Review by: Todd Brakke

If there is one thing to take away from my time testing out the True Fidelity NC300B over-the-ear headphones from AblePlanet, it’s that although they’re not the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever used, they are, bar-none, the best-sounding. Just be sure to leave the active noise cancellation feature turned off whenever possible.

One thing that should be made abundantly clear: I am not a hardcore audiophile. If you want to know about such things as distortion levels and frequency response (rated 20Hz-20kHz), I can’t tell you much about that. I can’t tell you why their proprietary use of LINX Audio technology reproduces the “live” experience of listening to music by creating, “full rich base sounds, clear high tones, and intelligible speech.” What I can tell you is that up to this point I’ve been very pleased with my $150 set of Jabra C820S over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones and when it comes to sitting back and listening to music I was able to hear various instruments in some of my favorite songs far more clearly with the $65 NC300B phones than I have with the either the C820S phones or any prior set of headphones for that matter. The NC300s do a remarkable job of putting you in the room with whatever you’re listening to and, when not using the noise-cancelling feature, I found them equally impressive whether using them for music, movies, or gaming.

The noise cancelling feature, however, is another matter. First of all, whenever you talk about noise-cancelling features on headphones you have to limit your expectations. Every manufacture has a laundry list of fancy sounding jargon to explain why their tech is the Ron Burgundy of noise-cancellation. Ultimately, what it comes down to is that when you turn the feature on the music gets louder and background noise gets quieter. Don’t expect miracles.

Although it’s always preferable to avoid using the noise-cancelling feature on headphones when it’s not needed, when using the feature in an already quiet-environment the NC300Bs introduce an odd distortion to the sound that once picked up on is distracting and impossible to ignore. That said, use noise-cancellation in a loud environment, such as when using a lawn-mower or when there’s a TV on in the room and said distortion seems to disappear. And if you intend to use the feature while gaming or watching a movie you should be aware that whenever there isn’t music playing it is possible to detect a distracting white-noise in the background. This is true of virtually any set of noise-cancelling headphones, however, and you should not consider it a strike against the NC300B.

What is a legitimate issue with these headphones, however, is their heavy design. The ear cups are comfortable, but the band that goes over your head is not. It’s not a deal-breaker by any stretch, but comparing these to my Jabra headphones, it was a no-contest win for the Jabras. Beyond weight, part of the issue might simply be the size of these headphones. I’m an admittedly slight 35-year old male and I have to use these headphones on their smallest setting, and even that is still just a bit too big for the size of my head, forcing me to tilt them forward just a touch to get them to rest properly. Larger craniums may find them more comfortable than I did. Still, if comfort is a bigger issue for you than sound quality, you should look elsewhere.

Fortunately, comfort is about the only strike that can be leveled against the NC300s. Not only do they sound phenomenal, especially for the price, they come in an extremely attractive package that includes a hard case that not only holds the phones themselves, but also a full size iPod Classic, making it an ideal traveling case. There’s a long cord with in-line volume control that is fully detachable from the headset. The value of this design choice cannot be overstated given that headphone cords are far more likely to wear out before the headset does. Being able to replace the cord by making a quick trip to Best Buy for a new one is a very welcome feature not usually found in less expensive products.

If you’re in that rather sizable group of consumers who wants a set of headphones that offer kick-ass sound without having to drop a couple hundred bucks or more on a truly premium set of headphones, the AblePlanet NC300Bs are definitely worth a look.