The Able Planet Linx Fusion is not your ordinary pair of noise-canceling headphones. Not only does it block out sound with active noise-cancellation technology, but it transmits audio to the listener with skin- and bone-conduction in addition to traditional drives. The result is a pair of headphones that requires less volume to operate at normal listening levels. It's available for $349.99, or for $50 less in a non-noise-canceling version. You can find better options in this price range based on pure sound quality, but the Linx Fusion is a fascinating, unique product if you're intrigued by bone/skin-conduction technology and noise cancellation.
This technology could change the way people with hearing disabilities or minor hearing loss listen to music, and even possibly prevent some future hearing loss by allowing for lower volume levels. It's probably a few iterations shy of what it might eventually achieve, but the results are intriguing even now. If you want simply the best sound and don't want to experiment with different headphone technologies, the Editors' Choice Bose QuietComfort 15 is a better bet.
Design
The Linx Fusion is, without a doubt, one of the bulkiest headphone pairs we've tested in recent years. It seems that the various types of technology that contribute to its unusual functionality also require more size and weight than most pairs we typically encounter, including other active noise-cancellation pairs. While the black headphones with metallic accents are bulky, they still manage to offset some of the weight with very comfortable plush ear pads and a well-padded headband.
The outer panel of the left earcup holds a power switch, a 4D Sound Vibration level knob that allows you to adjust how much vibration is mixed in with your tunes, the connection point for the detachable 3.5mm audio cable, and a micro USB port for charging with the included USB cable. The headphones also come with a zip-up protective case, an airline jack adapter, and a 1/4-inch headphone jack adapter.
The detachable audio cable is a bit clunky; it has all the things we normally want out of an audio cable like an inline remote control with volume controls and a microphone for mobile devices, but they aren't located in the same place. The Volume dial, which works independently of the volume levels on your source device, gets a separate compartment from the Call Answer/End and Play/Pause buttons (the latter of which doubles as the track navigation button depending on how many times you press it). The layout is less streamlined than most of the cables now available, and it seems outdated.
Able Planet estimates the Linx Fusion's rechargeable battery gets about 15 hours of use per full charge, but your results will vary depending on what volume levels you typically use. The Linx Fusion can be used without the battery in a passive mode that disables the noise cancellation circuitry and bone- and skin-conduction audio. But be warned: The volume levels are drastically different in this mode, and you have to be ready for a huge jump in volume should you decide to switch to active in the middle of a track.
Performance
The Linx Fusion's active noise cancellation is better than average, but it doesn't quite reach the levels Bose hits with headphones like the Editors' Choice QuietComfort 20i. Most ambient room noise levels seem to decrease noticeably, but the circuitry introduces a slightly audible hiss. This isn't uncommon, but it's usually found in less expensive noise-canceling headphones.
What exactly is going on with the Linx Fusion's sound signature is hard to describe, but the listening experience is equal parts magic and frustration. The bass response on some tracks—often classical tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' "The Gospel According to the Other Mary"—sounds more realistic than a typical pair of headphones can generally muster. You feel the bass against your skin, but not in a rattling, obnoxious way; you just get a true sense of its resonance and vibrations, the way it might feel in the room. The highs and mids are extremely crisp, and perhaps a bit too sculpted, making the higher register strings on this track sound exceptionally sharp and edgy.
Switching over to a track like Bill Callahan's "Drover," his vocals get too much of this previously natural-sounding bass, making his voice can sound overly low-end heavy. Certain frequencies cause a rattling in the lows that borders on distortion, while the drumming receives far too much sub-bass boost. This makes the track sound tweaked and exciting, but it's far from a natural frequency response.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the Linx Fusion produces a sound similar to heavy distortion when the vibration knob is set to high, even at very low overall volume levels. The buzzing sound disappears when the vibration level is lowered completely, but it sort of negates the point of having the vibration feature in the first place. In other words, this is probably not a pair for bass lovers who listen to music with much deep-bass content.
A track like Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," which has a different type of sub-bass content focused on different frequencies, has no issues with distortion even at unwise listening levels. The Linx Fusion delivers the attack of the kick drum loop on this track with enough treble edge for it to slice through the dense mix, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the loop are delivered in full, PA-system subwoofer-style splendor.
In other words, this is a highly sculpted pair with booming bass, very crisp highs, and a hard-to-predict tendency to buzz and nearly distort in certain frequency ranges. It's hard to say how the bone- and skin-conduction play into the distortion or the massively boosted bass presence. From a purely audio performance standpoint, the Linx Fusion is powerful, but at times inaccurate.
If you're after a more typical noise cancellation headphone pair, both the AKG K 490 NC and the Bose QuietComfort 15 are excellent options, though the in-ear Bose QuietComfort 20i currently has the most effective active noise cancellation we've tested. If audio performance is more of a priority for you, the Sennheiser Momentum is a wonderful option that delivers vibrant, lifelike sounds the traditional way, using only drivers. The Able Planet Linx Fusion is more or less in a league of its own creation; after all, how many bone-and-skin conduction headphones with active noise cancellation have you seen lately?
The flaws of the technology can be annoying at times, particularly because it's hard to predict what ranges of frequencies seem to cause the headphones trouble. However, when things sound right, like the natural bass sounds we hear and feel on classical tracks, it's a pretty exciting experience. The Linx Fusion is ultimately a niche product, but if you're trying to lower your volume levels and quiet down the world around you while listening to music, it's a compelling and unique option that unfortunately seems a generation or two away from reaching its true potential.
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