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Categories: Noise Cancelling

Relax and enjoy

With noise-cancelling headphones you can escape your daily routine. Fade out annoying background noise and dive into your own sound world or just enjoy the silence. Frequent travelers or office workers not only use this type of headphone for more listening pleasure, but also for peacefulness and quietness.

Active and passive noise canceling

Noise-cancelling headphones reduce unwanted low-frequency noise thanks to active electronics (ANC). The ambient noise from the outside is detected by microphones and the headphone’s electronics then generate these (noise) waves but with 180 degrees out of phase. These anti-sound waves and the noise then get mostly extinguished. Good models achieve his acoustic trick without distorting the sound of the original material. The correct ear-cup design (over-ear or on-ear) ensures that unwanted noise in the mid-range and high-range gets absorbed (so called passive noise cancelling). There are also headphone models that only rely on passive noise cancelling, but these are not nearly as powerful as the active models.

Advantages and disadvantages of noise cancelling headphones

Biggest advantage: Mainly audiobooks and film scores, which usually have a much larger dynamic range than music, can be played much quieter, because the ambient noise does not have to be drowned out.
Disadvantage: The active electronics of the noise cancelling headphones require batteries or rechargeable batteries. But with play times of usually 25 to 30 hours per battery it’s enough for a long-haul flight.

Many models can also be used as normal headphones when the noise cancelling electronics are turned off or the battery is empty. With good models, there will be no sound difference to the operation with active noise canceling.

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The latest Noise Cancelling Headphones Reviews

In-Ear by Maike Paeßens 35 minutes ago

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 True wireless in-ear headphones with Adaptive Noise-Cancelling (ANC) and xMEMS technology

The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 features adaptive noise cancellation, high quality audio codecs and LE audio in addition to innovative MEMS drivers.

4.3

Bluetooth by Ralf Willke 2 weeks ago

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 True wireless in-ear headphones with great sound and effective ANC

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6s are a very good sounding pair of in-ear headphones that can easily keep up with the Pi8s, which cost €150 more.

4.1

Bluetooth by Ralf Willke 1 month ago

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 Premium Bluetooth over-ear headphones with excellent sound and ANC

The Beoplay H100 from Bang & Olufsen is a high-quality pair of Bluetooth headphones that offer excellent sound, easy operation, powerful noise cancellation, first-class workmanship and an appealing design.

4.8
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Editor's recommendations: Noise Cancelling Headphones

All round success and a genuine recommendation for all those who expect a high value for money for scarcely 300 euros. The Bowers & Wilkins PX5 are on-ear headphones at the highest technical level, which is right at the top when it comes to sound. The Bowers & Wilkins PX5 shows their strengths both as travel headphones, and as a constant companion in everyday urban life between open-plan offices, underground trains and cafés.

Ralf Willke 10. October 2019
Bowers & Wilkins PX5

Sonos set new standards with the Ace: sound, function, comfort and the option of transferring impressive cinema sound to the headphones using a Sonos soundbar have given the multiroom expert a top position in the premium headphones segment of the market from the get-go.

Ralf Willke 5. June 2024
Sonos Ace

With the WH-1000XM2, Sony introduces a headphone to the market which, like no other device, seeks to eliminate the pitfalls in mobile mode for the best possible sound enjoyment. With its excellent sound, it lays the essential foundation, which is accentuated by an elegant operation and impressive functions that work together to form a highly functional overall product. In the area of ​​noise suppression, by means of variable profiles and its ability to interact with the environment, it actually achieves an unprecedented level of effectiveness. The cost of MDR-1000X is moderate, so the recommendation to buy is clear for the new model.

Ulf Kaiser 2. March 2018
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