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I’m going to start off this video by saying that I really like how the AKG N700NC M2’s sound after tweaking their EQ. These headphones sound quality wise can actually compete with some of the recent $400 headphones I’ve reviewed. But even though these headphones do have some notable improvements from last year’s N700NC’s… these headphones still have a lot of room for improvement.
Now first off, these headphones have gotten a $50 price cut from last year’s N700NC’s cause the M2’s now retail for $300. But personally I would feel more comfortable picking these headphones up if they were on sale for $250 or less. Even though im not the biggest fan of these headphones I can’t deny that they sound really good… if you’re looking for a pair of neutral sounding headphones. So if you want to pick these headphones up they’ll be linked down below but just keep in mind that these headphones are suited for a very specific type of person.
So as the name implies, the AKG N700NC M2’s are the second generation of last year’s AKG N700NC’s. I just think its kinda cute how Samsung slash AKG copied Sony and just slapped an M2 on the back of their name. But with that being said there are some notable improvements on the M2’s. The most important of which is their build quality. Now the M2’s look identical to the original N700NC’s but these headphones feel much better built. Specifically these headphones no longer crack and squeak when you flex their headband which was a big problem with last year’s headphones And also when you rotate the ear cups the joints glide much smoother and there’s no longer any chaffing. Add to the fact that there’s a hit of alcentara underneath the well padded headband and the leatherette on these headphones doesn’t feel half bad… I don’t mid the overall build quality on these headphones.
But when it comes to looks, thats another story. I really think AKG just needs to cancel this design cause I’ve actually had a few people ask me whats that on your head. They can keep this ear cup design but they need to make the headband more low profile like the Sony 1000XM3’s headband and they also need to make this headband less boxy. But looks aside when it comes to comfort these headphones are not big head approved. These headphones have a lot of clamping force and combined with the fact that the padding on these headphones is fairly stiff, it feels like these headphones are squeezing your head. I even think that people with smaller heads will finds these headphones to be a little snug.
Now when it comes to tech specs, one major change is that these headphones now charge via a USB C port unlike last year’s model which used to charge via a Micro Usb Port. Now this is a big deal cause for those who may not know Samsung bought AKG a few years ago. So AKG headphones are to Galaxy Devices like Beats are to iPhone’s. But with last years headphones you couldn’t charge them with the same cable that you use to charge your galaxy device. So that was a big let down. But you can now.
But something odd that I did notice is that these headphones don’t charge with just any USB C cable… you gotta use a USB A to Usb C cable. Now my secondary device is currently a Pixel 4 XL and I usually use my Pixel 3A or Pixel 4’s USB C To USB C cable and fast charger to charge all of my USB C devices… But when I plug this cable into the M2’s they won’t charge. So what im getting at here is that if you’re using an android device that isn’t a Galaxy device you’ll might not be able to enjoy the convince of being able to charge your phone and headphones with the same cable. Cause all of my other headphones work just fine with this charging cable.
But with all of that specificity aside these headphones have an advertised battery life of 23 hours which is average for a pair of ANC headphones and they should be able to last you a week in between charges. Now regarding bluetooth connectivity these headphones are using bluetooth 4.2 but more importantly these headphones can be connected to two devices at the same time so you can hot swap from one device to another. Now simultaneous multi device connectivity is still a big deal cause some headphones out there still can’t do this even though they’re also using bluetooth 4.2.
Now when it comes to audio codecs these headphones top out at AAC support, but when it comes to watching movies or videos with these headphones they have zero latency across the board whether you’re using an iPhone or android device. Which is good.
Now when it comes to listening to music with these headphones, I’m going to say flat out that I do not like how these headphones sound right out of the box. Right out of the box these headphones sound way too bright and at higher volumes the highs can get ear piercing. But thankfully these headphones have an adjustable eq. So what I did is that I lowered the highs and brought up the bass a little bit and now I really like how these headphones sound. With my adjusted EQ the M2’s sound very similar to the Bose NC 700’s but you can actually feel the bass on these headphones making these headphones a little more fun to listen to than the Bose NC 700’s. And I also feel comfortable saying that the AKG N700NC M2’s sound better than the Sony 1000XM3’s specifically cause of their sound stage. The Sound stage on the AKG’s is noticeably wider and instrument separation is better. But I would only recommend the AKG’s to someone who likes a balanced or neutral sound signature cause if you’re looking for a pair of headphones to physically feel your bass then these headphones aren’t going to do it for you. Even if you max out the bass on these headphones they don’t have nearly as much physical bass as the 1000XM3’s. But if you’re like me who likes the Bose NC 700’s but which they had a little more bass then these are a good option sound quality wise.
But now I want to talk about the media controls on these headphones. First off these headphones are using physical buttons which I know some people still prefer. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I do wish AKG executed on these better. First off they’re on the left ear cup instead of the right ear cup and they’re also pretty hard to tell apart. Since they’re so small and they’re all the same hight I frequently press the wrong button. What AKG should do is either add gnarling to the center button which would make these headphones feel more premium or at least make the center button taller from the other two buttons so you can better tell these buttons apart.
But over all, its no secret that I really like how these headphones sound… but when it comes to the active noise cancellation and the ambient mode on these headphones… thats another story. The active noise cancellation on the AKG’s performs more like what you would find on a pair of $250 mid tier ANC headphones. But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into an ANC test.
So like you may have just seen, the AKG’s can’t really compete with the ANC on the Bose NC 700 or the Sony 1000XM3. Now its important to keep in mind that the ANC on these headphones is the type that constantly adjusts itself depending on your surroundings. In quiet environments you don’t feel any cabin pressure but you do feel some noticeable cabin pressure in louder environments. Its nowhere near as bad as the cabin pressure on the Bose QC 35’s, but it is more noticeable than the ANC on the Bose NC 700 or Sony 1000XM3.
But something that I really don’t like on these headphones is their ambient mode. Even though yeah it’ll get the job done. There’s a lot of hissing in the background, so I wouldn’t use the ambient mode on these headphones while watching videos with these headphones cause it is distracting. And also when you have ambient mode turned on your music won’t get a loud as it would if you had ambient mode turned off. I mean regardless these headphones get super loud and I rarely use them past 85% volume cause after that its just painful, but with ambient mode turned on your music’s volume is capped at like 80% volume.
But also these headphones have talk through which is identical to Sony’s Quick attention or Bose’s Conversation mode where if you press this button these headphones will mute your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you so you can quickly talk to someone like this.
But what I don’t like about talk through on these headphones is their uanessacry notification sound. It just take a little longer than what im used to with other headphones.
And when it comes to the microphone on these headphones for phone calls… they sound very shallow. And the few times that I have taken phone calls with these headphones I basically had to shout so people could hear me.
So over all the AKG N700NC M2’s are not going to get a glowing endorsement from me. But I will admit that these headphone have noticeably better build quality from last year’s headphones and I really like how these headphones sound. Now if you’re someone with a smaller head who wants something that sounds like the Bose NC 700’s but has a little more bass to them and are more affordable… then maybe I would consider getting these. But these aren’t a pair of headphones I would easily recommend to everyone. Now if AKG were to redesign these headphones to make them look better, fit better, and at the very least get rid of the hissing in their ambient mode which I think that they can fix through software then they’ll maybe have a formidable contender for next year.