By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
A good pair of lightweight, compact noise cancelling headphones are truly multipurpose essentials for the modern commuter, road warrior or frequent traveller. The Able Planet Clear Harmony NC1050 noise cancellation headphones aim to deliver a superior sound experience as well as multifunctional features for a variety of use cases and situations. Could these be the only headphones you'll ever need?
Able Planet's been recognized tor turning out great sounding headphones and earphones that compete head to head with some of the more expensive and prominent names in the high end audio industry.
Currently available for purchase online for US $349.99 (and with a free 16GB iPod Touch promo), the Clear Harmony NC1050 are an attractive pair of lightweight noise cancelling headphones that have a subdued black design with a carbon fibre ring.
As a result, the Clear Harmony NC1050 look more professional than many of the trendy headphones in the market today and they have a look that will endure through time.
The Clear Harmony NC1050 headphones are about the most comfortable headphones I've tried in a long time. Fully adjustable and with good tension that gently cups your ears but doesn't hug them too tightly, it is easy to forget that you have these on even after prolonged periods.
Included in the box are the headphones, a long cord with built-in volume controls, an airplane adapter, a AAA battery for the noise cancellation function as well as a 1/4 Home Stereo Adaptor.
Able Planet has really thought about what users will need and they have conveniently included everything in the package. If you consider the free iPod Touch then even the source of your music and videos are covered.
I tested the Able Planet NC1050 as my main headphones for over a week which included various Skype video and voice calls, listening to new music like Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, hours of streaming music from RDIO and Nokia Music on a Windows Phone as well as my daily diet of technology podcasts.
The first thing I noticed about the sould quality of the Able Planet NC1050 is how evenly balanced and well distributed the sound is. While many headphones I have tried tend to emphasize bass at the expense of mids and highs, the NC1050 seems to have dialed in to the right balance of punchiness while still offering that well-calibrated live sound effect.
Turn on the noise cancellation feature and you're greeted by an exceptionally vast soundscape. The bass is chunky and present but you all get all the good stuff in terms of vocals and even the subtle instrumentation. The Daft Punk album was actually a great choice to test this set since it has a good range of driving electronic beats but is also a chock full of harmonies, refrains and complex instrumentation and vocal tracks.
The best thing I discovered about the Able Planet NC1050 is that you don't need to turn up the volume to get that feeling that you're hearing everything. Advanced speaker design and superb noise cancelling technology boost audio effectively and efficiently without having to pump up the volume, I've not experienced this with any other noise cancellation headphones.
I'm impressed with Able Planet's sound quality and versatility. Audio quality is top superb and the built-in noise isolation and sound enhancement technology used make ti possible to enjoy various types of music genres and in various situations.
My only quibble is the plasticky feel of the in-line volume control and the lack of a mic and remote control function, at least for IOS specially since it is being bundled with an iPod Touch. These do not detract from the fact that the Able Planet Clear Harmony NC1050 are exceptional and dynamic noise cancellation headphones that have become my constant daily commute and travel companions.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5