How Do ANC Headphones Work? Top 5 Benefits
Summary: Active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones use microphones and soundwave technology to block out external noise, delivering a clearer and more immersive audio experience. Ideal for travel, work, or busy environments, they combine advanced tech with comfort and versatility for audiophiles on the go.
Key Points:
- How They Work: Microphones detect noise; chipsets generate opposite signals to cancel it.
- Types of ANC: Feedforward, Feedback, and Hybrid—each with unique benefits.
- Top Benefits: Improved sound, better focus, hearing protection, comfort, and travel-friendliness.
- Best Options: Models from Sennheiser, Sony, and Focal deliver elite performance.
- Moon Audio Picks: Curated ANC headphones for audiophiles seeking pristine sound anywhere.
A noisy environment shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your favorite music in rich detail and with consistently high quality. While external noise often gets in the way of many audio outputs, active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones can keep those unwanted sounds at bay.
Whether you’re commuting, traveling, or working in a noisy environment, ANC technology builds a barrier between the external world and your enjoyment of pristine audio. ANC headphones are a vital tool for every audiophile who wants to enjoy music outside of a controlled and dedicated listening space.
So, how do noise-canceling headphones work? What makes them so effective in blocking out distractions and letting you focus on the music you love?
Keep reading to learn more about active noise-canceling headphones and how they deliver an exceptional listening experience. We’ll cover what ANC headphones are, how they work, and the biggest benefits they can deliver to audiophiles just like you.
What Are Noise-Canceling Headphones?
On a basic level, all types of noise-canceling headphones share the same goal: to block out external noise. By stopping unwanted noise from reaching the ears, these headphones empower listeners to focus exclusively on the audio they want to enjoy.
Without noise cancellation, noisy and busy environments can quickly interfere with headphone output. From daily commutes and open offices to time at the gym and travel on planes, trains, and public transportation, there are many situations where external noise will dilute details and otherwise obstruct the listening experience.
Noise-canceling technology in headphones can be broken down into two main categories. Keep in mind that ANC headphones almost always have PNC protections in place as well. Which headphones cancel noise the best? High-quality headphones with both ANC and PNC in place.
Passive Noise-Canceling
Passive noise canceling (PNC) relies on the structure, design, and materials of headphones to physically block out external noise. They isolate the sound that comes out of headphone speakers. Nearly all modern headphones offer some degree of PNC because of their design.
For example, thick, padded earcups that create a tight seal are a commonly used PNC element for over-ear headphones. Properly sized and fitted IEMs and earbuds can also create tight seals to block out noise.
As Logitech explains, PNC is inexpensive and reliable because it doesn’t require additional electronic or computer components to block noise. PNC also performs well in terms of blocking external mid-high frequencies, like the sounds of a conversation.
Additionally, PNC headphones deliver the truest, purest reproduction of the original recording because they don’t add additional noise, as is the case with ANC. However, high-quality ANC headphones can deliver clarity that’s almost as good.
However, this solution won’t perform as well with low frequencies, like the low, droning noise that comes from plane engines or public transportation. And, unlike ANC headphones, PNC isn’t active. It doesn’t adapt to the outside environment to provide better noise cancellation.
Active Noise-Canceling
ANC headphones rely on microphones to capture outside sound and processors to identify and generate an opposite signal that counteracts those sounds. We’ll go into more detail in the next section – the key point to remember on a basic level is that ANC headphones identify sounds and work to cancel them out.
ANC is a more expensive technology because it relies on more advanced and complex tools to block external noise. However, ANC headphones do not carry an incredibly higher cost than PNC headphones with otherwise similar components.
ANC headphones cancel out sounds across the frequency spectrum, although they perform best with low frequencies. Their biggest benefit is likely their adaptability. Because the microphones work to actively identify outside noise, ANC headphones can adjust their output to keep audio clearer in a variety of environments.
How Do Noise Canceling Headphones Work?
For PNC headphones, it’s not too hard to understand how good seals, the right materials, and proper fit all work together to block external noise. It’s all about putting a physical barrier between the outside world and your ears and music.
ANC headphones, while a little more complex in comparison, also operate on a simple idea.
Research published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal IEEE Transactions on Speech and Audio Processing gives us a very direct if somewhat formally worded breakdown. “Active noise cancellation is an approach to noise reduction in which a secondary noise source that destructively interferes with the unwanted noise is introduced.”
In other words, the technology inside ANC headphones creates sound calibrated to weaken or remove unwanted external sound. Destructive interference occurs when waves, like sound waves but also light waves, combine in a way that causes their amplitudes to reduce or cancel out each other. The peak of one type of wave is canceled or reduced by the valley of the second type of wave.
While it offers many positives, the drawback of ANC, in general, is that it adds a processing step when delivering audio output. That additional step makes the audio signal path more complex and can have a negative impact on fidelity through minor distortions and artifacts. However, the benefits of high-quality ANC in busy and crowded environments generally outweigh the negatives.
That’s the theory behind active noise-canceling in headphones. So, how do they work in practice? Let’s take a closer look. Understanding how ANC headphones work and the different types of ANC technologies can help you find the perfect set of headphones, no matter which music genres you enjoy listening to the most.
What Active Noise-Canceling Headphones Do When You Wear Them
ANC headphones have a few critical components. As SoundGuys explain, the key elements of noise-canceling technology in headphones include:
- The microphones. These very small microphones monitor sound around the headphones, providing vital data that allows ANC electronics to create an opposite soundwave based on the noise detected.
- The chipset. The very small computer within ANC headphones analyzes the unwanted outside sound picked up by the microphones and generates an opposing signal that can cancel it out.
- The drivers. Headphone drivers – the small speakers within headphones – produce opposing signals that provide a clearer, richer, and deeper listening experience.
Feedforward ANC vs Feedback ANC vs Hybrid ANC
There are three distinct types of ANC technology, which differ based on the placement of the microphones that detect unwanted sound from the surrounding environment.
Feedforward ANC microphones sit outside the earcups and pick up external sounds before they reach the ears. This structure gives the ANC system more time to react and adapt to incoming noise, especially high-frequency noise.
However, Feedforward ANC can’t monitor the canceling sounds it makes, so it sometimes leads to errors that create more unwanted noise. That issue is common with sudden noises from odd angles, such as sudden gusts of wind.
Feedback ANC systems have their microphones within the earcups. This allows the system to monitor its own performance and adjust more effectively. That structure also makes a perfectly tight seal on earcups not as important for quality results as with feedforward ANC.
Also, feedback ANC can sometimes unintentionally cancel parts of the signal you want to hear. And, it isn’t as effective against high-frequency sounds as feedforward ANC.
Hybrid ANC, meanwhile, combines most of the advantages of the other two systems while reducing their drawbacks. Of course, that means it’s also the most expensive option – but is often well worth it for discerning audiophiles.
Top 5 Benefits of ANC Headphones
Now that we understand how ANC headphones work, let’s dig into some of the specific benefits they offer.
1. Improved Sound Quality in Noisy Environments
We’ve mentioned it plenty of times in this blog because it’s the foundational advantage ANC headphones provide. But it bears repeating: ANC headphones are the best option for audiophiles to get closer to the music they love while on the go.
With ANC headphones, you don’t have to give up on a high-quality listening experience when you’re traveling, at work, at the gym, or in any other place that has background noise. You can count on clearer detail, better dynamics, and uninterrupted listening no matter where you are. ANC also lets the high-end drivers in audiophile headphones shine, giving you more value for your investment.
2. Enhanced Focus and Productivity
Noise-canceling, and especially ANC, means a more stable audio environment with fewer distractions. They can help you get into the zone when studying, working on a creative project, or working onsite or remotely. You’ll benefit from less mental fatigue by filtering out constant background noise.
That’s true even if you don’t play music or other audio sources while wearing your headphones. When turned on, ANC technology works even without an audio source playing. You don’t need to buy ultra-high-end ANC headphones to enjoy this feature – even more modestly priced audiophile headphones with ANC offer this benefit.
3. Hearing Protection in Loud Environments
Do noise-canceling headphones protect your hearing? Hearing aid provider Soundly explains that ANC headphones are not harmful to your hearing. And, they can protect your hearing by allowing you to listen to music at lower volumes while still delivering clear, rich, and immersive audio.
4. Comfort for Long Listening Sessions
If you want to settle in for a long listening session while traveling or working in a shared environment, ANC headphones are an excellent way to reduce potential fatigue.
Because they allow you to listen clearly at a lower volume than is possible with PNC headphones, they won’t cause as much ear strain. And, many ANC headphone models, especially high-grade audiophile options, are designed with extended comfort in mind.
5. Travel-Friendly and Versatile
ANC headphones excel in any noisy environment. That means many audiophiles only need one pair for listening while outside of the home (or even at home when noise levels peak). Compact, foldable options for ANC headphones make it even easier to bring them along, no matter where you go.
Which Headphones Cancel Noise the Best?
Looking for audiophile-grade ANC headphones you can count on? This curated selection of four wireless ANC headphones offers some of the very best options available anywhere.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones
Count on outstanding sound quality and clarity even in noisy environments with these Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones. With four noise-canceling microphones and automatic wind suppression, along with deep customization, a 42mm transducer system, and the aptX Adaptive audio codec, these headphones deliver in a variety of environments.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones
Sony delivers cutting-edge ANC for an unrivaled listening experience with the WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones. Eight ANC microphones support incredible sound clarity and depth even in noisy environments, adapting in real time to keep the outside world away from your listening experience. We consider these the best noise-canceling headphones on the market.
Focal Bathys Wireless Headphones
You don’t have to sacrifice sound quality for the clarity noise cancellation provides with the Focal Bathys Wireless Headphones. Count on CD-quality audio with a Bluetooth connection and up to 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution when connected to a phone, digital audio player, or computer. With two noise-canceling modes and a transparency mode, they’re perfect for any listening environment.
Focal Bathys MG Wireless Headphones
Another audiophile-grade entry from Focal makes our list with the Focal Bathys MG Wireless Headphones. Immerse yourself in the pinnacle of French audio engineering with the brand’s exclusive magnesium drivers, sophisticated noise cancellation, and rich, natural sound reproduction. Next-generation microphones make their ANC performance even more impressive.
ANC Headphones for Discerning Audiophiles
Moon Audio brings you an incredible selection of headphones that balance rich, detailed sound with leading ANC technology. You deserve to enjoy your music with incredibly high quality and fidelity, no matter where you want to listen. Our range of ANC headphones delivers that audiophile experience.
Experience the ultimate in sound clarity and comfort with our high-quality noise-canceling headphones at Moon Audio!
