Do you need effective noise cancellation in your headphones?

Key Takeaways

• Active noise cancellation improves the listening experience by eliminating distractions.
• ANC headphones may cost more and require more power consumption.
• ANC is important for frequent flyers and gym goers, but it may be less or even worse in quiet or busy areas.

As tech jargon goes, it’s not too hard to guess what “active noise cancellation” does, or why you might want it in earbuds or over-the-ear headphones. But the electronics industry is full of nice-to-have features that are mostly meant to sell you. No one is spending much on an 8K TV yet, for example, yet you can easily spend thousands of dollars on one.

Is active noise cancellation such a feature? Or is it something you should focus on whenever you buy new headphones?

What is active noise cancellation?

Active noise cancellation, or ANC, starts with headphones using one or more microphones to read the surrounding sound. A processor interprets this data, and creates a noise counter that “cancels” most or all of the outside noise. When it works as intended, the result is a pure listening experience free of distractions — you might even catch a few nuances in your music that you previously missed.

You may have seen the word “passive” thrown around, but this all refers to some type of earmuff that reduces the amount of sound coming in, such as an ear cup. A non-electronic design feature. It’s sometimes used as a marketing ploy to ensure you’re getting the equivalent of ANC, but unless you’re buying a back-opening or bone-pulling design, any decent set of headphones will try to block out external noise.

Usually, yes. At least ANC headphones need a processor that can interpret and cancel ambient noise in real time, and that’s less expensive than a chip that only needs to handle volume, EQ, and connection data. Those costs are usually passed on to you, the consumer.

ANC also uses more power while working, so wireless headphones may have larger batteries to compensate. In short, one of the easiest ways to extend battery life is to temporarily disable cancellation.

Do you need ANC in headphones?

“Need” is a relative term. In some cases, however, ANC can mean the difference between hearing a sound clearly or finding mysterious garbage. A prime example is flying — I tried flying with Powerbeats Pro free ANC, but the jet plane overpowered my movies and TV shows. On the other hand, since I switched to the ANC equipped Jabra Elite 7 Active, I was able to completely forget that I was on a plane. A must have feature for frequent flyers.

ANC is also useful in places like gyms, where your own music may be drowned out by loud speakers and barbells. Technology may or may not be important in your workplace — while it’s great for focusing on everything and taking calls, some offices are already quiet, and there’s a risk of accidentally ignoring your co-workers. If you work in an environment such as a factory, warehouse, or construction site, you may need to keep your ears open for hazards.

It’s nice to have ANC as an option, but there are some situations where the feature may not work or be dangerous.

Think twice about ANC on road safety issues, too. It’s possible to miss oncoming cars, bicycles, and motorcycles, whether you’re racing through the suburbs or trying to catch a train in midtown Manhattan. You don’t have to worry at all about ANC if you are a cyclist or a driver.

The feature is usually irrelevant for home listening. Your sound may sound clearer, but unless you have noisy neighbors or want to listen to something separately from your partner, kids, or roommate, all you’re really doing is removing the tone of the room. The difference is not worth the extra money.

To sum things up — it’s better to have ANC as an option, but there are some situations where the feature might not work or be dangerous. If you know you will be listening in places where the ANC does not help, feel free to save a little money.