The A-Audio Legacy headphones are a superior pair of noise canceling headphones that give you various listening modes, included with a top of the line design.
The $299 pair of buds are created by A-Audio, a Miami-based company, who are relatively new in the audio game, but have already become one of the big names when it comes to not only sound, but in quality of their products. They sent over the all black and chrome A-Audio Legacy over-ear headphones which just are beautiful to look at.
Straight out of box you receive a packaging that might take you a few minutes to understand. The headphones themselves are underneath a clear plastic which gives the cans a luxury vibe just to begin with. Once you get past that you have quite a few things to open including a hard shell case that holds virtually everything. While I personally enjoy just regular linen bags, because they are obviously easier to carry, I can understand why A-Audio opted for the hard shell. If you plan on taking these on a trip though, just make sure there’s space in your bag.
The case itself houses a cleaning cloth, a small bag with two lengthy cables and an adapter, two AAA batteries (which I swapped for better ones since you never know how long third party batteries tend to last.) and a warranty card with serial numbers attached. There’s also an instruction manual, which you all probably won’t use anyway.
A-Audio’s Legacy headphones consist of a metal and leather design that would stand out on in public, but it doesn’t scream “steal me, I’m beautiful”. Available in the black model I received or the Liquid Chrome model, which is a bit more of the standout color of “you’re the type that needs to show off your personality through your cans”. The frame is made of metal which might feel a bit heavy, especially coupled with it’s chrome plating for the A-Audio logo, but I found this to actually feel good and sturdy on my ears.
Volume control on the headphones themselves.
There is leather on the top and on the ear cups, which I fear if you’re planning on wearing these at like a gym (which you shouldn’t) it will wear out pretty fast. A-Audio did not say if there was a process to replace worn cups. Made of memory foam though, the Legacy won’t just flatten over time, and will easily rest on your ears comfortably for extended periods of time. In my two hour commute out of town over the weekend, I tested this theory out, and unlike most headphones out there, I was not fazed by the Legacy’s sitting on top of my head for long periods of time. Weighing 11.2 ounces, you’d think they would feel like heavy, but personally they did not.
There’s an option for the Legacy where you can share your audio with a friend’s headphones if that’s something you’d like to do. Since the Legacy has jacks on both the left and right, you can also choose which side your cord hangs from. I prefer the left as a lefty. There are two variants of the cable that you receive. There’s one with a mic and remote, and one without. DJs will probably opt for the one without, but as a smartphone user I need my corded buds to all have remote functionality.
The opening for your AAA batteries.
Also on the left side of the over-ears is where you will store the AAA batteries through removing (gently) the A-Audio cap which has a fixture on the inside so it will not come off and forever come detached. When I first opened this up, I will admit I thought that the thread that is used to keep the ear cup and the A-Audio plate together looked a bit flimsy, and might end up peeling away. It looks to be held together with super blue on the one end, and is threaded through the ear cup itself on the other, so be careful when using this.
The right side of the Legacy headphones is where you’ll find a selector which lets you choose between three modes: Passive or “audio”, ANC (Active Noise Canceling) mode, and Bass Enhancer. Passive is the only one that will work without the batteries. I tested out the bass feature more than I did ANC, and I will say in all honesty, you won’t need to enhance your bass. Simply turning up your headphones to a reasonable decibel is enough for bass, and turning on the enhancer to me just drowned out the lyrics of the songs, to the point all I could hear was every other word. Again, this is all about personal preference.
Being a noise-cancelling headphone is becoming a necessity on these $200 and above headphones, so it is nice that they did include it. If you’re on a plane flight and don’t want to hear that screaming toddler six rows back, these will work for you. However, that person who got the window seat and always asking to go to the restroom after chugging down two in-flight drinks, you’ll still be able to hear him a bit. Quite the conundrum!
Overall I am pretty impressed with the A-Audio Legacy’s. I wish that the headphones themselves were Bluetooth, especially since features such as ANC and Bass Enhancer, and their need for batteries seems to be something that you’d require for headphones that could be wireless. Plugging up your phone directly you’d get the effect you wanted from those modes. If you’re a listener to heavy bass, you won’t need to even touch the batteries as the headphones do enough for you, and if you are a fan of instruments, and would like the full feel of the track, especially from noise cancelling headphones, the passive option works just fine. $300 is a lot of money to spend on a pair of headphones, but with a warranty from a company with a solid reputation like A-Audio, I’d give the Legacy a green light.
If you’re interested, you can purchase the Legacy from A-Audio’s site today for $299.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I like: The memory foam works as described and made for an enjoyable listening experience.
What Needs Improvement: Should have Bluetooth as an option for $299.
