Denon AH-NC732

This match-up is pretty straight forward. The Denon AH-NC732 headphones are $100 cheaper and have better isolation and distortion. The Sony MDR-NC500D performs slightly better in some areas, like frequency response and tracking, but they weren’t so amazing to make up the price difference. The only situation we’d recommend you go with the MDR-NC500Ds is if you like its sound better and aren’t worried about sticking to a budget.

The Bose QC3s are active noise cancellation celebrities. While they offer very similar audio quality and about the same user experience, they cost $50 more. The Denon AH-NC732 headphones are a slightly better deal and have the option of turning their active cancellation off. We recommend the AH-NC732s, but if you’re considering either of these headphones, you should give a listen to the other.

The Aurvana X-Fi has some neat active cancellation features, but are average elsewhere. The X-Fis actually out-performed the AH-NC732s on audio quality by a little bit, with the noted exception of distortion. They have the same price as well, but feel a lot cheaper in hand. This match-up is really user-dependent since the headphones are so similar: would you rather have very low distortion or non-noticeably better overall audio quality and some active noise cancellation features? One other thing to keep in mind is how the things look on you; both the AH-NC732s and the X-Fis have slightly weird shapes.

The Grado SR60s are made for an ideal listening environment while the AH-NC732s are made for just about any listening environment. The SR60s also have far worse audio quality than the AH-NC732s and aren’t as comfortable. There’s only one category where the AH-NC732s don’t have the SR60s beat, and that’s in price. If you’re a budget shopper or looking for the better pair of headphones, your choice is clear. If you’re looking for a good value, it’s honestly a toss up. In this case, listening is really important, if only to get a feel for the headphones. We can see how some people might think the SR60s aren’t particularly comfortable.