When I bought my Sony Walkman NW-A55 last year, I thought of buying a new pair of headphones. My tech blogging colleagues have invested in ANC (Anti-Noise Cancelling) headphones and I was tempted to follow suit. Last November, Beyerdynamic launched their products ranging from earphones to microphones and speakers. Their main product is the Lagoon ANC Traveller, and they say it offers excellent sound quality without hearing the noise in the area. We were loaned a review unit of the Lagoon ANC Traveller which we used for a month. It’s about time we share with you our experience with these Anti-Noise Cancelling headphones.
BEYERDYNAMIC LAGOON ANC SPECS:
| Spaeker Diameter: | 40 mm |
|---|---|
| Transducer Type: | Dynamic |
| Frequency Range: | 2.402 – 2.480 GHz |
| ANC: | digital, hybrid (feedback and feed-forward), adjustable in two stages |
| Bluetooth: | version 4.2, power class 1, compatible with playback devices from Bluetooth version 4.0 |
| Supported Profiles: | AVRCP 1.6, A2DP 1.3, HSP 1.2, HFP 1.7, GAP 1.3, SDP 2.1, SPP 1.2 |
| Supported Codecs: | aptX Low Latency, aptX, AAC, SBC, mSBC |
| Connecting Cable: | 1.20 m, mini jack (3.5 mm/3-pole), single sided on the right-hand side, detachable |
| Battery Capacity: | 1,100 mAh |
| SRP: | P23,8000 |
WHO IS BEYERDYNAMIC?
Beyerdynamic was founded in 1924 at Württemberg, Germany by Eugen Beyer. He first produced loudspeakers for cinemas in the mid-1920s, then eventually developed headphones and microphones. It is now the oldest audio company to manufacture audio equipment. Prominent personalities like The Beatles and ABBA have used Beyerdynamic in their respective music recordings and performances.
LAGOON ANC REVIEW: THE UNBOXING
The packaging of the Lagoon ANC comes with the headphones, a hard case, a charging cable and an audio cable. The pear-shaped case is sturdy enough to withstand accidental bumps or drops. I always bring the case with me whenever I need to store the headphones. The audio cable can be used for connecting a smartphone or mp3 player with a 3.5mm headphone jack to the Lagoon ANC.
LAGOON ANC REVIEW: THE LOOKS AND FEEL
I always love minimalistic designs, so when I first held the Lagoon ANC, I immediately appreciated it. It can be folded and placed inside its hard case when not in use. The headphones are mostly made of plastic. That’s not an issue since it also makes it lightweight to wear. The headband is made of metal.
Unlike other oversized ANC headphones, the Lagoon ANC’s earcups are just of the right size. Beyerdynamic’s logo is printed on the outer side of the earcups. On the right side surrounding the logo are touch buttons for play/stop, volume adjustment, accepting incoming calls, and voice commands.
Found under the right earcup are the Power switch, ANC switches, 3.5mm audio jack and Type-C USB port for charging.
The headband and the both ear cups are soft and comfy to wear on my head. My ears fit inside the earcups which lets me wear the headphones for hours without any discomfort. It can be worn by anyone as the headband can be retracted and the earcups can be swiveled for a snug fit.
LAGOON ANC REVIEW – THE PERFORMANCE
After turning on the Lagoon ANC, a female voice informed me of the battery and connectivity status of the headphones. It would continue to notify about its battery life throughout my usage. Pairing the Lagoon ANC with my devices was easy and painless. It paired immediately with my Samsung Galaxy Note9 and the Sony Walkman NW-A55. During my review, I learned that the Lagoon can be paired to both devices simultaneously, though you can only play one at a time.
The headphones support these codecs: aptX, aptX Low Latency, AAC or SBC. If your music player supports one of these, it will notify you which codec you are using. In my case, I was notified that I am connected to aptX with my Sony Walkman while there was no notification when I played music on my Note9.
I played some tracks on my Note9’s Spotify with ANC off. Spotify’s volume level was set to High while streaming was set to Very High equivalent to 320 kbps. While inside our office, I could only hear the noise of our air-conditioning unit. That background noise was drowned when I started playing tracks on Spotify. I listened to VST and Company’s disco song “Swing” which has monster basslines. Compared to my Beats Solo, hearing the basslines of the song was clearer to my ears, and gave me goosebumps because it was so awesome to listen to. Next on my playlist was Ingrid Michaelson’s popular hit “The Way I Am.” This song may be short, but thanks to the Lagoon, Ingrid’s vocals and backing vocals flowed soothingly through my ears. Lastly, I played a rock song – U2’s “Elevation and it sounded really great.
I stopped playing music on my phone so I heard the noise of our office’s air-con unit again. Upon turning on the Lagoon’s ANC to level 1, the noise disappeared. Switching it to level 2 makes it quite impossible to hear anything, as if a suction cup were placed on both of my ears. I felt it sounded better with ANC switched on.
The best scenario to test the Lagoon ANC is in a noisy venue. In this case, a Starbucks Coffee shop. Unlike other coffee shops, some Starbucks branches are filled with annoying people who prefer to talk loudly about their respective mundane lives that nobody is interested to hear. No wonder students, especially those who are studying medicine and law, prefer wearing ANC headphones while studying in a Starbucks. Being a regular customer, I went to one of my favorite branches to test it out. ANC off while connected to my Note9 is out of the question. The noise is just too great and I had a hard time appreciating the music I was listening to. Switching ANC to level 2 did the trick. Though I could still hear some voices, they’re fainted and a lot less annoying while listening to my phone’s music.
It’s a different story with my Sony Walkman NW-A55. It sounded much better with the Lagoon ANC. It produced louder and clearer sounds than my Note9. I was puzzled about this for a few days, until I realized that aptX has something to do with it. I mentioned earlier that aptX is one of the codecs supported by the Lagoon ANC and I found out that as long as it’s paired to a device that also supports the codec, it would result to a better listening experience. (To find out which phones support aptX codec, check this link: https://www.aptx.com/ ) The pair of the Lagoon ANC and my Sony Walkman NW-A55 is ideal for noisy environments such as the airport, Metro Manila traffic, and of course, noisy customers in Starbucks.
The Lagoon also works well with phone calls. I received a phone call once while listening to Spotify on my Note9. I thought I have to remove the headphones, but was surprised to find out that the caller was able to hear me clearly.
A unique feature the Lagoon ANC possesses is the MOSAYC sound personalization app. Beyerdynamic explained that every person has a different types of hearing. With the help of MOSAYC, it can personalize and adjusts itself precisely to your hearing ability. Not sure if it’s effective for my ears since I still can hear very well.
LAGOON ANC REVIEW: BATTERY LIFE
I rarely charged the Lagoon ANC during the review period. The reason for this is because the headphones has a battery capacity of 1,100 mAh that can last up to 25 hours with Bluetooth and ANC on. I use the headphones at least 2-3 hours per day on Bluetooth and ANC levels 1 and 2. In a month I only charged twice, and charging is very quick too!
Aside from hearing from voice notifications of the headphone’s remaining battery life, the LED inside the earcups is also a way to know how much charge you have left.
DR’S CONCLUSION
It’s hard to part with the Lagoon ANC. I always bring it with me whenever I needed to work in Starbucks and concentrate on my work with the music I’m listening to. It’s pricey for P23,800 compared to Sony’s counterpart, the WH-1000XM3 but a lot of those users who bought the Lagoon ANC says the latter is much better when it comes to sound and noise-cancelling. I can’t comment on the comparisons of those two as of the moment. All I can say is, I am already sold to the sound quality and ANC feature of the Lagoon ANC.
PROS:
- Feels comfortable on my head. Ears fit well inside the earcups.
- Sound Quality is excellent!
- ANC feature is effective (as long as device also supports aptX codec)
- Long Battery Life
CONS:
- Quite Expensive
