August EP720 Active Noise Cancelling Earbuds Review

Editor rating

4/5 on July 17, 2017 Reviewed by: Mark Torrent

User’s rating

8 reviews

PROS

  • Effective noise cancelation
  • Very long battery life
  • Comfortable and lightweight
  • Durable construction
  • Warm, musical sound

CONS

  • Slight hiss with the noise cancelling feature turned on

VERDICT

The August EP720 are one of the most affordable active noise canceling earbuds on the market, and, surprisingly, they’re also one of the most effective noise canceling earbuds you can buy. Compared to many noise canceling earbuds that cost five or ten times as much, the only difference is the slight hiss that appears as soon as you flip the switch and activate the noise canceling feature. Fortunately, the hiss disappears into the background as soon as the music starts, leaving you with an enjoyable, warm sound and a battery that can last for up to 13 hours of continuous playback.

Based in the UK, August International is company that leads the development and supply of innovative Freeview-enabled portable televisions, DVD players, media players, digital photo frames, and earbuds to trade and business partners in the UK and Europe. The company has finally started to offer its range of noise-canceling earbuds on Amazon, and we’re thrilled to test the EP720 model.

Design and Build

Manufacturers of noise-cancelling earbuds have it a lot harder than manufacturers of regular earbuds. Without increasing the weight and size so much that it would make the earbuds uncomfortable, they must figure out a way how to cram many additional components inside the earbuds. August have decided for the in-line remote approach, incorporating everything inside a slightly-larger-than-usual remote control with an integrate microphone.

To prevent the remote from pulling the earbuds from your ears, they’ve a shirt clip. With the remote clipped to a shirt, the August EP720 are very comfortable and stay in place even when being active. The earbuds feature a durable metal construction and a gold-plated 3.5 mm audio jack.

The August EP720 are powered by a 120 mAh battery, which lasts up to 13 hours of continuous playback. Such long battery life for such an affordable price makes the August EP720 a true bargain.

Sound Quality

It’s not often that we see a pair of around $30 earbuds feature an active noise cancelling system that can reduce background sounds by up to 20 dB. The August EP720 can do just that, and that’s with the stock silicone eartips. Swap them for foam eartips, and even the loudest environment suddenly becomes pleasantly quiet.

Because the noise cancelling system is very aggressive, it produces a slight hiss when turned on. The hiss is only noticeable when you don’t have music playing, and it disappears as soon as you hit the play button.

And if there’s one thing that you’ll want to do, it’s hitting the play button. The sound signature of the August EP720 is warm and musical, with a decent amount of bass and a refined top end.

What’s in the Box?

The content of the box includes a micro USB cable for charging, a user manual, a selection of eartips of various sizes, and, of course, the August EP720 earbuds.

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