Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC40BT hands-on

Audiophiles aren’t afraid to profess their love for Audio-Technica, especially when the audio manufacturing company has built a solid reputation for itself with its line of headphones. One of its latest offerings in the wireless space is the QuietPoint ATH-ANC40BT, a pair of around-the-neck Bluetooth headphones that features active noise cancellation.

Compared to other similar styles, the QuietPoint ATH-ANC40BT doesn't necessarily flaunt the most attractive or practical design. Quite simply, it's unflattering. Audio-Technica is known to put some effort into its designs, but this one just seems rushed because it lacks any stylish cues to warrant peoples' attention. You basically have two chunk plastic components that are connected with a thin wire, while the earbuds dangle in place while they're not being used.

Despite the unattractive design, we will certainly say that we're content by the fit of the earbuds. The silicone ear tips, in fact, offer just enough suction to produce a snug fit that doesn't loosen up that much. Combing how the other end of the earbuds pushes against our ear, they sort of mimic the function of those winged tips we tend to see in many sporty-centric headphones.

Even though its design is as bland as they come, we really can't complain about its audio performance in our quick testing. There's a nice contrast with the quality, as it neither really doesn't emphasize one particular audio range over the other. In addition to that, we really love how the active noise cancellation manages to mute ambient background noise – placing the focus squarely on the music.

Considering that the Audio-Technica QuietPoint ATH-ANC40BT's shortcomings with its design, the $129 cost of the headphones seems rather reasonable in our opinion because of active noise cancellation and its rich audio performance. As they say, don't judge a book by a cover! The QuietPoint ATH-ANC40Bt definitely follows that adage.