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.
The Enco X from Smartphone manufacturer Oppo, developed in cooperation with Dynaudio, makes you sit up and take notice: The Danish sound specialist has been known for decades for their high-quality hi-fi and monitoring speakers. This time they are in charge of perfecting the sound tuning. Have they succeeded? We put them to the test.
In plain black or gold with clean lines and state-of-the-art features, the FreeBuds Studio from Huawei are, first of all, a real eye-catcher in terms of shape and technology. They target the same market and are in direct competition with other Bluetooth over-ears like those from Bose, Sennheiser and Sony, and - clearly - also want to outdo them. However, for this to succeed at all, you will need a current Smartphone from the same manufacturer.
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According to their advertising, Huawei Free Buds Pro want to redefine active noise cancellation. They are packed full of the latest technology and try to set themselves apart from the competition with their own distinctive style, despite all the similarity in terms of design. But to take advantage of all the advantages and features offered by the FreeBuds Pro, you must already have a current Huawei smartphone.
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Anker expand their in-house headphone range with the Soundcore Life Q30, portable, wireless over-ears, which have flexible sound adjustment via app connection and offer a choice of three noise reduction modes for indoor or outdoor activities and for travelling.
