Few years ago, we could see the first sound cancelling headphones arriving on the market. At first, they were used in aircrafts to cover the sound of the engines. Amar Bose, from Bose Technology was one of the first to develop sound cancelling headphones. He realised that the standard head phones were unpleasant and presented various problems. In the 80s, Bose Technology was the fisrt company to make available this technology to the public. Two questions remain, how do they work and what makes high quality sound cancelling headphones?
Noise cancellation technology works with a microphone 'listening' to the sound around you. It does this by a microphone picking up the sounds around you. It inverts those sound waves so they are the opposite and when played back, the outside sound disappears. This technology works best for a constant sound such as an airplane engine or an air conditioning unit. They are less effective on rapidly changing noises such as speech as the sound waves change quickly and the inverting technology, working in real time; struggle to keep up with the changes.
All sound cancelling headphones need a battery to work. In various models the battery is housed with the cables which can make it rather inconvenient. More technology is moving to being housed in the earphone itself eliminating additional bulk. Good headphone will continue to work even if the battery runs out, the noise cancellation technology simply won't be operating in these cases.
The 2 main versions of head phones are the over ear surround model and the on ear models. The ear surround model works fairly like a pair of air muffs. As well as passively reducing the sound getting into the ear canal, the cancellation technology reduces noise even further. Cushioning helps add comfort to the ears, but several individuals find them sweaty when used for longer periods of time.
The on ear version of sound cancelling headphones rest on the outside of the ear. With more airflow the trade off is less sound being eliminated. The potential downside is they naturally reduce less sound and are less effective at reducing loud volume.
The ability to detach the cabling may be something you would use. Some people like to use them without listening to music. They just want the constant noise around them to disappear. This can be useful to protect the hearing such as when you're out mowing the lawn.
If you use your sound cancelling headphones for travel or work, it is a good idea to keep them protected while not in use. Check for the carry case that suits you. Several come in soft cases, which may be easier to pack in luggage, but will provide little protection from outside shocks. If you think you will knock them around a lot it will pay to look for a protective hard case.
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