Many headphones use a passive means of blocking out noise to keep it from reaching a listeners ears. Both the padding on around-the-ear headphones and the ear canal blocking aspect of earbud style earphones can reduce the amount of intrusion. Blocking noise passively is the primary means of reducing higher pitch sounds and very loud sounds such as explosions.
How do noise canceling headphones function differently?
Noise canceling headphones go a step further and actively block sound via a microphone placed near the ear to identify interfering background noise and a circuit which generates a new sound wave that cancels out the intruding sound wave from the background. This does not significantly increase the volume of sound reaching the listeners ear drum and thus does not increase the risk of damaging their hearing.
The active noise cancellation employed by noise canceling headphones works fairly well in eliminating low to mid range frequencies, but are less effective at blocking the sound of a human voice. In many instances, this is a positive attribute as it allows the wearer to hear those nearby who might need to interrupt. The intrusion of additional noise canceling sound waves generally has some effect on the overall music quality that the listener hears but at least for some of the better models the effect on sound quality is minimal.
What features will need to be considered when buying noise canceling headphones?
When choosing noise canceling headphones users need to determine which style, around-the-ear or earbud, they prefer to wear. Comfort is important and if a user is irritated with the sensation of an earbud in their ear for instance, around-the-ear or on-the-ear type headphones would be a better choice.
Like any product, the effectiveness of the various makes and models of noise canceling headphones varies significantly. Some report a 70% rate of effectiveness and others might be as high as 90%. Considering the technical specifications is important, but sometimes hearing is believing so while trying on the headphones to determine comfort, it is advisable to also compare effectiveness.
For most consumers, pricing is also a significant consideration. At the low end, some earbud headphones can come in around $20-$50, while at the high end spending around $350-$400 is also common.
For true audiophiles, those that travel in noisy environments, and those who find themselves fatigued by noisy crowded environments, noise canceling headphones can be a remedy worth considering.
