Verdict
On the surface the Monoprice Sync - ANC seem too safe to be true , and in practice they are . Despite good sound , wireless performance and assault and battery life story , the haphazardness - cancelling prowess ( or lack thereof ) is a big letdown .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Everyone is looking for a bargain but that does n’t mean you have to scrimp on calibre to find a good intersection .
Monoprice are n’t a big name on this side of the Atlantic , but its been quietly making a name for itself . This website has look back the company’swireless loudspeaker system , headphones , andturntables ; and while some have missed the mark , others have sailed above it .
The commonality between them is that they ’re low-cost but boast features you would n’t normally expect within their price chain . For example , the Monoprice Sync - ANC headphone have intercrossed noise - offset , aptX Bluetooth , and Bluetooth Multipoint partner off for $ 59.99 ( or about £ 45 ) .
Is it all too good to be dead on target ? Let ’s see if the Monoprice Sync - ANC are the deal you ’re after .
Design
Like theCreative Zen Hybridover - ears , the Sync - ANC ’s form is a little compact for bigger ears . The earpads end up sit on top of my earlobes rather than enveloping them but the padding nonetheless gives them a cushy flavor , complemented by an equally cushy headband .
There ’s flex in the headband , which is not a belt against its habitus timber but rather a note that it should be able accommodate dissimilar sized head . There ’s also an adjustable luger to ensure that this is potential .
The innovation is also collapsible for stowing the headphones aside but there ’s no case , hard or otherwise to slide the Sync - ANC into .
Visually I like the simplicity of the black and silver look . It ’s salient , specially the headband ’s linkages on the side , and though the earcups are primarily plastic , the construction feels better than the Zen Hybrid .
There are no feeling mastery but there are strong-arm button . There ’s an on / off slider for both power and randomness - cancellation , alongside volume and playback buttons on the right earcup , which are easy to distinguish between . The port is USB - A , not USB - C , which means there ’s no degenerate charging on this mannequin . A 3.5 mm labourer is available for wired listening .
Features
As the model name involve , the Monoprice Sync - ANC serves up some hybrid noise - cancellation action . However , before you press the steal clit , know that the ANC struggle in several manner .
For one , it does n’t obstruct much stochasticity , not help by the flesh and size of the earcups , which as I name above , sit on my ears rather than enclose them . There ’s a slight simplification in external noise when ANC is enable but it ’s not strong enough for me .
I found when used out of doors , traffic is still noticeable rather than reduced . It also has the government issue where its focusing on suppressing small absolute frequency leaves the midrange comparatively untouched , so multitude ’s voice get through cleared with ANC on than off .
On the London tube there ’s always interference amount through , and at the loudest points on the journeying it ’s punishing to hear music . I can also hear crackle and distortion through the headphone ’ microphones during the loud parts of a journeying on the Victoria line of merchandise .
When used on a train , the process ‘ whimper ’ makes carriage sounds appear more detectable than when ANC ’s switched off . That in a nutshell is the main problem with the Sync - ANC . Rather than reducing sound it has the impact of making me more cognizant of them . The Creative Zen Hybrid are better in this regard .
Bluetooth is variation 5.0and there ’s support for SBC , AAC , aptXand aptX Low Latency , which should offer meanwhile - free audio and TV , as well as help with mobile gambling . I ca n’t remember any instance where the joining faltered , and for a phone at this monetary value , that ’s very good . There ’s also Bluetooth multipoint to connect to two devices at once .
The earphone make use of Qualcomm ’s cVc Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression technology . pellucidity on vociferation is good and background noise is hearable but not too intrusive . Consider them average for an over - spike but good economic value for money .
Battery is rat at 20 - hours by Monoprice , and as there is no USB - blow porthole , quick charging is n’t potential . Having performed a bombardment drain test with a Spotify play list and the phone set around 50 % intensity , the Sync - ANC seems to last longer than Monoprice indicate . Five hours of streaming and they were still at 100 % .
Sound Quality
The first matter to note about the Monoprice is that tonally , it sits towards the warm end of the spectrum with an emphasis on scummy frequencies . Give it a track like Imagine Dragons ’ Enemy feat . J.I.D , and it ’s more powerful and self-asserting than the similarly price Creative Zen Hybrid . If you care your bass fed with warmth and vim , I reckon you ’ll enjoy the Sync - ANC ’s public presentation in this regard .
The 2nd face is the effect noise - cancellation has on the audio quality . The Monoprice ’s soundstage is not the widest – a little more condensed than normal – and turning the ANC on widens the soundstage , which is a confirming , but there are negative too .
In the midrange a singer ’s voice goes from being upfront in the soundstage to retreating backwards , as if the Monoprice ’s ANC tune recesses the mids . Bass is also flattened when I hear to a numeral of track such as Justin Timberlake ’s untier to his FutureSex / LoveSound record album .
uncloudedness is reduced across the frequency ambit and this leads to a shortfall of detail and definition , as if switching the stochasticity - cancel shrouds medicine in a fog .
There ’s also an unwanted , hearable signified of processing with ANC engaged , which assist to add more dissonance to the signal . All these characteristics of the dissonance - cancellation affect some tracks and genres more than others , but at its worst it gain medicine sorry and unfocused .
High frequency note are n’t peculiarly bright , but I would n’t describe them as blunt either as they ’re feed decent levels of sharpness , pellucidity and item .
Without noise - cancellation on , the Monoprice Sync - ANC are an piquant listen . There ’s an admirable balance and cohesion to the earphone ’ audio , it ’s a ignominy the noise - cancelling perturbation that balance .
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Should you buy it?
The battery life is much longer than I anticipated , the wireless carrying into action is good , as is the sound quality . It ’s a shame that the ANC performance drags these headphones down .
The effect the ANC has on the sound recording is too negative to give the Sync - ANC a recommendation , and even with ANC on , it does n’t conquer many sound anyway .
Final Thoughts
The Sync - ANC feel like headphones that have try on to do more than they ’re capable of at this price . A pair of headphones without ANC would have cultivate fine enough , but by integrating dissonance - cancellation Monoprice has discover the headphone ’ overall public presentation a bit like that exhaust hollow did for the Death Star in Star Wars .
It ’s a shame as these headphones can be in force . barrage life story , wireless performance , call quality and sound quality are all solid enough .
Nevertheless , there are better options whether it ’s Creative ’s Zen Hybrid or Sony’sWH - CH720N , as well as a few contenders from Monoprice itself . Do n’t be obligate by the price – the Sync - ANC fall short of a good word .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every stage set of headphones we review soundly over an lengthy menstruum of time . We expend industriousness standard tests to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we chance . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
The Sync - ANC headphone feature documentation for SB , AAC , and aptX Low Latency Bluetooth streaming .
