Audio-Technica unveils ATH-ANC9 noise-cancelling cans

Audio-Technica has been quiet on the noise-cancelling headphones front for some time, but today it announced a new set of sound-nixing cans, the ATH-ANC9. While earlier ATH models block out 85 percent of outside noise, the new version ups the ante to 95 percent. Also new are three Tri-Level Cancellation modes, each tailored to drowning out sound in a particular environment (airplanes, noisy office and libraries, for example). This over-the-ear set has 40mm drivers and an input sensitivity of 100 dB to make the music you choose to hear sound nice and clear. The ATH-ANC9 comes with two detachable cables, two adapters and an AAA battery. It’s available now for $349.95 on the Audio-Technica website and at other retailers. Get the full details in the presser below.

Audio-Technica

Creative pumps out $99 HN-900 noise-canceling headphones

Fact: not everyone’s willing to pay a premium to enhance their personal listening experience. Fortunately for those of you who like noise cancellation and a flush bank account, Creative’s just taken the wraps off its $99 headset that’ll do the trick. The HN-900 offers great features — aside from the low price tag — such as 40-hours of active noise canceling powered by some AAA juice (for the times when you feel like ignoring the world), 40mm Neodymium drivers, and a built-in microphone to help with making and answering calls, just to highlight a few. Naturally, with such a stout feature set and low price, the headphones are selling like hotcakes and are currently out of stock. That said, you can still head over to the source to check out the rest of the deets and be one of the first in line once the second batch hits Creative’s virtual shelves.

CNET

Creative

Sony's NC-13 buds cancel noise, RF865 cans transmit across a football field

Given the one-size-fits-few nature of most audio products, it’s good to have choices, and Sony happens to have two new pairs of headphones designed for very particular segments of your life. If, say, you’re a traveling music lover who doesn’t happen to have the disposable income to obtain Sony’s premium $300 MDR-NC300D noise canceling buds (which the company claims filter out 99 percent of noise), you’ll find a cheaper alternative in the new $70 MDR-NC13, which only make a estimated 87.4 percent of background distractions go bye-bye. C’est la vie. If, on the other hand, you need to throw sound from one end of your mansion to the other for hours on end, the MDR-RF865RK wireless headphones might be the wide receiver you’ve been dreaming of — Sony claims they’ll play audio up to 100 meters away from their dock, which provides up to 25 hours of playtime after a 3.5 hour charge. No price or availability for the wireless cans, which were just announced in the UK, but you’ll find the NC-13 on sale at Sony’s online store right now. PR after the break.