Design and features:These headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. The Lagoon ANC Traveler can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth devices or can be cord connected. When cord connected they have low sensitivity regardless of whether the headphones are powered with the noise cancelation feature turned on or off, or if they are not powered; so while they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and higher powered portable audio devices, they may not be a good match for lower-powered portables. The headphones have integrated microphones and touch sensitive volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls that work with paired Bluetooth devices. Additional features include two noise cancellation levels and support for Google Assistant and Apple Siri digital voice assistants when used with Bluetooth connected devices that have those features. This model has earcups that fold and swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage, and comes with a detachable 49-inch long standard audio cable, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case. The free Beyerdynamic MIY app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to adjust the headphone's tonal balance manually or automatically based on the users hearing, and adjust the sensitivity of the touch controls.
Sound quality: We found the Lagoon ANC Traveler provides Excellent active noise reduction and delivers sound quality that falls in the Very Good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat bassy and hazy. Regardless of whether the headphones are used in the Bluetooth or wired mode, when the noise canceling feature is turned on the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact, but is slightly prominent, somewhat boomy, and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, somewhat hazy and grainy, and a bit congested (think sonic traffic jam), and a touch dark (there is an opaqueness that covers up fine detail). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is fairly extended but a touch smeared (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer sound blurred). This model does a good job of recovering the room ambience of a recording (the sense of the acoustic space in which the audio program that's being listened to was recorded). While the sound has a decent sense of liveliness, it is somewhat closed (sound-wise it's fairly obvious you have something covering your ears). The sound quality is similar except the bass is slightly less boomy when the headphones are used in the unpowered wired mode, or with the noise canceling feature turned off in either the Bluetooth mode or powered wired mode. The Beyerdynamic MIY app ear profile feature had a noticeable effect on the sound. These earphones provide Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range. A slight rushing noise can be heard in very quiet environments when there is no audio program material to mask it.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a sense of moderate pressure around the ears. As typical of on-ear models the pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use. Users with smaller heads may find they can't get a good earpad seal and that the bass becomes a bit subdued (earpads gap at the top). Users with larger ears might find that the over-the-ear fit of the ear pads feel cramped, or that the ear pads sit on, rather than around their ears; in that case the less-than-ideal fit around the ears might interfere with the earpad seal and reduce the noise reduction capabilities of the headphone. Some users might find that the headphones feel unstable and shift forward a bit and may even fall off when they lean far forward. When wearing this model while walking the vibrations from each foot step can be heard faintly through the headphones. When the audio cable is connected the sound of it rubbing on clothing may be heard faintly through the headphones.
