Headphone News

At the moment, it seems nearly every new set of headphones released incorporate some sort of noise-reduction technology. But how does it work? And will it work for you?

How noise-canceling works
There are two basic ways for headphones to reduce external noise. The most basic way is to simply block external noise from reaching your ears. This can be done by either encompassing your full ear with a tight seal like the forthcoming Sony Altus headphones or by blocking your ear canal like the Bose TriPort IE earphones.

Both of these techniques work to an extent, but have their down sides. The over-ear design relies on forming a seal with your head which can get very warm and uncomfortable. It also tends to produce large and heavy headphones, fine for use in the home but not so useful in the sort of situations where you’d actually want to block out external noise, for example, on a train. The ear canal design is more successful at blocking out sound but, unless you can find a set of earbuds that fit perfectly, can quickly get uncomfortable. Many ear-canal ‘phones come with a selection of sleeves to offer you a better fit but even they are unlikely to fit perfectly (those with lots of money might try Ultimate Ears custom-fit headphones if they really crave the perfect fit).

The other way headphone manufacturers have developed to reduce ambient noise is by incorporating noise-canceling technology into their headphones. This uses a number of microphones on the outside of the headphones to pick-up external noise allowing electronic circuitry to calculate the “negative” of this sound which is then played through your headphones to cancel out the ambient sound (a much more detailed description of this technology can be found at the Wikipedia).

Originally, this active noise cancelation was only found on high-end full-size headphones like the Bose Quiet Comfort range. However, it is now starting to make it’s way into smaller earbuds like the Sony MDR-NC11(pictured above) and the Koss QZ77 Dual Noise Reduction earbuds.

For the rest of this article, I’ll be focusing on active noise-canceling technology due to it’s increasing popularity.

Does it really work?
So, does this active noise cancelation really work? Well, like most things, it depends who’s doing it. As mentioned above, the first to really get it right were Bose with the Quiet Comfort 2. These headphones were highly regarded by critics and have been wildly successful, despite their $300 price tag.

However, some manufacturers have had less success with both Solitude and Sennheiser receiving poor reviews.

When implemented correctly, active noise-cancelation can do an excellent job of blocking out constant low frequency sound like an airplane engine. However most noise-cancelation technology does a much poorer job with high frequency sounds and sudden sharp sounds (like someone shouting).

Are there any downsides?
So far, it sounds like if you buy the right set, noise-canceling headphones will be great. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The first issue with active noise-cancelation is it’s power requirements. Every headset with this technology will need battery power of some sort adding both weight and size to the headphones. This is most obvious in earphones which usually require some sort of battery case in-cable which will then either dangle around your neck or have to be stored along with your music player.

Also, these headphones tend to be expensive. As mentioned, Bose charge upwards of $300 for their top noise-canceling headphones and even low-range earphones like the Koss QZ77 cost around £75 in the UK.

Another major problem with active noise-cancelation is suck. Only affecting some people, the technology in the headphones seems to create a build-up of pressure that then feels like it’s pulling your brain out. I’ve never experienced it, but it certainly sounds unpleasant.

Finally, some headphones can also be susceptible to interference from other electronic devices like cell phones. This can cause unwanted noise to be played though the headphones, somewhat defeating the purpose of noise-canceling.

Should you buy them?
This is the really important question. Some models should be disregarded for obvious reasons but some have received great reviews and impressive sales. But doubt still remains over the technology. My advice, try before you buy, especially if you are considering shelling out $300.

Related Link: Noise cancelling headphones For the biggest range of noise cancelling headphones in the UK visit iHeadphones. Sale starts now on all noise cancelling headphones!

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