FIRST PLAY
Vox’s noise-cancelling headphones have acoustic tricks up their sleeve for guitarists who want to shut it all out during practice
Photography Olly Curtis
Headphones really have to earn their crust these days. Not only is great audio quality expected but wireless connectivity with your devices is pretty much standard today. Vox’s VH-Q1 headphones are all of the above but also feature noise-cancelling technology that suppresses intrusive sounds from outside, such as engine noise on a long haul flight.
Pairing the VH-Q1s with a device is pretty simple; you just hold down the power button for five seconds, after which they should be discoverable on Bluetooth-enabled phones or tablets. Once paired, the sound quality is impressive, balancing warmth and detail very pleasantly via the high-grade film diaphragms. The pillowy earpads are very comfortable and, at a little over 300g, the headphones are light enough to wear for long periods without discomfort, despite their robust metal frame. The VH-Q1s also pause playback when you lay them down, meaning you’ll miss nothing if you have to slip the headphones off for a moment.
To test the noise-cancelling abilities of the VH-Q1s, we played the sound of a crowded room through studio monitors while we listened to a jazz trio on the headphones. With the Active Noise Cancelling at its highest setting and the streamed music at a moderate volume, we could hear very little of our sim
