Bose QuietComfort 3 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7

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Bose QuietComfort 3 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7

By CNET Staff

JUDGES: Donald Bell, Jasmine France, and Morty Okin

Bose QuietComfort 3

ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint

Bose has built quite the reputation for its entire audio line, so it's no surprise that the third version of the company's noise-canceling headphones, the QuietComfort 3, has a following. These earpad-style cans are supercomfortable and offer a sleek design that's significantly trimmed down in size from previous models. However, Bose made no move to lower the luxury pricing of the QuietComfort, which is where the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint headphones come in. These full-size 'phones sound good, can be used with or without noise-cancellation turned on, and include a handy hard-shell carrying case--all at half the price of the QuietComfort 3. Some users have even gone so far as to dub the ATs Bose killers. Well, we'll just see about that. Let the battle begin!

About the judges

Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, Crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.

Donald Bell covers all the latest portable audio and video gadgets for CNET. He reviews everything from the smallest digital audio players to tablet-size video players.

Morty Okin is CNET Reviews' photo post production manager. He is also a professional musician and plays trumpet in many bands of all types in the San Francisco Bay Area, from jazz to rock and everything in between. Morty has done sessions on countless recordings over the years. He has a great ear and a lot of experience with over-the-ear headphones for enjoyment and recording purposes.