Good news, audio fans! We’ve never had a more diverse selection of headphones and earbuds to choose for your phones, computers, TVs, and more. There’s something for everyone at every price, with any dazzling array of smart features you want (as long as you’re willing to pay for them).
But there’s also bad news for consumers picking new buds: The headphone market is more confusing than ever, too. There are many terms that don’t make much sense outside of the A/V world, and one of the most infamous is active noise cancellation, or ANC, vs. passive noise cancellation. If the difference has always given you trouble, here’s everything you need to know!
What is noise cancellation, anyway?
Headphones and earbudsare designed to play audio: The better the device, the higher-quality the audio and the more audio data the headphones can successfully translate into sound waves. These days, headphones are capable of very neat tricks, including environmental sound via Dolby Atmos (and audio files have gotten larger as a result). But audio quality suffers when external noise creeps in.
Everyday sounds can disrupt the finer elements of an audio experience, from passing cars to chatter people in an airport. And deeper, ongoing sounds like the rumble of a subway or an airplane are even worse for audio quality.
Noise cancellation attempts to block out these external noises so they don’t reach your ears while you’re wearing headphones or earbuds. Both types of noise cancellation tend to work a little better in full headphones with earcups than with earbuds, but today’s earbuds also have advanced noise-cancellation designs.
The basics of passive noise cancellation
Passive noise cancellation refers to a headphone or earbud design that’s made to block out environmental noise. The headphones don’t have any active components working to get rid of noise. Instead, they rely on materials, composition, and fit to create a good seal around (or in) the ear and block out noise.
Passive noise cancellation depends greatly on the quality of the headphones. All headphones have at least a little, but the best choices incorporate passive noise cancellation into their designs. For earbuds, this kind of noise cancellation often depends on the earbud tips and how well they fit in individual ears, which can vary a lot between listeners.
If you feel this isn’t really “cancellation” in a true sense, there are many who agree with you. That’s why this is also called passive noiseisolationinstead. Whichever you call it, the pros of passive noise cancellation include:
The basics of active noise cancellation (ANC)
ANC is an active feature that takes steps to cancel out environmental noise that’s making its way through. That requires both additional hardware and advanced software to handle. Typically, a microphone is added to each headphone/earbud, dedicated to picking external sounds (high-end versions may use an array of mics for more accuracy). Then an extra set of speakers uses that data to produce a set of sound waves at just the right frequency and amplitude to block out the incoming noise, with both sound waves dissipating instead.
This all happens so fast that the external noises don’t make it to the human ear, and ANC can instantly adapt to new incoming sounds as needed. In fact, today’s advanced ANC is sometimes called “adaptive active noise cancellation” for that reason. However, the technology at work can vary, and the quality of ANCdiffers drastically between brands. For example, Sony, Apple, and Bose have some of the best ANC.
Of course, the technology isn’t entirely perfect. It’s often significantly more expensive than only passive noise cancellation, especially for the best versions. ANC doesn’t really block out sudden, sharp sounds, but works better for ongoing noises in the background. And all that extra work takes a lot of extra power, so it can be a serious drain on battery life for wireless headphones. But when it’s on, it really does bring the quiet to your listening experience.
Pros of ANC:
What if I need to hear my surroundings?
There are often sounds that you very much want to hear even with headphones on. That could include nearby cars when you’re jogging, or a crying baby when you’re busy in a different room. That’s why ANC usually comes with a transparency mode. While it may fall under different names, the transparency mode always allows you to temporarily switch ANC off and let some ambient noise in, or automatically change it when you’re taking a call. Some transparency modes even let you adjust how much noise makes it through.
Does active noise cancellation work on Android phones?
Yes, it should. ANC works via hardware directly on headphones or earbuds, so it can usually function no matter what kind of phone you’re using. However, some advanced audio mode functions may not work — as with the AirPods Pro, for example.
Which type of noise cancellation is better?
There’s not really any comparison. Passive noise cancellation is simply good headphone design. ANC is the real feature here, and buyers need to decide if they want it or not. ANC is typically more expensive, and not everyone likes it. However, it does create a very quiet ear environment so you may hear all the details of your audio. That’s important for those who take their music seriously, people who want to drown out annoying noises, and those who may have difficulty hearing dialogue when they’re watching videos on the go.
Finally, keep in mind that over-ear headphones will almost always have better passive noise cancellation due to their design, so if you want the most noise cancellation without using ANC, that’s the way to go.
Now you’re ready to pick the best sound for you
With the details of passive and active noise cancellation, you’re ready to make the right buying decision for your listening needs. For even more specific choices, take a look at thebest wireless earbuds in 2023, as well as thebest over-ear headphonesyou can find for gaming, music, and more.
