Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7

The AH-NC732s cost a lot more than the ATH-ANC7s, but they do offer a lot more as well. This matchup will be decided by your budget, or the amount you’re willing to invest in quality. While the AH-NC732s offer better noise cancellation and audio quality, they aren’t as good a value.

The Aurvana X-Fis have slightly worse audio quality than the ATH-ANC7s, but they have better active noise cancellation. They also cost $300, which is likely to be about 3x as expensive as what you’d pay for the ATH-ANC7s. Generally, we don’t think the Aurvana X-Fis’ improvements merit such a large gap in price, so we’d recommend the ATH-ANC7s over them.

The Bose QC3s aren’t a bad set of active cancellers. They’re comfortable, isolate relatively well, and have decent audio quality. They are also retail for the premium price of $350. Like the comparison with the AH-NC732s, this match-up comes down to budget. This time, however, your money is going to better performance and branding. That fancy lettering on the ear cups is adding about $100 to the price of purchase, but brings aesthetic value and an air of quality. Unless you really like the QC3s, the ATH-ANC7s will be a better pick for your wallet.

This match-up is an easy one. The Sony MDR-NC500Ds have slightly worse audio quality than the ATH-ANC7s, are slightly more comfortable, and cost about 4x as much. There’s really no reason for such an inflated price. Stick with the ATH-ANC7s.