Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
During celebrations like New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, and 4th of July, it is almost impossible to escape firework shows. Besides, most people, including myself, enjoy the spectacle. Fireworks are beautiful, but they can get really loud. You may have heard that active noise cancelling headphones are particularly good against low-frequency noise, and the …
Read moreDo Noise Cancelling Headphones Block Out Firework Noise?
You are sitting in an office, a coffee shop, or your home office and can’t focus because you have to listen to your coworkers or the folks at the next table. Or you are in your bedroom or a hotel room, having to listen to your neighbors having a good laugh and cranking up the …
Quality active noise cancelling headphones work great against low-frequency noise, OK against mid frequency noise (speech, office noise, etc.) and well against high frequency noise. Then we have noise cancelling earbuds. They can be nearly as good as over-ear ANC headphones for low-frequency noise, but are substantially weaker against mid and high frequencies. Good hearing …
Read moreCombining ANC Earbuds and Earmuffs: Ultimate Noise Cancellers?
My search for effective earbuds to cancel low frequency noise has led me to a real gem, 1More‘s Dual Driver ANC Pro. Having put them through an in-depth test, I can report that these are very effective noise cancellers. In fact, they are substantially more effective than my current ANC earbuds reference, the Bose QC20. …
The best over-ear active noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) feature impressive noise reducing performance and sound great. But, they take up a lot more space than active noise cancelling earbuds (ANC earbuds). ANC earbuds also use electronics to reduce noise, so perhaps they could do just as well? They fit in a handbag or even …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones or Earbuds? It Depends on Where and When
In this post I am comparing two of my favorite noise reduction tools: active noise cancelling headphones and earmuffs. The results of an everyday noise reduction test are also included. Noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) have become all the rage in recent years, and for good reasons: They get rid of bass noise like no …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones vs Earmuffs: Electronics or Big Ear Cups?
I have lived in quite a few apartments and stayed in countless hotel rooms where traffic noise was waking me up several times a night. Over time, I have developed a good understanding of what works to block out enough noise to help me fall and stay asleep. Whether you have traffic noise keeping you …
This article looks at when and how active noise cancelling headphones (=headphones that use electronics to reduce noise) can help to protect your hearing. Used correctly, good noise cancelling headphones have the potential to protect hearing in many situations, but they are not safety earmuffs. And, they can also damage your hearing if you play …
Read moreDo Noise Cancelling Headphones Protect Your Hearing?
Yes, many active noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) work without music, and in fact, there are some unique benefits of using them without music. I’ll get to these benefits in a minute. For most ANC headphones to cancel noise, you just need to turn them on. This engages the active noise cancelling electronics: the headphones …
To our neighbor the music might sound perfectly balanced, but for us “it’s all about the bass.” Or, suppose the bass is coming from a party across the street or a dance club. You live pretty far away, but still, the rhythm of the drums coming through your windows and door is inviting you to …