It’s everywhere, and it’s worse than ever before. It’s noisy, there are engines running, people shouting, phones going off all the time and it’s not possible to get a minute of peace before it’s midnight. It’s frustrating and there might be a fix. Noise-cancelling headphones are a must-have if you fly often, across time zones or taking early morning and late night flights. You will be surprised by how effective using noise-cancelling headphones. If you either work in a noisy workplace, travel by bus or train or live next to a noisy street, noise-cancelling headphones are a boon. We’ve heard a lot about them but are they really that good? Or are they just noise?
What are noise-isolation headphones? How are they different from noise cancellation?
Before we go ahead, it’s worth knowing there are cheaper alternatives to noise-cancellation headphones – noise-isolating earphones. Most of the in-ear headphones physically cover your ear so you hear a little less noise, with some music playing. There are no gaps and your ears are sealed off from the rest of the world. Some of these tend to be canal earphones. For one, wearing in-ear headphones is often painful, and they do not isolate you entirely. Noise-cancelling technology goes several steps further, using smart electronics to hear what’s on the outside and cancel it out entirely – even with no music playing. Simply wear the earphones or headphones, comfortably and flip a switch and you can be in the middle of absolute chaos but hear nothing. It’s a surreal experience.
How do noise-cancelling work?
The near-perfect silence delivered by active noise-cancelling headphones and earphones is done through a sequence of events. Simply put, a microphone records noise outside the headphones, and it sends that to the circuitry inside the headphone. The job of this wizardry is to create something called an out-of-phase wave that is opposite to the pattern of the noise outside, which then is sent to the drivers inside the headphone. The result is a complete cancellation of the noise. Of course, this requires power and there is a flip-switch in most headphones to turn this feature on or off. This is what lets you remove all noise without having any music playing.
So, do they do actually work?
Yes, they work and they work surprisingly well. You need to try them out to believe it. You put these on and flip the switch. Without having to listen to any music, you hear nearly nothing. It’s near-pin-drop silence. It’s an extraordinary experience. Put on some light music and you can hear finer details at lower volumes than you would if you were listening in a noise environment.
How much do they cost?
Noise-cancelling headphones and earphones are more expensive than their passive counterparts. The additional hardware and batteries means they cost a bit more. There aren’t too many models to choose from, so don’t be fooled by claims of noise cancellation at very low price points. A decent noise-cancelling headset can set you back by around Rs. 5,000. More professional hardware can cost more than Rs. 10,000, going all the way to Rs. 30,000 and above, but they are well worth the money.
Another benefit of owning such hardware is that they also sound ridiculously good because of the quality of drivers used, besides the noise-cancellation feature offering. These make for a very good, long-term investment. If you’re someone who flies very often, there really is no better alternative. It’s a small price to pay for the peace and quiet on those long hauls and long waits at the airport. These are a must-have!
