Audio-Technica ATH-CKS330NC wired noise cancelling USB-C earphones

I’ve always wondered why there aren’t many options (if any at all) for wired USB-C earphones with active noise cancellation. From a practical perspective, I guess wireless Bluetooth earphones with an AirPods-like form factor are still going to be the most popular, and I always recommend the AirPods Pro to everybody as the best all-rounder.

I had a chat with ChatGPT as well, and there are some clear technical reasons why a wired USB-C earphone with active noise cancellation isn’t a good idea for a mass-market product. Primarily because the active noise cancellation won’t be as effective as the wireless Bluetooth ones, which will have a dedicated battery and not have to worry about a DAC.

That being said, USB-C earphones are no-fuss, no worries about fiddly Bluetooth connections, and almost guaranteed to work. At work I use my wired USB-C EPOS Impact 460T daily precisely because I don’t have to worry about swapping between my iPhone and the work laptop.

I’m quite sensitive to noise. There was one day where I left my AirPods Pro at home and was stressed out from the noise the whole day. In the end, I decided to get a spare wired solution as well. After poking around online, I was surprised and happy that I managed to find and buy the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS330NC for around USD42. I was surprised to find these, because it seems they’re primarily sold in Japan, but some local seller must have bought some stock in. I was tempted to stump up for the ATH-CKD7NC which supposedly had significantly better active noise cancellation, but I couldn’t justify the USD75 price.

Online reviews for the ATH-CKS330NC were actually pretty neutral to negative on the noise cancellation, especially since they use a more basic form of noise cancellation. I wasn’t expecting noise cancellation similar to my AirPods Pro or Sony XM6, so when it arrived, my wife and I were pretty happy with the noise cancellation. Since my wife is the primary user of these, she always keeps them handy inside her bag, and I pinch them as and when needed. It managed to reduce a lot of cafe/shopping mall noise down to a negligible level, considering the price I paid, I’m pretty satisfied, and my wife is happy too because she was coming from some cheap USD8 Philips earphones.

Would I recommend these to anybody? Honestly, at USD42-50, I think you could probably get some affordable wireless Bluetooth earphones from some other brands, but if you’re looking for budget wired USB-C earphones, this is a pretty satisfactory item.

My AirPods Pro and Sony XM6 are still my daily drivers, but I’m happy that we have these with us too.