The ATH-AL5NC completes Audio-Technica's open-back range, adding Bluetooth, a noise-reduction mode and up to 75 hours of battery to the brand's signature open sound.
Audio-Technica has made its first wireless open-back headphones, the ATH-AL5NC, a pairing that doesn’t come along often, since open-back designs are built to let sound pass in and out rather than seal it off. It rounds out the brand’s open-back range, which already covers music production with the R-Series and audiophile listening with the ADX Series.
Features
- Up to 75 hours playback, or 50 with noise reduction on
- 15-minute charge for around eight hours
- Noise reduction, via a button on the right earcup
- Built-in mic for calls and gaming
- 53mm open-back drivers
- Connect app with a low-latency mode
- 1.2m cable for wired use
- 240g
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Open-back headphones are prized for a wide, natural soundstage – the sense that the music surrounds you rather than being clamped to your head. The ATH-AL5NC uses 53mm drivers to get there. The open housings also let air move, so your ears stay cooler over a long session, and at 240g there isn’t much weight to the headphones. In plain wireless mode, the headphones run up to 75 hours on a charge, with a 15-minute top-up returning around eight hours. With noise reduction on, that drops to a still-generous 50 hours, or five from a quick charge. The noise reduction, worked by a button on the right earcup, takes the edge off background hum, such as air conditioning, traffic or the room next door, rather than sealing you in completely. A built-in mic takes care of calls and in-game chat, while the Audio-Technica Connect app adds tuning options and a low-latency mode that keeps audio in step with video and games. For the times you’d prefer to use a cable, a 1.2m lead with an in-line mic and controls comes in the box.
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