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Inspired by music legend Quincy Jones, AKG has unveiled a new flagship noise-cancelling headphone. The N90Q is the result of a five-year collaboration with US parent company Harman and the iconic music producer. “I have thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Harman over the past five years, and am very excited to add the AKG N90Q to my signature line of headphones,” the legendary producer said. 

The N90Q claims to be the world’s first headphone to be fitted with a unique auto-calibration technology designed to deliver sound that’s specifically tailored to your own ears. 

The growth in hi-res audio portables and the fact that more of us are choosing to listen to music on the move has meant that the once humble headphone has seen a massive upsurge in popularity in recent years. As more of us struggle to find time to listen to our favourite music through our hi-fi systems at home, it’s clear that the market for hi-fi headphones is expanding with more of us opting for a set of good-quality cans as our first choice for music listening. 

Quincy’s daughter, Kidada Jones, an established designer for Disney, was instrumental in creating the distinct aesthetics of the N90Q to deliver a premium look and feel. Weighing in at 460g, the luxury N90Q closed-back headphone has hinged earpieces and claims to offer exceptional comfort and passive sound isolation thanks to the leather-clad headband and deep ear-cups filled with dual-density memory foam. Active noise-cancellation circuitry reckons to achieve -20dB wideband noise reduction, while the 52mm drivers are offset to allow improved alignment with the driver and ear canal and claim a frequency response range from 10Hz to 30kHz.  

The TruNote auto-calibration technology is touted as a revolutionary software solution for in-ear frequency response measurement, and uses two microphones in each ear cup to measure the characteristic of your ear canal while you are wearing the headphone. The measurement process takes just a second and is activated by a button on the right earpiece, which generates an audio correction filter to optimise performance based on the acoustical characteristics of your ears – and from what we heard in our initial listening tests, the technology really does work. 

Housed inside a presentation case that also acts as a charger, the N90Q claims to take 4 hours to charge, and gives a battery life of around 12 hours. A selection of cables and adapters for on-the-move devices and at home use is bundled. And if the blingy gold accents don’t hit the spot, the N90Q is also available in black. Both versions will hit the high street in September with a price tag of around £1,300. Keep an eye on AKG's website for more.