iTeknic IK-BH005 ANC Headphones Review – Budget Noise Cancelling

At around $60, the iTeknic IK-BH005 sound like terrific noise cancelling headphones for the price.

Switchable ANC technology, foldable and compact, good sound quality, and comfortable earpads make this headset perfect for travel, exercise, and other activities. It is best used in places where you really don’t want to hear any surrounding ambient sounds.

iTeknic has created a relatively low-cost solution for anyone who wants a slick-looking headset without having to sacrifice an arm and a leg.

If you want a quality headset with noise canceling technology for a low price, then iTeknic IK-BH005 is a good choice.

See related:

• Best budget noise cancelling headphones
• Best noise cancelling headphones under $100

What’s in the Box?

• iTeknic IK-BH005 ANC Bluetooth headphones
• Carrying case
• 3.5mm AUX cable
• Micro-USB charging cable
• User guide
• Airplane adapter

Comfort & Fit

4.0 Great

The soft padded earpads with faux leather covering provide comfortable cushioning with a good clamping force. The headset is collapsible and the design itself sturdy, compact, and lightweight.

The oval design of the ear pads may suggest a somewhat smaller size at first glance, but they comfortably fit a child, adult, or even a larger head, like mine.

Soft padded earpads, covered with faux leather covering make for a sturdy, compact, and lightweight design, comparable with headphones of a much higher price.

Cushioning is wonderfully soft, and the thick pads fit the ears securely and comfortably. Cushions also provide no problems regarding overheating or discomfort, even after hours of use. However, the ears can get quite hot if you wear the headset while exercising.

The trick of comfort lies partly in the memory foam design, which keeps the shape for several seconds. The clamping force is quite strong too, perfect for walking or other straining activities, where the headset stays steady and stable.

The only minor observation I’ve noticed is that with faster movements and turns of the head, the ear cups creek a bit. They are also collapsible, the cups can be turned to the side to fit them into the provided fabric case.

The orientation markings are located at the insides of the plastic frame. A useful feature when you need to know how to turn the headset.

Noise Cancelling

3.5 Almost Great

Feedforward and feedback active noise cancelling is quite good, but it doesn’t quite block all disturbances. It helps greatly with constant sounds, but sudden noises and speech aren’t blocked at all.

The active noise cancelation of the headset is quite good, but when active, certain louder and especially sudden sounds remain audible. I would say it blocks around 80% of sounds, give or take.

ANC works by capturing outside audio via the microphone and then producing sound waves that try to mimic that audio in the opposite direction, negating it. They especially excel at blocking out low and mid-frequency noises.

ANC does affect the sound quality, however, lowering the tones and increasing the effect of bass. The headset also utilizes both the feedforward ANC and feedback ANC systems, which in theory, combine the best of both worlds. It helps greatly with constant sounds, like fans or vacuum cleaners, but sudden loud noises can sneak past it.

Is the noise cancelation good? Yes. Useful? Definitely. Is it flawless? Far from it, but taking the other factors into account, we’re looking at one of the better ANC headsets on the market in the given price range.

I also haven’t noticed any vacuum kind of effect, which I observed in some of the expensive noise cancelling headphones.

Best of all, the headphones can almost put out the advertised 30 hours of usage with the noise cancelation turned on, which is definitely huge for traveling and commuting.

Related: Best noise cancelling earbuds

Noise Isolation

3.0 Good

Noise isolation muffles most of the surrounding sounds. But as far as ANC headphones are concerned, it isn’t the best, and typical in-ear headphones will have much better isolation.

Because the headphones cover your ears fully, they do a fairly good job of isolating noise. The noise isolation is quite good and muffles most of the surrounding sounds. But they are over-ear headphones, after all, so don’t expect sound blockage, you would get from in-ear headphones.

Due to the presence of switchable active noise cancelation, good passive noise isolation is expected. But it doesn’t block all noise at all. So keep this in mind if you’re trying to get some peace and quiet from crying babies (for example).

When the headphones aren’t producing any sound, you can still hear the noise around you. Sounds from the cable touching other surfaces aren’t producing any noise, so its isolation is sufficient.

Bluetooth

4.0 Great

The headset uses Bluetooth 5.0; it has a great range with stable connection of about 15m. There is also no video or sound latency or distorted sound quality.  

The iTeknic IT-BH005 headphones have support for Bluetooth 5.0 (compatible with earlier versions) and codecs like aptX, SBC, and AAC, and they have compatibility for aptX Low Latency, which enables them to deliver sound in sync with visual media.

There is, however, a slight humming noise when being connected to any device over Bluetooth, which is to be expected.

Thanks to all of that, you shouldn’t experience bad connection or annoying video or audio latency. The headphones also paired to all Bluetooth compatible devices without any problems, and pairing was fast with a stable connection and very good range.

If you try finding out how far you can get without starting to lose the connection, you can expect to get around 45ft (15m) without any problems. I assume the range would be higher in optimal conditions.

Also, you now know that the maximum theoretical distance for Bluetooth 5.0 is around 800ft (250 meters), but you will never get that much, it’s a purely theoretical value.

But if you pair the headset with devices that support the lower versions of Bluetooth, the range could be less than 45ft (15m), according to the Bluetooth version. In addition to a longer range, Bluetooth 5.0 also offers high bandwidth. This is ideal for devices that need to transmit larger packets of data, such as higher quality audio.

Besides SBC codec, the headphones also come with aptX and AAC, providing resistance against any kind of distorted sound quality or lag whilst gaming or watching movies and videos.

Even when actively trying very carefully to notice any signs of lag, you shouldn’t notice any delay of sound or video.

Battery

4.5 Almost Perfect

The long battery life is one of the best things about iTeknic IK-BH005. They will last you a couple of days or around 30 hours on a single charge, the exact amount being dependant on the usage of extra features. 

During a several-day passive test period, with music playing at around 50% volume, the headset managed to be active for 31 hours before requiring a recharge. This represents an excellent battery duration.

This headset is equipped with a 500mAH lithium rechargeable battery. The battery life of iTeknic IK-BH005 is ginormous. The actual time depends on your usage, ANC is a huge battery hog.

With sparing usage of around 4 hours per day, expect a charge to last for a few days to up to a week, but with ANC, this duration could be lowered to as few as 2 days.

According to the manufacturer and the official specs, operating time is 20 hours with Bluetooth activated. But just listening to music is less intense, so it is extended to 30 hours.

The battery does not take long to recharge either, via the provided Micro USB cable and a standard USB-A connection it can be fully charged within 45 minutes.

Durability

4.0 Great

Despite it featuring a light and low-weight construction, the high-quality metal with some plastic parts here and there has proven to be quite resistant. No damage appeared during intensive durability testing, the only problematic part could be the easily replaceable 3.5mm cable.

The construction of the headset is very light. While this does contribute to low weight, it also brings up certain concerns. The plastic of the covers draws certain similarities to some Bose headphones. The plastic feels a bit fragile to the touch compared to the aluminum design, which a lot of higher-end headphones use.

The chosen materials are well above expectations. While the leather-like headband does look quite vulnerable to scratches, it is still resistant and very soft to the touch. The ear cups are made from a similar-looking material, except they are much thicker and softer.

The rest of the headset follows suit, and no signs of any wear and tear have appeared even after a couple of days of intensive use. The general design of the frame does leave certain doubts about durability due to the thin construction. Still, the metal material itself is very durable, and all worries have been proven to be meaningless.

Weak points are located in parts where the ear cups are connected to the frame, the thinnest rounded part of the frame that runs alongside the back end of the head cups. However, despite being thinner than the rest, it would be very hard to break it by accident, as it would still require significant force.

The included 3.5mm cable leaves much to be desired, though. It is quite short, made from standard rubbery plastics with no braided protective cover or strain relief. As such, I would recommend switching it for something longer-lasting if you plan on using the headset via cable.

Features

3.0 Good

There aren’t any stand-out features, but rotatable adjustable speaker cups, minimalistic control panel with basic connectors, microphone, and LED lights do have all the basics covered. The extended 24-month warranty is quite standard too.   

Speaker cups can be rotated up to 90 degrees and pivot slightly for a comfortable fit and compact storage. Both cups can be adjusted to fit the size of the wearer’s head.

The right speaker cup has a volume control, an on/off button that can also be used for pairing, microphone, 3.5mm input, and a switch for ANC. The LED lights show an ongoing Bluetooth connection and activated ANC.

The left cup is quite minimalistic when it comes to functions. All it holds is a micro USB connector, which is used for charging the headphones.

The headset comes with a 12-month warranty plus an additional 12-month free warranty extension if you register as an iTeknic member. Together, this brings the warranty up to 24 months, which isn’t bad for headphones, but it’s quite standard.

Accessories

The box contains a stylish carrying case, made from fabric. It is quite useful for longer trips and includes everything, from the headset, up to the 3.5mm audio cable, guide, charging cable, and airplane adapter.

Sound

3.5 Almost Great

45mm transducers provide very good sound quality with deep and clear bass that isn’t overpowering. Treble is clear, the produced tone warm and the vocal track clear without any muffling or distortion. All in all, its quality is better than most headsets in this price range.

iTeknic IK-BH005 feature 45mm transducers, which produce above-average audio quality. Sound quality is very good, the bass has depth and clarity, but isn’t overpowering. The ANC does affect sound quality, reducing the frequency, and increasing the effect of bass.

The sound the headset produces is indeed very good, if not great. It has plenty of bass, but it is not highlighted to the point where it would overpower the other aspects.

Treble is clear, and there are no weird distorted high-frequency sounds. The headset produces very good ambiance and fantastic tone, the produced tone is warm and has an emphasis on different layers of played music.

The vocal track has clarity and comes out surprisingly lifelike, with no muffling or distortion. The quality of the sound is better than most of the headsets in this price range.

Why buy iTeknic IK-BH005?

In all honesty, the headphones are a great all-rounder at the given price range. They feature sturdy and pleasing build design with no real weaknesses if you’re not unnecessarily reckless with their use.

The switchable ANC is the main focus point. It helps greatly with constant sounds, but sudden loud noises and voices can still sneak past its effect.

It’s surprising to see just how much they managed to include on a headset at an affordable price. You’ve got active noise canceling, great Bluetooth connectivity, up to 30 hours of battery life, and good sound quality. We’re talking about a moderately priced headset, which really makes the iTeknic’s IK-B005 worthy of strong consideration.

If you’re looking for wireless over-ear headphones with ANC technology to use on the go for ~$60, iTeknic IK-BH005 are a perfect choice.

Specifications

Matija Ferjan

Matija Ferjan is a seasoned audio enthusiast reviewing headphones since 2015. He has personally tested hundreds of headphones and earbuds. He’s an active member of the Headphone Audio community and a true nitpicker, always looking for the “best-value-for-money” headphones.