Mobility Site - AblePlanet Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones with LINX AUDIO

AblePlanet Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones with LINX AUDIO

Bose spends millions of dollars per year in advertising and nobody has heard of Able Planet. Do these headphones have what it takes to overcome the lack of name recognition AND they're huge price tag? Read on my friends...

Full Article

When I first started traveling for my current job, I remember getting on the airplane, taking my seat, and feeling like everyone was staring at me. I knew I was dressed ok in slacks and a business shirt. I had a brief case and my hair was combed. I didn't have any boogers. I just brushed my teeth. Why was everyone staring at me? The pilot called for a "cross check", whatever that is, the flight attendants told us about the emergency exits and warned us not to turn on our gadgets until further notice, so I pulled my book out and began to read. Still, people were staring at me, and a hot sweat covered me. I wanted to crawl under a rock, but I didn't know why!

Once we reached altitude, the captain announced that we could turn on our electronic devices, and almost in unison, all the experienced travelers pulled their laptops out, put movies in, and put on their Bose headphones. All I had was a stinkin' book. I was a frickin' newbie and they all knew it. I stuck out like a single black bean amidst a sea of white rice. They were smirking to themselves about the newbie. I was embarrased. Even the flight attendants played a joke on me. When they came to serve our section, they asked me how I want my filet mignon. I told her medium well. She laughed and handed me a bag of peanuts and said welcome to Budget Airlines!

Can you spot me in the picture? I'm the one person without the headphones!

I'm about to change all that. Thanks to Able Planet. I'm joining the BIG LEAGUES! Make room folks, because now I'm going to make fun of the newbies. Able Planet has generously donated a pair of their Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones and I'm taking them for a ride. Since I don't have an airplane at my disposal, I'm blasting some white noise to simulate the background noise you would hear on an airliner. But wait, since their main target is Bose, my brother in law generously donated his Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Headphones for a true comparison.

The package contains a lovely form-fitting headphone holder zippered case, an airplane adapter, a 1/4" adapter, and an instruction manual. This is nearly identical to the Bose package, by the way.

The Bose package only comes with one set of headphones, otherwise they are practically identical. They both have a hard-shell zipper case that holds the accessories an protects them well.

They both have adjustable headbands because everyone has different sized noggins. Mine must be small, because I found the AblePlanet to be a bit large. Otherwise both were wonderfully comfortable.

Here's where they differ. AblePlanet has incorporated Linx technology to enhance the audio quality and speech clarity. According to them, "LINX AUDIO™ creates high frequency harmonics that enhance sound quality and speech clarity of difficult to hear words or notes, and increase the perception of loudness without increasing volume. LINX AUDIO™ provides full rich sound and enhanced speech clarity even at lower volumes, which may lead people to “Turn it Down™” to preserve hearing."

AblePlanet uses that technology to overcome outside noise, combined, of course, with the natural deadening effects produced by wearing a huge cup over your ear. Bose takes a different approach. They produce a sound that is the opposite of the sound coming at you, which has the effect of neutralizing the sound. That and wearing a huge cup over your ear, serves to cancel out noise.

I found both worked very well. Bose headphones will only work when they are powered, whereas the AblePlanets will work either way. I didn't hear any white noise at all while playing music. I played a wide variety and was impressed by both headphones. But when you pay upwards of $300 smackers, you want performance! So who performed?

The Bose sounded light and airy. The headsets were a bit more comfortable, and they had more treble, but that could be because there was absolutely no bass. The midrange was a bit distant, making me feel like I as in a dreamstate. Are these headphones made to put one to sleep or to crank some tunes? Definitely not the latter. I found the AblePlanets had substantial base, which sometimes overpowered the treble, but in a good way. Thump Thump Thump. There is some depth of field to these. It's true what they say on the web site, you don't have to play them loudly to enjoy them. The funny thing is, I was eating really crunchy pretzels while listening to these, and I couldn't hear the crunch. They really deaden the noise. If you end up sitting next to an annoying, obnoxious person on an airplane, at least you won't have to listen to them!

In summary, these are wonderful headphones. They went head to head against the market leader and took the crown away from them. But they don't have the name recognition or the advertising budget, so they have an uphill battle. The sound is fantastic, and the technology really works. But the price is a bit on the steep side. At least they back it up with quality.

Technical Specifications

Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz
Sensitivity at 1KHz: 115dB(off); 121dB(on)
Cord length: 5'
Output power: 30mW

Pros: