The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 headphones are in-ear headphones with active noise cancellation, available for $170. While active noise cancellation is nothing new, it is a rare addition to in-ear headphones. Typically in-ear headphones do a well enough job isolating you from external sounds just by plugging your ears up, so it's interesting to see active cancellation — which uses microphones to pick up external sound and then play its inverse, cancelling it out — added to an already solid isolation strategy. The price you pay for the technology, however, is a somewhat bulky control pendant that's located towards the cord. The active cancellation feature also requires a AAA battery to run, but will operate just fine without it. Another interesting feature of the ATH-ANC3 headphones is its impressive connective capabilities: the headphones are a bit over 3 feet, 9 inches, but also come with an extension cord that boosts the length to a little more than 5 feet, 8 inches.

Performance  (read the full lab performance results at HeadphoneInfo.com)
We performed our tests with active cancellation turned on and then turned off as well. Our testing shows that, unless you really need it, the active cancellation is likely better left turned off. Turning it on increases distortion and makes the frequency response a bit more erratic. Even with it off, however, the audio quality on the ATH-ANC3s isn't great. Further, their active cancellation feature seems to hurt them more than help. Other headphones that lack the feature are capable of blocking out more noise through physical obstruction. It appears that, by integrating microphones and other additional electronics into the picture, the headphones actually lose the in-ears' best trait.

Comparisons  (read more in-depth comparisons at HeadphoneInfo.com)
The ATH-ANC3 headphones cost $170, which isn't too expensive, but is still a bit expensive for the mediocre audio quality they provide. This being said, their erratic frequency response does give them a unique sound. We'd recommend giving them a listen to see if it's up your alley, but we wouldn't look at them if you're looking for isolation. In fact, we're confident they would have been better headphones without the active cancellation feature. Not only does the feature provide less isolation than headphones without it, but it messes up your audio quality as well. While the canellation is still great to turn on in a pinch, we think if the headphones had solid plastic instead of open mics it'd isolate sound just as well. This being said, teeny active cancellation technology is still being developed, and we applaud the ATH-ANC3s for trying something new out. If you want good active cancellers, you'll have to look at on-ear or over-ear headphones like the Denon AH-NC732s, or the Bose QuietComfort 3s. If you want portability and the best sound isolation out there, the Etymotic Research 6isolators are your best bet.