ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) feature is a must have for a headphone/headset if you live in a noisy environment. This feature helps dampen other sources of noise so you could focus on immersion and even acts as a hearing protection since you don’t have to raise the volume of the headphone just like you would in a normal headphone/set.
In the past, a lot of headset/headphones used passive noise cancelling with only relying on foam and padding on the ear. This alone isn’t enough to actually block out all the other sounds in the area. At the same time, any headphone/set that has this feature is always on the higher end. Think of Sony or Airpods that already have this feature and they’re not necessarily budget-friendly. Whether it’s good or bad, you have the choice. If you want to know more technical explanation of ANC, this video got you covered
Recently, where I live there’s a trend going on called “Sound Horeg” . It's a very loud bassy and stack of speakers usually being paraded around the street or even used in some events. These sounds can make your head pound and even damage your hearing. So, being exposed to this kind of thing for prolonged hours isn’t exactly a good thing.
Thankfully, a day before the carnival in my town, I got the chance to upgrade my headphones/set. This time around, I do not want to get something on the cheaper end which usually doesn’t feature a lot of things nor even has actual ANC features.
While I have my Soundcore from Anker that works perfectly fine, that one didn’t feature the actual ANC. So, how does it differ from the regular headset/phone? I’ll let you know after unboxing it!
Inside this box there’s only the hard case, a charger and the headset. It’s pretty no, nonsense box but still offering a great experience to unbox it. The headphone itself has 2 variants, black/white with some design over its edges. They also feature touchscreen controls with one main button to switch between three available modes. ANC, Gaming, & transparent mode. So, just as you see, it’s pretty straightforward buttons and options without all the hassles.
Truthfully, it doesn’t make overclaim with its ANC nor its features. Even on their main website, they make excessive claims about it.
For the entire build itself, this headphone can feel a bit tight if you have a smaller head frame but it’s still adjustable and you need some adjusting during the first use because it can give you a headache if it’s too tight.
Overall, it’s pretty well-stiched but since it’s made from Protein Leather Earmuff, that could be quite a problem if you’re using this excessively for working out or in a hot sweltering environment where you sweat a lot. So, this is best to wear just indoors or when it’s not that hot.
As I have touched on some features earlier, this S90 pro has an ANC range -30 +- 3dB. This just means it’s moderate when compared to Sony or high-end tier products that have -40 dB above. So, while you can’t completely block out all the noises, especially extremely loud ones, it helps dampen all the noises by a lot. Think about rumbling noises from motorbikes or just construction.
This range is best used to concentrate on places like library, home offices where you can totally focus on the immersion of the music while also blocking out noises from the outside. When listening to music from it, it can feel like extra noises from the outside as extra white noise without truly overpowering you.
This S90 pro also features transparency mode which helps you still hear music but also voices from outside that helps you be aware of your surroundings. For instance, if you’re outside the house and want to listen to music but are still aware of things, this is the best feature to use.
I did a test during the carnival and I could block so much noise from the heavy bass and the loud speakers all around me. It was pretty amazing that I survived those noises even without actually playing anything on my ear. When I used this headphone, everything felt like it wasn’t so noisy but when I opened it, I was surprised how noisy it was out there.
For the ANC mode, this headset will last you about 2-3 days if you use it constantly. I haven’t really charged it much because I only use this feature no longer than 2-3 hours with some short breaks in between.
While I wrote some reviews of headphones/sets in the past, this time, this is the only thing I can really recommend. Get ANC features and that will change your life & focus. I wished I purchased something similar sooner but I don’t know why I bought cheaper ones that don’t even have this life changing feature considering I live in a very noisy environment. The price range of this one was still reasonable albeit still cheaper than Sony or Bose.
