Okay Geek Farm
Ableplanet Clear Harmony (NC1050) headphones review
Ricardo Trejo
Abelplanet is a name that’s slowly become synonymous with headphones in both the noise-canceling and design markets. They haven’t always had the prettiest designs especially when directly compared with other slick headsets like Bose or Sennheiser, but Ableplanet has been inching their way to bigger mainstream success with importance being set on the deliverance of audio quality and growing comfort. The Clear Harmony (model number NC1050) are a new line that compete with said companies above and do quite a great job at putting up a fight.
Features
- LINX AUDIO Noise-Canceling technology
- In-Line Volume Control for Easy Adjustment to Safe Listening Levels
- Flat Black paint with Carbon Fiber ring
- Removable Cord with 1/8” and 1/4” Stereo Adapters
- For Use With or Without a Hearing Aid
- Includes: 1/4 Home Stereo Adaptor, AAA Battery (1), Hard Shell Protective Carrying Case, Airplane Adapter
Our Impressions
Packaged inside its simply box is a black hard shell carrying case with the brand name seen clearly on the front with two zippers closing it shut nice and tightly. Inside comes strapped in our NC1050 headphones, and on the above compartment within a zipper pouch are an assortment of goodies; detachable 5ft audio cable, 1/4” stereo plug, airplane adapter, and 2 AAA batteries to use with the LINX audio noise-canceling feature.
The matte black headphones are beautifully decked out with a carbon fiber lining that has a pretty sweet design that keeps this pair of cans pretty unique. The headphones are able to be resized and adjusted to your head size quite easily by moving them down on the headband, and the earcups themselves are capable of being rotated, though they cannot be folded for storage. The Clear Harmony’s are also very light when you first pick them up which makes them feel a little on the cheap side though they are anything but.
The audio jack can be found on the bottom of the left earcup which also has a hidden latch that opens for the housing of the 2 AAA batteries (included) to power the noise-canceling feature. The on and off switch is also located on the left earcup, and it a small green LED light turns on when the noise-cancelation is being used.
Play controls are lacking on the audio cable, so there won’t be any way to play, pause, forward or rewind the action on your iPod or iPhone. The only available option on the cable is a volume dial. However I must say that the length of the cable is a convenience when plugging into to a computer where the audio jack maybe hidden behind the system. The cable itself isn’t surrounded by any sort of cloth or kevlar material so it’s just your average audio cable.
Comfort
One of the best features on the NC1050’s are their comfortability. I’ve always had issues with headphones giving me countless headaches due to the pressue of them bearing down onto the temples of my head. However the Clear Harmony headphones by Ableplanet gently sit on your head without leaving a mark. Sometimes I even forgot they were on!
The earphones are lined with a cushioned vinyl material that don’t make your ears sweat like some headphones can cause after prolonged use. They create a nice seal around your ears that will definitely ensure that no exterior noise gets in to your audio experience which also comes into play with the performance given by this headset.
Performance
So far I’d be hard press to recommend paying more than $300 for a pair of headphones that simply look good and come in a nice carrying case. The only thing that eventually matters when looking for a good set of headphones is what they can deliver to your ears. The Clear Harmony’s by Ableplanet do more than their fair share of work to get you the best audio experience you’ve ever had.
Ratata’s “Grape Juice City” has never felt this rich without the Clear Harmony’s help. Their range in defining low’s and bass couldn’t be better exemplified in their ability to demonstrate “Grape Juice City“‘s crazy amount of bumps and beats all happening at different layers of this track.
When listening for mids I went with The Weepies “Gotta Have You” which is a vocal heavy song that is also accompanied by a guitar and ambient sound in the background that lets the voices stand out. The NC1050’s didn’t have any problem and the voices of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen have never been more clearer.
Highs are usually the one thing that is the most difficult for me to review but rather than go with some sort of orchestral string track I’ve decided to go the route of 8-bit music. Anamanguchi’s “Densmore” is the perfect example of music that encompasses a wide range of human hearing, mostly mid’s to high’s though.
Overall, the headphones do a fantastic job at passing musical notes to my ears without a single hiccup. There’s no distortion and I feel as if nothing’s been altered as it travels from my source of iTunes over to my headset even when I have the noise cancelation feature on, which at first glace seems to do nothing but give the headphones about 50% more juice in terms of volume.
One issue I did run into however, was a hissing sound when noise cancelation was turned on. It’s not really apparent at all when music is playing but inbetween tracks playing you can definitely notice some extra-curricular sound going on that is more annoyance than anything. I noticed that when plugged into a computer it was more apparent than when jacked into an iPod Shuffle.
Overall
Ableplanet’s Clear Harmony headphones are a real competitor to what’s out in the market right now. At a price point of nearly $350 they do what they say they do, and that’s bring you an excellent audio experience that is hard to rival without putting some serious cash into it. While Bose and Sennheiser have a long history and market penetration in their wake, Ableplanet may be gaining ground if they continue to go in the right direction and these NC1050’s are a clear indication of that.
Pro’s
- Comfortable even after long periods of use
- Offers a sexy design and color
- Performance is worthy of price
Con’s
- No play controls for iPod
- Feel a little lightweight and cheap
- Hissing noise while using noise-cancelation feature
Where to buy
Ableplanet — MSRP: $349.99
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This review was done by Ricardo Trejo, who was given NC1050 headphones from AblePlanet.
