Naztech i9BT Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones Review & Giveaway
Noise cancelling headphones are nothing new, but you can be forgiven for wondering whether the results really justify the expense. As new tech becomes old tech, prices come down and quality goes up, so you can now get noise-cancelling cans for under $100 if you know where to look.
Falling neatly into that price bracket is the Naztech i9BT, which allegedly retails for $149 but can be snapped up for about $85 on Amazon. All that technology might sound good on paper, but how do they sound? Read on to find out, then enter the competition at the end of this review to win a pair for yourself!
Style, Bells & Whistles
Thanks to Beats by Dre, headphones have been turned into status symbols — a fashion accessory to be seen in, causing many consumers to consider the look of the headphones over raw performance and sound quality. Though there’ll be none of that in this review, let’s get it the visual appeal out of the way first of all: they certainly look like headphones.
Though the i9BTs aren’t exactly discreet in terms of looks, they stop short of being ridiculously big — despite packing a rechargeable battery, microphone, and Bluetooth receiver in there. Over the course of testing I’ve worn them outside the house without feeling too self-conscious, which is really saying something as they’re a world away from the small Klipsch earbuds I’m used to.
The all-plastic construction doesn’t exactly scream build quality, but overall things feel pretty good in the hand (and on your head). They don’t creak or rattle like ultra-cheap headphones have been known to in the past, but they don’t really feel like they would withstand being sat on too many times either. Fortunately Naztech bundles a protective hard-case for transport, which doesn’t take up that much room once you’ve folded the cans flat.
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Arguably the main draw here is the noise cancelling technology, which according to the manufacturer results in 85% of the ambient noise around you. Though it’s not the best, if you’re not particularly familiar with what else is out there for much more money then you’ll likely be pretty pleased for $85.
The i9BTs do a great job of isolating low ranges, but don’t do such a great job when it comes to mids and highs. I live right next to a train station and these headphones are able to nearly completely remove the rumble of the carriages, but the screech of the wheels on the tracks is still very much there (though reduced in volume somewhat).
Overall the headphones do an excellent job of removing outside noise while listening to music, from 40% volume onwards. You’ll get some very audible white noise while using them without music, but this is to be expected at this price point.
The headphones become wireless when used via the Bluetooth 4.1 standard — there’s also a standard 3.5mm jack on the left side, so you can bypass this if you want. Traditionally Bluetooth audio was terrible — the result of a technology that was never designed to carry an audio signal. Thankfully with the introduction of the aptX codec, things got a lot better.
The i9BTs support aptX, and so does Mac OS X and many Android smartphones. Unfortunately iOS does not, but there’s no arguing that Bluetooth sounds better than the early robotic, lifeless headphones. Choosing between wired or wireless matter less for spoken word (podcasts) or very lossy music, but the option to plug in provides a better signal.
When fully charged, Bluetooth performance is great — I can walk two rooms away without any drop outs. Once the battery starts to wane, crackles and drops will let you know. This is the case even if you’re right next to the sound source, and it’s annoying. Battery is rated for 12 hours using both noise cancelling and Bluetooth, or 30 hours using just noise cancelling. That’s a good argument to plug in when you can, and in my experience 12 hours is a generous estimate — expect more like 8-10 hours without noticeable interference.
When the battery dies, you can charge the headphones in around three hours via a standard micro USB connection. There are some nice bright LEDs to remind you that your headphones are still connected via Bluetooth and noise cancelling is engaged, which should help reduce too many instances of forgetting to turn them off.
Cheap & Cheerful
If you’re looking for some cheap noise cancelling headphones that work over Bluetooth, these really aren’t a bad choice at $85. You’ll get better sound quality quality if you forego Bluetooth and spend your money on a pair that only offers noise reduction (from someone like Monoprice), and if you can stretch then a pair of $300 Bose will provide superior noise cancelling performance (but don’t expect a massive leap in sound quality).
These aren’t ideal headphones is you place sound quality or a flat response over everything else. They don’t excel at all genres of music like a pair of Stax or Grado headphones would, and Bluetooth performance will largely depend on your source device. They’re great for podcasts, clean-sounding electronic music and highly produced pop, but they’re not restrained enough if you listen to a lot of acoustic, rock or heavier genres.
You’ll get better sound quality by spending the same budget on a pair of cans without noise cancelling or Bluetooth, but if you absolutely have to have those features on a budget you can do a lot worse than the Naztech i9BTs.
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