Back in September, Samsung made the announcement it was linking up with AKG and throwing its name in the premium headphone market with three new models. We got our hands on a pair of the N700NC the premium model out of the three and put them to the test to see if they hold up to the popular models from the likes of Bose, Beats By Dre and Sony.

The headphone market is a crowded one where you would be hard-pressed to convince folks to ditch well-established brands in the game. Samsung makes a solid case with their new premium headphones the N700NC.

PROS

Ambient Noise-Canceling

While Sony’s WH-1000XM2 boast impressive noise-canceling technology thanks to its sense engine, Samsung’s N700NC is no slouch in that department. With the press of a button located right next to the headphone’s power switch, you can seamlessly control how much noise you want to let in thanks to the Ambient Aware option which will allow you to be alert and still enjoy your music at the same time.

With the AKG companion app, you can also switch from Ambient Aware to Talk Thru mode by assigning the feature to the button. Once activated it will allow you to conduct conversations with people around you by silencing the headphones without you having to take them off. We were very impressed at how effortlessly the headphones filtered out sounds both modes.

Comfort

The N700NC’s are very comfortable thanks to the memory foam headphone cushions. If you are worried about the foam eventually peeling from wear Samsung assured that will not be the case with their headphones thanks to the quality leather used.

Sporting a very sleek design, the N700NC is very light once you put them on and if you are one of those people who workout while wearing over the ear headphone models these will suit you perfectly well in the gym.

Battery Life

Right out of the box the N700NC worked for 3 days without a charge at that was at 30% battery life. With a full battery, you do get up to 20 hours of use without having to worry about plugging them into recharge. Also, thanks to the auto-off option via the app which will power down the headphones if no music is being played for 10 minutes you will save plenty of battery power. This was a very convenient option for myself because I always tend to forget to power down my headphones.

CONS

Limitations

Now our only complaint would be some limitations when it came to the app. The N700NC headphones were designed for those who know a thing or two about studio sound. In the app, you can customize your own EQ settings so you can hear your music the way you want. BUT I wished some preinstalled settings were included for those who don’t want to go through precisely adjusting the equalizer.

Final Verdict

For $350 you’re getting a great pair of headphones and plenty bang for your buck. Samsung x AKG is definitely onto something here with its line of headphones, and even the mid-range models are pretty good. Again our only complaint about the EQ function not having preinstalled equalizer presets could be easily rectified with an update to the app.

If you’re in the market for a pair of premium headphones, you can’t go wrong with the N700NC. Definitely a solid first entry for Samsung and AKG.

Photos: MoNae Mayweather/Bernard Smalls/ iOne Digital