless—they're neither overly boosted nor thin.
There's a fullness and roundness to the sound, and Callahan's baritone vocals receive ideal measures of low-mid richness and high-mid crispness.
The acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits have a lovely clarity to them that is bright, but not overly boosted or sculpted.
The bass depth might be a little boosted, but it sounds excellent.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an ideal amount of high-mid presence, allowing its attack to retain its punchiness.
The vinyl hiss and crackle, typically relegated to background status, takes a very slight step forward here, indicating some subtle boosting in the high-mids and highs.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with ideal depth—they sound deep, warm, and powerful, but they never come close to overpowering the balance of the mix or stealing the spotlight.
The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity and not a hint of added sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound wonderful through the N700NC M2 Wireless.
The lower-register instrumentation gets just the right amount of lower-frequency presence—things are never pushed too far forward in the mix, nor does the mix sound brittle.
The higher-register brass, strings, and vocals are defined and clear.
It's a wonderfully balanced sound that doesn't neglect any part of the frequency range.
Using the cable for audio, the bass depth seems to get dialed back ever so slightly.
This is with the power on.
You can use the headphones in passive mode, with no power, and the volume doesn't drop off, but the sound signature is notably altered.
Things sound pinched and filtered, and there's less bass and less clarity in the highs.
The mic offers solid intelligibility.
Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 8, we could understand every word we recorded.
The signal wasn't weak and the mic didn't sound too distant, though there was some typical Bluetooth distortion around the edges.
People on the other end of the line should be able to understand you clearly.
Conclusions
The AKG N700NC M2 Wireless headphones offer good noise cancellation with superb audio performance.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, by contrast, can be described as offering superb noise cancelling with very good audio performance, and remain our Editors' Choice.
But there's no denying the AKG sound signature is fantastic, and these headphones can be viewed as a solid choice for audiophiles seeking ANC, alongside the $280 Sony WH-1000XM3.
For less money, meanwhile, we're fans of the $200 Marshall Mid ANC and the $250 true wireless Apple AirPods Pro.
Pros
Excellent audio performance.
Comfortable fit.
App includes customizable EQ.
Ambient Aware/Talk Thru modes.
Can be used in wired or passive modes.
View More
Cons
Expensive.
ANC cannot be disabled.
The Bottom Line
The pricey AKG N700NC M2 Wireless headphones offer solid noise cancellation, but their audio performance is the real selling point.
