A-Audio Legacy Over-Ear ANC Headphones Review

Eric Branning August 2, 2014 0
A-Audio Legacy Over-Ear ANC Headphones Review

We at pnosker.com have reviewed hundreds of consumer electronics products over the last 5+ years. Many of the products we review have been awarded high star ratings; this is not a reflection of inflated ratings, but instead a testament to the quality of products we receive for review. Despite this fact, we reserve our perfect score – 5 stars – for only the truly game-changing and innovative products that rarely reach our mailing addresses. The A-Audio Legacy over-ear active noise cancellation (ANC) headphones are fully deserving of our perfect 5 star rating, and below are our reasons why.

A-Audio Headphones may not be a company that you have heard of before, but it is a company that you should familiarize yourself with immediately if you want amazing headphones. Founded in 2012 by Babson College graduate Christian Iacovelli, A-Audio strives to blend “avant garde design” with an “audiophile-grade” headphone. Now before you stick your nose up and talk about how you have been coveting your friend’s Bose headphones, please consider would you rather trust a company from Miami, FL or Framingham, MA with your musical experience?A-Audio2

I was able to sample the Legacy over-ear (ANC) headphones over the last several weeks, and they are one of the most comfortable headphones that I have ever owned. I took the Legacy headphones with me on vacation, safely transported in a neat hard leather travel case that is included with the set. Even after five hours of continuous use my ears still felt amazing. It was like wearing two small comfortable memory foam hoodies on my ears. Not only do the Legacy headphones look cool and feel great, the sound quality was excellent, which consumers typically expect to sacrifice for a set of headphones certainly not sacrificed for aesthetic. Thankfully for design-oriented audiophiles, A-Audio is atypical. The Legacy headphones are designed with stylish chrome pieces with the A-Audio logo prominent on both sides. Subtle cross-stitch padding covers the entire headband. These headphones truly match the company’s “avant garde design” intention.

As always, the most important feature of any set of headphones is audio quality, and this is where A-Audio truly separates itself over the competition by leaps and bounds, incorporating a feature never before available – three different audio settings in one headphone. The Legacy over-ear ANC headphones offer three different audio outputs: regular audio, active noise cancellation, and bass enhancement. There are many ANC headphones and bass enhancement headphones on the market, but there never has been one single headphone that incorporates both of these (plus regular audio) into a single product. That is, until A-Audio pulled it off.

Put on “Often (Kygo Remix)” by The Weeknd with the bass enhancer setting on and immediately feel your worldly concerns float away into the music. The bass definitely increases the fullness of low frequencies without being distorted. Not interested in upping the low frequencies and instead want to enjoy your music without all the background?  Turn on the ANC setting and drift way with your music.  The active noise cancellation feature is true soundwave collapse rather than the quick and dirty “up the volume” method other companies use. I tested the ANC feature music free to see if it could block the hum of my noisy air conditioner, and it did this task perfectly, proving to me that it’s real ANC. Using the ANC does require two AAA batteries, but that’s standard for this feature.

If you feel like sharing the epic beat experience with a friend or significant other, a dual jack is included that lets you tether another set of headphones. The full package comes with two audio cables, including one with a built-in microphone that lets you use your headphones for conference calls. Both cables have volume controls and a play/pause button.A-Audio3

The Legacy is slightly heavier then other headphones in its class, yet its superb durability makes it worth it. Real metal means no nonsense. The 24k gold plated jacks included allow you excellent signal transfer, no interference, and are detachable for the audiophile on the go. A-Audio’s Legacy Headphones won the “CE Week 2014 Best in Show” Award, which surprised approximately zero to no percent of the attendees who had a chance to speak to the team and try on a pair themselves. (That would include myself and Associate Editor Michael Convente, who checked out the A-Audio booth at CE Week NYC this past June)

If you were hoping for a wireless feature, check out the upcoming Icon Wireless over-ear (ANC) Headphones ($379). From the package, to the look, to the sound you will hear no complaints from us. Consider us very impressed with our first experience with this impressive and first-in-class product.

A-Audio Legacy Over-Ear ANC Headphones – $281.02

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