For the past few years, noise-cancelling headphones have been the sure-shot option for those who are frequent jet setters and smart commuters as they offer you an unrivalled music listening experience without having to bear the hustle and bustle of daily life that inevitably invade your personal space. These noise-cancelling headphones, though useful, are not many people’s cup of tea as firstly, they come with a huge price tag for a quality product and secondly, they are on the tad larger side making them less than portable.
Recently, with technology advancing audio brands have started adding active noise cancelling technology in earphones and these have way more advantages than headphones. The first being that they are highly portable and secondly, they don’t cost as much.
Keeping in tune with this philosophy, Claw, a brand that’s rapidly creating a niche for itself in the audio space has launched a pair of active noise-cancelling earphones called the ANC7 that are not just well priced but sound pretty great as well. After testing these earphones for a substantial amount of time, here are my unbiased thoughts on them.
Design, Build
The Claw ANC7 comes in no-nonsense Black with Silver accents that allow it to suit a professional environment as well as fit in effortlessly in a casual environment. Coming in this colour, the ANC7 has the timeless appeal that allows you to flaunt it for years on end without ever appearing boring or dull. To complement its classy appearance, Claw has fitted it with the most premium materials such as aluminium which makes the casing of the earbuds quite durable.
These earphones are lightweight as well at just 22.8g which allow you to listen to it for hours on end without experiencing any fatigue. To ensure that the earphones fit every consumer, the brand has thrown in multiple eartips of various sizes as well as ear hooks that allow them to stay locked in securely without falling out. There are dual-in-line remotes, one which houses the noise cancelling and monitoring mode controls and the other which houses the microphone and controls for volume, playback and call functions. The former in-line control is made of aluminium which feels absolutely premium. Claw has also used a MEMS noise-cancelling microphone that’s built-in which helps in offering you a clearer conversation by offering an undisturbed voice transmission. When not in use, you can easily store the earphones in a travel pouch that comes as a part of the packaging.
Elaborating on the noise cancellation unit, apart from building it with premium materials, Claw has used a slider button for activating the active noise cancellation. The monitor mode is a quick and seamless way to switch out of noise-cancelling without turning it off. It can be useful during crossing the road or just taking in ambient sounds when necessary. There is a micro USB charging port at the bottom of this unit that offers you up to 16 hours of ANC and it also comes with support for a quick charge where a mere five minute of charge can provide you with up to two hours of ANC.
While the build of the in-ear monitors and the dual-in-line modules are great, the cables feel a bit flimsy and I feel that if they are jerked a bit too hard, then they may actually detach and break. This is a bit worrying considering how much you are paying for your audio investment.
Performance
When it comes to the overall performance of the Claw ANC7, they do exceedingly well in all aspects. Comfort is one of the top priorities here and since they feature flat earbuds, they can be used extensively even while lying down on your side and cause you no pain whatsoever. Although the cables aren’t made of the sturdiest of materials, they are tangle-free which gives them an advantage over others in and around this price range.
As far as audio quality goes, the Claw ANC7 is an extremely strong performer and there is an exquisite detailed heard with the ANC turned on. I found there to be ample space and even complex tunes don’t appear muddy with there being a wide amount of definition all over. The performance of the mids can be classified as lush and I observed a mid-bass bump that gives the Claw ANC7 a tonal balance that was bordering on warm. The bass has the desired impact and extension and this is what a consumer would absolutely love about these in-ear monitors. Lastly, the earphones create a nice seal that aids with the active noise cancellation feature here.
Coming with a 95mAh battery, Claw promises that with the ANC on, you can block out unwanted environmental sounds by up to 97 per cent which is quite impressive and it provides you with an immersive auditory experience.
Verdict
The Claw ANC7 is priced at Rs 4,490 in India and for the features thrown in; these are really quite worth every single rupee they cost. Now, no longer you have to pay north of Rs 10K for noise-cancelling headphones which are huge and mostly uncomfortable to lug around as Claw is offering you an option of a lightweight experience that will touch your senses in the way only a strong performer can. And what may come as good news to those who are looking to purchase it; these earphones are also selling on various online retail channels for as low as Rs 3,590 making it an even more alluring option.
