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Our unbiased AKG N60NC headphone review

Spending money on comfortable and beautifully sounding headphones can be very challenging, even if you already have a specific one in mind. So if you are looking to buy the AKG N60NC, a headphone that promises richness of sound and durability, here’s what you need to know before you add the pair to your shopping cart.

Updated 07 Sept, 2021
5 min. reading time
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AKG N60NC
Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Having done quality research on a variety of headphones and having used many of them ourselves, we can tell you that online descriptions don’t always match the full functionality of a device. Even a few days ago, we witnessed an argument in the customer reviews section about whether the AKG N60NC wireless on-ear headphones are really worth the price, compared to the AKG Y50BT headphones.

To settle the dispute once and for all, we decided to get the headphones ourselves and answer some of the most pressing questions for prospective AKG N60NC customers.

Does it sound good? Is it comfortable to wear? Does it have a durable design? Is its Bluetooth connection easy and straightforward to use? Is it overpriced? Is the sound quality up to par? Let’s take a quick look below.

Best features of AKG N60NC

The AKG N60NC wireless on-ear headphones are designed to fit on most people's ears comfortably. Although the headphones are quite slender compared to the other fuller and wider options on the market, it doesn't disappoint in terms of sound quality. Ultimately what it lacks in size, it makes up for in sound quality and comfort.

The headphones are travel-friendly as they are foldable and can fit in almost any compact bag. Its noise-cancellation makes it even more appropriate for long-haul flights, noisy travels and daily commutes as it deters any sounds from interfering with your playlists, podcasts and video content.

The manufacturer description claims that the battery is capable of taking you through 30 hours of continuous playtime. With our testing, we noticed the battery lasted an entire day’s worth of usage before needing to be charged for the following day.

It is important to note that no pair of headphones are absolutely perfect. And while it ticks a lot of our boxes, like any other tech product on the market, the AKG N60NC also comes with its fair share of faults.

Features lacking with the AKG N60NC

The AKG N60NC lacks the touch control features that allow users to answer calls without having to constantly reach for a phone.

With plenty of other headphones of this caliber and price point giving you control over your smartphone, it’s a feature that is sorely missed in this design. Additionally, the headbands can cause some discomfort to your ears after wearing them for a long duration of time.

AKG N60NC also uses a micro-USB port, which we consider a little too old-fashioned considering the fact that most of the recent headphones now use a USB-C charger.

Lastly, because the product is made with plastic, it may not be as durable as you'd expect.

Pros

  • The headphones have an active noise cancellation feature,

  • High-quality sound,

  • It uses both cable and Bluetooth for connection,

  • Foldable for easy travel,

  • It has a reliable Bluetooth connection strength,

  • Good battery life

Cons

  • A bit pricey,

  • It can cause discomfort if used for too long,

  • The noise-cancellation feature may not work properly for users with a small head,

  • It is made of a lot of plastic,

  • It is somewhat fragile,

  • Not very call-friendly

Main features of AKG N60NC

AKG N60NC
Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Design

The headphones are sleek and are finished with several vibrant colours that can give your outfit a more classy look.

If the appearance of headphones means a lot to you, then this fashion-forward design will suit your style preferences. It is important to note that the product is made up of almost eighty percent plastic, which sounds like a reasonable sacrifice for its sleek look. However, the more plastic in the product, the more you have to be careful with it as the design is more prone to breakage.

Sound quality

AKG N60NC produces a really awesome sound with a more boomy bass than its brand name counterparts. If you are more of a tweeter lover (the part of the speaker that produces high frequencies), you don’t have to worry as the bass doesn’t take away the quality of the other sounds.

The active noise cancellation feature is notable, however, this is not the headphone you want to rely on in a highly noisy environment (instead, opt one of these noise cancelling devices). Some of the sounds will definitely find their way in from sound leakage of the ear cups.

Connection

The connection is very easy and straightforward with the AKG N60NC. You are given two options; you can either connect to the headset with your 3mm jack, or you can connect with Bluetooth.

In both cases, the sound quality is not distorted in any way. The Bluetooth strength in particular is strong, and the headphones still pick up on songs even when your phone or connected device is a bit far away.

Once you connect to the device via Bluetooth, it automatically connects again to the last device that it was connected to, making the connection super-easy and efficient.

AKG N60NC
Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Comfort

The AKG N60NC is comfortable to wear if you are only planning to use it for a few hours, for example, if you are taking a walk or at the gym working out. However, if your plan is to wear it for long hours throughout the day, you may end up with slight discomfort around your ears from having the earpads rest on them.

Another important thing to note is that depending on your face shape, the AKG N60NC wireless headphones may hang a little bit below your ears which might impact its passive noise cancellation functionality.

In the case of comfort and ease while carrying them around, the headphones score top marks. It is travel-ready thanks to its compact size and foldable feature and is easy to tote around in your work or gym bag.

Noise-cancellation

These wireless, on-ear, noise-cancelling headphones boast both active and passive noise cancellation. However, the noise-cancellation feature may be a bit lacking especially when compared to more innovative designs such as the Bose Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones. If you're looking for more robust noise-cancellation, it might be worth it consider other options. If you're okay with some sound leakage here and there, then the AKG N60NC will work just fine.

Price

For a product that doesn’t make calling a very easy thing to do, the price is a bit steep, especially considering there are comparable alternatives at the same price point that do offer touch controls.

Functionality

The AKG N60NC headphones charge pretty slowly, but the battery lasts long enough to see you through an entire day.

The noise-cancellation feature is also fairly reasonable as it makes listening in noisy places somewhat comfortable while still managing to bless your ears with crystal clear sounds.

The connection is solid as it gives you two options; you can either connect with a 3mm audio jack or use the wireless Bluetooth technology, which enables the device to connect to the last device it paired with automatically.

It is foldable and easy to carry, making it a breeze to carry along with you on your morning commute or long-haul trips.

All things considered, it is a great option for anyone that wants to enjoy good music while on-the-go.

AKG N60NC
Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Our verdict: Is it worth the money?

Aside from some minor issues, the AKG N60NC wireless on-ear headphones serves its purpose as a solid pair of on-ear headphones for audiophiles to enjoy.

The sound quality is intact, with boomy bass and a fairly clear tweeter. The active noise cancellation feature is decent, as it blocks out every noise in mildly noisy environments.

The AKG N60NC wireless on-ear headphones are also comfortable to some extent. You just have to be careful not to wear them for too long as the ear pads may start to feel slightly uncomfortable.

When you consider all of the above, and then couple it with the fact that the battery has an extra long life, we can say that the AKG N60NC wireless on-ear headphone is worth the money.

Other alternatives

Is there any product that solves the problem for less money?

There are other amazing products that give you the same level of audio quality, battery life, comfort, and noise-cancellation.

Below are a few of them:



Prices updated on 7/2/2021. We are not responsible for any changes on the prices mentioned above.

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Written by
Best Buys Team

The Best Buys team comprises editors and guest contributors who work across the Best Buys platform. We make your online shopping experience more informed and fun by bringing you reviews, buying guides and inspiration around great product choices.