|
Comfort (8.00)
| |
 |
| |
These things are the primary reason you will be comfortable (click for larger image). |
In order to test comfort, we unfortunately have to default to our own. While this is great news for anyone with our exact head specifications, for others this section will serve as a mere guide. Please, harass the store to let you try on headphones before purchasing. Uncomfortable headphones are only slightly better than broken headphones.
If nothing else, the Denon AH-NC732 headphones are comfortable. They don't grip the head too tightly, but they also don't shake around. The pads have a soft covering, and gently rest against the sides and top of your head (since the band is thoughtfully padded as well). While the headphones are a bit bulky, they never feel heavy. The buttons are easy to reach, although they could have more diverse shapes to aid in finding them by touch.
We took the headphones for a jog, and they tended to stay put while we moved, although we wouldn't recommend getting all sweaty with these headphones: there's just a thin cloth between your ears and the sound element.
The only caveat we have is for those who aren't used to noise cancellation: chances are it'll make your head feel funny for the first few hours. We've heard it described as feeling like one's head was under water, like the person was adrift in space, like the person had to pop their ears, etc. We recommend wearing the headphones for at least a few hours to get used to the sensation before making any judgments in regards to comfort.
Extended Use (8.00)
After a wear session of six hours, we felt exactly the same. The pressure didn't seem to grow with time, in fact, as we got used to them the pressure actually seemed to lessen slightly. Conversely, wearing these headphones can make your ears a bit hot since they're basically ear muffs with a good seal. Overall, however, the AH-NC732 headphones are very comfortable, even during extended use.
Cable Connectivity (7.49)
The main cable for the AH-NC732 headphones is 59 inches long, aka 4 foot, 11 inches, aka 1.5 meters. The secondary cord is a great deal shorter, only measuring 2 foot, 2.75 inches (0.68 meters). There isn't an inluded male-to-male 1/8-inch plug connector, so you unfortunately can't join your cables together unless you can provide such an adapter.
These are the two cords that come in the box. It would've been nice to have a male-to-male
connecter to form one long cord, but alas, we do not live in such a world.
The short cord is great for commuters, but the long cord isn't all that long. Again, If there were some included adapter that would let you hook the two cables together, it would certainly help out.
This is where you'll insert the audio cable of your choice.
The AH-NC732 package also comes with two adapters: 1/4-inch and airplane (double prong). Chances are the 1/4-inch adapter will get used a lot more than the airplane adapter, but it's still nice to see both included.
These two adapters are standard pack-ins.
Portability (6.00)
These headphones aren't the most portable headphones out there, but they aren't the least portable either. Over-headphones are large by design. It's not like you can just shove the AH-NC732 into your pocket when you're done listening.
The AH-NC732s come with a case that, strangely enough, doesn't look like the Bose case. That makes teh AH-NC732s the first active-cancellers to not take their emulation of the QuietComfort series to shameful depths.
The closed case.
This is what the case looks like empty. Those pouches are velcro'd on,
so feel free to move them around.
This is the case with everything shoved inside.
Although everything can be safely and neatly tucked into this case, the case itself isn't particularly portable. Regardless, should you be going on a trip, the case will definitely let you keep your headphones and accessories organized. If you're looking to commute, then leave the case at home and fit the shorter cord onto your Denons.
Customizability (4.50)
There aren't any real customization options included in the packaging. You can tilt the ear cups and swivel them all around, and the band extends slightly. There is also the short/long cord option (2 feet, 2.75 inches and 4 feet, 11 inches) to placate commuters and home users alike (although home users might find the sub-five-foot cord a bit short). There aren't any extra cup pads, or faceplates, or even a little rhinestone gun for customizing your headphones further. If you want to customize your AH-NC732s, you'll have to do it on your own dime.
Maintenance (4.00)
The AH-NC732s are a bit annoying to disassemble. The first step is easy enough, though: remove the padding. The back of the padding has plastic catches that connect it to the cup, which can be seen naked below.
This is what the cup looks like without its padding.
At this point, you'll need a teeny-tiny screwdriver if you want to continue. Unfortunately, we didn't have a screwdriver that small. We're guessing that the average consumer probably won't either, which is unfortunate.
Other Features (5.44)
Battery Dependency
| |
 |
| |
This is the battery port, which accepts one AAA. |
These headphones will eat one AAA battery at a time to keep their active noise cancelling going. The AH-NC732s aren't, however, battery dependent, becausee they will play back music even when the battery is dead. Since many popular active noise-cancellers out there have established a bad trend of not playing when the battery is dead (Bose, go to your room), it's refreshing to see a few companies are still paying attention to user experience.
One thing to keep in mind though: the packaged-in battery is bad. We were only able to get 7 hours, 37 minutes out of the AAA that came with the headphones, which is significantly less than the manufacturer's stated time of 40 hours. We put in the name-brand, store bought battery we typically use for testing, and were able to get 23 hours, 14 minutes, which is better.
Active Noise Cancellation
The AH-NC732's noise cancellation feature is about average in terms of its usability, meaning you can switch it on/off but it doesn't have any additional features.
The on/off switch, although simple, is strangely
absent from many active-cancellers.
|
