How to purchase ANC headphones from China?

The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology has been present for many years; however, with the launch of the latest Apple Airpods featuring noise cancellation, users around the world are craving headsets with this functionality.

This scenario has opened up new avenues for business owners to meet the high user demand for noise-canceling headphones. In this article, we will present you with a detailed guide on how you can make purchase orders for high-quality ANC-enabled headphones from China and sell them in your country.

 

 

Chapter 1: What are ANC headphones?

Active noise cancellation works on the principle of phase cancellation. Since sound travels in waves through the air molecules, the waves reach the eardrum and vibrate to produce a sound. However, with a sound wave of the same frequency and opposite amplitude, the two waves will cancel out each other, resulting in no sound output.

ANC headphones use microphones to identify sound waves coming towards the ear, and immediately generate the opposite phase to cancel out the sound.

Active noise cancellation can be achieved with analog filters or digital filters and is generally differentiated by architecture, which is mainly of three types:

• Feed-forward cancellation(FF): It is commonly in in-ear earphones. This methodology is characterized by a large noise reduction bandwidth but small noise reduction depth, making it suitable for reducing medium frequency noise such as the human voice.
• Feedback cancellation(FB): It is used in on-ear headphones. It uses a small noise reduction bandwidth with a larger depth, which eliminates low-frequency noises coming from jet engines, subway, cars, etc.
• Hybrid cancellation(HyBrid): It involves using both FF and FB techniques. It produces great sound cancellation output; however, the overall price is high.

 

Chapter 2: What’s the difference between ANC, DSP, ENC, CVC?

• ANC (Active Noise Control): Active noise cancellation is the technique of using a microphone to analyze environmental sounds and create the opposite phase mixed with audio playback to prevent any noise from entering into the user’s ears. Great active cancellation significantly improves passive cancellation, but can’t make up for poor design.
• ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation): The ENC technique can nullify 90% of all the ambient noises, It is suitable for gamers, allowing them to communicate freely. It uses a dual-microphone array that accurately estimates the position of the caller, and protects the target voice in the main direction.
• DSP (Digital Signal Processing): This technique is generally used for high and low-frequency noise signatures. It involves the use of a microphone to collect environmental sound. The system creates a reverse sound wave equal to the external noise, thereby, canceling it. The principle is similar to that of ANC, however, DSP noise reduction directly reduces forward and reverse noises. Thus, achieving more efficient noise cancellation.
• CVC (Clear Voice Capture): It is also known as the software noise reduction technique. It is used to reduce echoes generated during a call. This technology is widely used in modern Bluetooth call headsets.

 

Chapter 3: Buying ANC Headphones from China

For retail owners in the electronics industry, cost margins are solely responsible for the success of a business. If you are wondering about taking advantage of the purchasing electronics market, you must know the advantage of buying products from China.

It’s no longer the case of cheap labor anymore, China now has the most comprehensive and cost-effective ecosystem of component manufacturers in the world.

From dedicated suppliers and distributors to intuitive e-commerce websites, purchasing consumer electronics from China is a seamless affair. Plus, you also benefit from the specialist stock available at lower prices than any other venue in the world.

Price of Purchasing ANC Headphones

The first thing you will notice in the Chinese electronic purchasing market or e-commerce store is the price difference between various ANC-enabled headphones. While wired models are available between the $10 to $25  price tag, Bluetooth headphones can range from anywhere between $20 to $50 and even more—depending on the quality of the product.

You can also come across some headphones with the same shape, design, and styling but with different price tags. The major difference lies in the hardware and technology used in the models

For instance, many high-end manufacturers in China use the QCC chipset, while middle-level manufacturers use AIROHA, BES, and REALTEK chipsets, and low-end manufacturers use JL, BLUETRUM, and BK chipsets.

The difference of chipsets can bring a considerable difference in the listening experience of the users but can also increase the price of the models. So make sure to focus yourself on buying high-quality products after in-depth investigation through customer reviews and spec sheets of each item.

 

Chapter 4: What are the Common Mistakes of Purchasers

1. International Brands

World-renowned headphone manufacturers like Bose, Beats Audio, Samsung, and Sony have their manufacturing units based in China.

Many purchasers want to work directly with the factories making high-end products for these companies. However, trading policies in China are quite stringent and prohibit any electronics purchaser to directly deal with any of the brand OEM factories.

Another factor is that it’s extremely difficult to locate a famous brand OEM factory in China, and unless you have good connections with the officials of the factory, it’s highly unlikely that you can ever get in touch with them.

2. Chinese Brands

International buyers may also want to get deals from top Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, and Astrotec.

However, this is not possible as companies like Xiaomi and Huawei have their selling strategies, which makes it hard for you to strike a deal with them. Even if these companies are willing to sell to you, the MOQs will be a lot higher than your requirement.

3. Knock-off Brands

There’s a share of importers who are interested in purchasing imitations of top brands. Since knockoff products are highly cheap, the high-profit margins often attract headphone dealers to purchase them.

However, the Chinese government has become highly strict with the prohibition of knockoff products and their export outside China. In addition, with a knockoff, you can’t expect the same quality and features as that of a branded product.

 

Chapter 5: How to find the right Headphone Suppliers in China

If you’re looking for the right headphone suppliers in China, you will have to dig deep to know about the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), packaging, customization, and quality of the products offered by each supplier.

 

Where to find ANC headphone suppliers

ANC headphones are part of the consumer electronics market, which means finding the right supplier is relatively easy. The best way to start is to visit electronics exhibitions where you can get a live demonstration of the products as well as compare them to understand which suits your requirements.

Most of the electronics suppliers are located in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shantou, and Yiwu. You can also visit any of these cities, find a supplier’s factory and make a deal.

 

What are the basic MOQ of suppliers

In most cases, the basic MOQ for ANC-enabled headphones is 100, while for over-ear headphones it could be only 60. Similarly, for earbuds that are much smaller in size, the MOQ can be between 200 to 500.

If you want to customize headphones with your logo and styling, the MOQ will be more than 500. Importantly, the MOQ is 500 for the whole order and not only for a single SKU.

 

Choosing the Right Packaging of Headphones

The majority of the earphone manufacturers use OPP bags for packaging. The cost is included in the total price quotation.

However, if you want better packaging, the manufacturer can charge anywhere between $0.3 to $0.5.

 

Finding Suppliers Online

For companies that don’t have the budget to fly to China and manually find the suppliers, online platforms like Alibaba, DealExtreme, and more offer thousands of suppliers selling top-notch products.

• AliExpress: It is one of the most popular e-commerce sites to buy products from China. There’s a wide range of product categories from leading brands as well as indigenous manufacturers.
• DealExtreme: Just like AliExpress, DealExtreme offers a great range of ANC headphones from major Chinese brands. The platform also offers free shipping to various countries as well.
• Banggood: The platform is widely popular across South East Asia, India, and Europe. The major benefit is the plethora of payment options you can use, including Cash on Delivery as well.

 

Requesting a Sample

Once you’ve located a supplier and discussed your requirements, you can request them to send a sample of the products you’re interested in. Since most suppliers can send you photos or videos of their products, you can also get a paid sample of the actual item.

It’s a great way to validate the quality and reliability of the product.

 

Negotiating Payment Terms

After you have finalized an order, make sure you are specific about your payment terms. There’s good room for price negotiation if you are ordering in large numbers. However, before making the final payment, you must have a written record of the final price.

While making a large order, you should also be prepared for making some payment upfront. The general rule is to make a 30% payment of the total order, while the rest is paid when the items are ready for shipping.

 

Selecting the Shipping Method

Air shipping is the fastest way of getting products to your country. However, it’s also the costliest. If you are low on budget, you can choose ocean shipping, which is five to six times cheaper than air shipping.

While importing goods to your country, you may need commercial invoices, packing bills, and lists to clear customs. There can be some customs duty you have to pay on the imported goods too.

 

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered the most important aspects of purchasing ANC-enabled headphones from China. You need to carry out research in your local market and understand the requirements of your target customers before making any purchase.

While selecting a distributor or supplier from China, make sure you consider factors like MOQ, customizations, packaging, and quality of products so that there is no discrepancy once the orders have been made.

Lastly, it’s also important to check which shipping method suits your requirement, based on your location, budget, and time.