On paper, active noise canceling headphones sound downright better than regular headphones. They also sound better than passive noise canceling headphones, which rely on the material and design of the headphones instead of using active cancellation methods.
ContentsAdvantages of Active Noise CancellationCustom environmental cancellationActivable CancellationDisadvantages of Active Noise CancellationActive noise canceling headphones are more expensiveActive cancellation can distort your music a littleActive cancellation requires powerActive noise canceling headphones are they made for you?However, active noise cancellation has some drawbacks, so it's worth weighing the pros and cons when buying a new pair of headphones.
Let's explore the pros and cons of active noise canceling headphones and how they compare to other headphones.
Active cancellation requires electronics in the headset to listen to your surroundings. Normal and passive-cancelling headphones don't need this, as they're designed to block sound through their materials rather than the technology. So active noise canceling headphones will charge a bit more to cover the extra cost.
Since active headphones have to counter the outside world with sound waves, you may experience a drop in audio quality when you enable active cancellation. Passive headphones don't need to alter the sound, which means you won't hear any degradation in quality.
If you buy wired active noise canceling headphones, you might be surprised to find that they need charging, even though they can't be used wirelessly. This is because the on-board technology cannot be loaded through the headset's audio port. As such, you'll have to manually charge them each time you want to use cancellation.
Regular and passive canceling headphones don't have this caveat, so keep that in mind when buying a new pair of headphones.
In short, active cancellation headphones are fantastic for blocking out your surroundings. You have to pay extra for them, they have to be charged and the quality of your music may suffer; However, the custom undo and ability to turn them off at any time makes it a top choice for some users.
Do you prefer active noise canceling headphones to passive models? Let us know below.
