All products featured are independently chosen by us. However, SoundGuys may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links. See our ethics statement.
Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC
Beyerdynamic takes on Sony and Bose with one of its latest projects, the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC. A light-guide system, informing listeners of the headset’s connection status, battery level, and more. Other than that, it’s similar to what we’ve seen from other ANC headsets and boasts stellar sound quality to boot.
Editor’s note: this Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC review was updated on June 16, 2021, to update the alternatives section and include a microphone poll.
Who is the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC for?
- Commuters and flyers will appreciate the noise canceling performance of Beyerdynamic’s portable headphones. Despite their over-ear fit, they can compact quickly for storage.
- Anyone can benefit from noise canceling because it can help prevent hearing loss: by actively negating external noise, we’re less likely to increase the volume to dangerous levels.
What’s it like to use the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC?
It’s easy to use the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC, despite the seemingly overwhelming hybrid control system comprised of both touch and button controls. Once you memorize its menu of gestures, you can manage playback, volume, calls, and voice assistant commands. The buttons lie on the outer edge of the right ear cup, the same one which houses the touch panel.
The build is sturdy despite it being predominantly plastic. Swiveling ear cups rotate at the yokes for a comfortable fit, but you may run into issues with the band size. With the headband completely retracted, set to the smallest size, it’s a tad too large for my head.
Our unit randomly ceases music playback, occasionally needing to be un-paired and re-paired to get it to resume normally.
Beyerdynamic inserted sensors into the Lagoon ANC, which allow it to recognize when it’s inactive. Most of the time this works flawlessly: set it on a table and playback pauses. However, if you’re looking down for a few seconds it will register this as inactivity and pause music playback. This was annoying when I sewed my cat’s toys back together and did minor home improvement projects.
How to update the Lagoon ANC
In order to update your headset, download the Beyerdynamic Update Hub app for Windows or Mac. The requirement for a desktop app seems silly since other companies, Sony and Bose, roll out firmware updates via their respective mobile apps. Beyerdynamic has an iOS/Android app, too, called MIY. It lets you take a hearing test to customize your hearing profile and enhance audio playback. While you can factory reset the headset from the app, you can’t update it.
Breaking down the light-guide system (LGS)
Beyerdynamic’s LGS is one of those things that seems handy on paper but is more effort for the user than it’s worth. Below are a majority of the indicator combinations, save for a breakdown of battery percentages. After two weeks with the headphones, I never got the hang of what the colors meant. This made me realize how much I prefer voice prompts, which the Lagoon also provides. To make use of the LGS, I had to remove the headphones, wait for the ring lights to attempt to communicate something to me, and decipher what the color patterns meant. It’s a run-on sentence of a process and feels gimmicky.
- Picking up the headphones: right ear cup glows red, left glows white
- Pairing mode: the right and left shells alternately flash blue
- Successful pairing: a blue light fading in
- Standby mode (10 seconds of inactivity): no LGS indicators
- Battery almost depleted: red flash occurs four times
- Bluetooth connection active, also indicates media playback and current call: both ear cups glow orange
- Bluetooth connection lost: Slow blue flash of both ear cups, which is interrupted every three seconds
- Firmware update in progress: both ear cups glow pink
- Display of “sound dosage” (stress on hearing): a scale between green and red is displayed for three seconds
How long does the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC’s battery last?
According to our testing, the 1100mAh battery lasts 20 hours, 8 minutes. Although this falls short of the cited 24.5-hour battery life with ANC on, it’s worth noting we had ANC level II active rather than ANC I. You’re afforded a longer runtime with less demanding ANC processing. When it’s absolutely drained, just plug the headset into the included USB-C cable; a full charge requires three hours.
Light-guide system battery indicators:
- 0-30% interior LEDs flash red
- 30-70% interior LEDs flash yellow
- 70-99% interior LEDs flash green
- 100% interior LEDs display solid green
How do you connect the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC to your phone?
Most of us will opt to connect via Bluetooth, rather than by wire. The headphones support NFC pairing as well as the traditional Bluetooth pairing process. They operate via Bluetooth 4.2, Class 1, and afford a 10-meter wireless range. While testing, I was able to push the boundaries of this closer to 11 meters, when unimpeded by walls. It’s unusual, perhaps for some unacceptable, to see premium headphones use an older Bluetooth firmware. You’re also limited to connecting to one device at a time.
You can only connect to one device at a time with the Lagoon ANC.
What’s more important than the Bluetooth version is codec support. The Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC supports three high-quality codecs: aptX Low Latency, aptX, and AAC. The aptX LL support makes these a viable wireless candidate for PC gamers because the microphone quality is excellent too.
Related: Best aptX headphones
On October 8, 2020, Beyerdynamic announced firmware update to version 2.4, which is available through the mobile MIY app. New features include sidetone, which lets you hear your own voice as you speak on the phone. Users can also create a custom EQ for a personalized sound.
What does the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC sound like?
The frequency response chart appears wonky, but don’t let that deceive you: sound quality is superb. The bass emphasis is preferred by most casual listeners and comes in handy to further overcome external noise. What’s more, midrange emphasis benefits the clarity of popular musical sounds such as vocals, guitars, and their harmonic overtones.
Related: How to read charts
Isolation and noise canceling are both very good. You can choose between three ANC modes: off, level I, and level II. Low hums like air conditioning and an airplane engine may be mitigated. However, if you want better noise canceling for less, look at the Sony WH-1000XM3 or the AKG N700NC headphones.
Lows, mids, and highs
Let’s listen to Maggie Rogers’ song The Knife. This song sounds fantastic through the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC. Cymbal hits are present throughout and emphasize the sharp, emotions Rogers documents in the ballad. The 3-5.5kHz dip assists Rogers’ vocals especially during the “ohs” joining the initial chorus to the second verse (1:18).
Even though the frequency response isn't technically super accurate, this headset sounds great.
The bass response, while emphasized, isn’t going to cause any headaches, having much to do with how midrange frequencies are nearly as exaggerated. If it isn’t apparent enough, I thoroughly enjoy the sound signature of the Lagoon ANC. While it isn’t a technically “flat” profile, it’s consumer-friendly without singling out a given frequency range and making its reproduction offensive.
Can updating the firmware make the Lagoon ANC sound worse?
Users have noticed that firmware updates to their various noise canceling headsets left them with degraded sound and ANC performance. If you’ve experienced this with the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC there are a few basic steps you can take to remedy the problem.
- Turn the headset on and off. Yes, this is basic, and a joke among IT professionals. It really is amazing, though, how many tech issues can be solved with a basic restart.
- Plug the headset into a wall charger for at least five seconds before removing the cable.
- Connect the headset to your computer to update the firmware and make sure the connection isn’t interrupted by unplugging the cable.
Most updates go awry because of faulty connections, be it over Bluetooth or a wiggling USB cable, and ensuring that everything is secure and connected is the best measure you can take when updating your headphones.
Is the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC good for phone calls?
It’s a great headset for phone calls. My voice was always relayed loudly and clearly to friends. It even performs well outside, assuming there aren’t any severely high winds blustering about. Just be sure you’re wearing the headset properly. One tired evening, I wore the headphones backward, right ear cup on the left ear, and the microphone quality was dramatically degraded before realizing my mistake.
Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC microphone demo:
How does the microphone sound to you?
If you work from home and are interested in a headset for conference calls, the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC is a great option. The company knows how to manufacture microphones, and this is a great choice for listeners who want an all ’rounder headset.
Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC vs Jabra Elite 85h
The Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC has better active noise canceling than Jabra’s noise canceling headphones, but Jabra’s headset does a much better job of passively isolating the listener. This means that high-pitched sounds are blocked out more by the Jabra Elite 85h than they are by the Lagoon ANC.
Read on: Jabra Elite 85h review
Neither headset reproduces accurate audio right out of the box but, thanks to the latest firmware update to the Lagoon ANC, both headset sound signatures can be customized from their respective mobile apps. By default, Beyerdynamic has a more exaggerated mid-bass response compared to Jabra’s which presents midranges notes louder than bass or treble.
Beyerdynamic’s headset has that nifty light system, but Jabra keeps things simple. In fact, the Jabra Elite 85h doesn’t even have a power button. Insted, you power it on by unfolding the headset, similar to how the Sennheiser PXC 550-II noise canceling headphones work.
Jabra’s headphones can usually be had for $50 less than the Lagoon ANC, making them a great deal for listeners who want a versatile ANC headset for less.
Should you buy the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC?
If you can forgive the intermittent and abrupt stops in music playback, the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC is a wonderful headset for travel, casual and office use. Admittedly, the cost is unappealing, as is the outdated Bluetooth firmware, but sound quality is excellent.
Sure, the headphones aren’t the best bang-for-your-buck option out there, but they’re not marketed as such. These are the headphones you get if you want high-visibility user features.
Want best-in-class noise canceling? Go with Shure or Sony
The Shure AONIC 50 is one of the most comfortable noise canceling consumer headsets we’ve seen, but you have to pay a pretty penny for it. That said, if you’re struggling to concentrate at work, the headset may prove a valuable asset for productivity. Both microphone and playback quality are excellent, especially if you like when vocals stand out a bit from the instrumental components of a mix.
Alternatively, take a look at Sony’s flagship noise canceling headphones: the Sony WH-1000XM4. These headphones feature Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, LDAC support, an improved microphone, and a more neutral frequency response. If you want a more portable option, look at the Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds instead.
Frequently asked questions about
According to our tests, the Sennheiser PXC 550-II has better active noise canceling performance than the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC. It does a far better job at attenuating low-frequency sounds than the Lagoon ANC, meaning that jet engine rumbles and air conditioner hums are less likely to interfere with your listening experience, when using the PXC 550-II. Then again, with a price tag nearing $200 USD, Beyerdyanmic’s offering is a pretty decent value—especially since the PXC 550-II has recently seen a price hike.
The Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC is cheaper than a brand new Sony WH-1000XM4 or Sony WH-1000XM3 headset, but with that affordable price comes a big sacrifice in noise canceling performance. Both Sony headphones can render low and midrange frequencies much quieter than the Lagoon ANC. And, now that the XM4 are on the market, you’re likely to get a good discount on the XM3. What’s more, the Sony ear pads are more comfortable for bespectacled listeners. Any of these three headsets make for great conference call headphones. If you’re able, we recommend saving a bit more for the WH-1000XM3 or WH-1000XM4, or getting a refurbished XM3 headset for a discount.
Active noise canceling (ANC) headphones use circuitry that cancels out unwanted noise—such as the rumbling from an airplane engine. Meanwhile, passive noise canceling headphones attenuate noise based on the design of the product. This can include material choices, how well your ear tips create a seal using in-ears, and the type of headphones being used (closed-back, semi-open, open-back). Passive noise canceling is typically referred to as sound isolation.