Good headphones with active noise reduction cut out almost all outside noise, be it the noise of the subway, street, industrial premises, barking dogs, or chirping birds. Imagine yourself on a plane or bus with a crying child the whole way. Even in the office, when you need to concentrate and do an important document, and there is a buzz of colleagues around you, you just put headphones in your ears and remain alone with your thoughts. There are both small TWS headphones with noise reduction Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, and full-size Sony WH-1000XM4. I will try to tell you how to choose the right headphones in this article. I have also prepared a rating of the best models. It would be good if the headphones have adaptive automatic adjustment depending on your environment and a transparency mode. Good quality sound is one of the main characteristics when choosing.
Go straight to the rating =>
Types of Noise Canceling Headphones
Based on their design, noise canceling headphones are divided into three categories:
- Headphones with active noise reduction on cable.
- Wireless with electronic filling located in the headphone body.
- Full-size models with excellent passive noise reduction.
By type of noise reduction - two:
- Passive - sound insulation is achieved due to the headset materials (silicone, foam rubber) and design. In-ear headphones fit tightly into the ear canal, preventing sound from spreading. Full-length over-ear ear cushions surround the ear, and the soft materials from which they are made absorb sound waves.
- Active - a microphone or microphones pick up ambient sounds, a microprocessor processes the received data and generates an inverted sound wave (out of phase). As a result, background noise is absorbed and muffled. There are noisemakers with reverse ovary, without it and hybrid.
Also look:
- 15 Best Wired Headphones with Good Sound
- The best wireless headphones from Aliexpress
How to choose and what to pay attention to?
The main goal of noise reduction is to cut out extraneous noise characteristic of the surrounding world: conversations, traffic noise, advertising and other sounds.
This function allows you to listen to your favorite tracks at low volume, which in turn protects your hearing.
Let's look at the main criteria that you should decide on before purchasing noise-cancelling headphones.:
- type of design - wired, wireless, full-size, compact - each type has its own pros and cons, so full-size headphones show the best sound insulation performance, which is ideal for a home or office, but can become dangerous if you cross the road without hearing the sound signals of cars;
- operating time of the headphones in offline mode and the time required to charge them - these figures will allow you to determine whether the battery is enough to listen to music during a long run or how quickly you can recharge the headphones to continue a conversation (fast charging);
- control - touch or push-button - as a rule, there is no fundamental difference, however, sensors are more modern and easier to maintain;
- equipment - replaceable ear pads (if provided), detachable wire, simplicity and versatility of the charger, etc.
How active noise cancellation works
Active noise cancellation (ANC) involves the use of a microphone (two) to analyze the surrounding acoustic environment. Acoustic vibrations picked up by the microphone(s) are transmitted to the microprocessor. It causes the noise canceling speaker to emit a similar wave in antiphase. Due to interference (superposition), the waves suppress one another. A second microphone can be placed in the ear to pick up the difference between the sound being reproduced and what the user hears.
In addition to ANC, NC is also required - it is unacceptable for sounds from wearing headphones to escape into the environment. Firstly, they will disturb those nearby, and secondly, they will get into the microphone and be filtered.
PROTECT YOUR EARS
Those who have already read the article about choosing headphones for a big city will remember that noise cancellation can be either active or passive. Let's start with the simpler one - passive. If you use closed-type headphones that fit into your ears quite tightly, you can already get a good level of noise isolation.
Construction earplugs are an excellent standard in terms of noise reduction quality
In the case of in-ear headphones, foam tips will help improve noise isolation. But not all, but only special ones, denser, with increased noise insulation.
Among the silicone nozzles, one cannot fail to mention two- and three-circuit “Christmas trees”. But do not forget that they are not suitable for everyone for physiological and sometimes psychological reasons. To get the effect of Christmas trees, you need to insert them deep enough into the ear canal; In this case, the silicone petals should create at least two noise insulation circuits inside.
A large selection of attachments is not an excess, but a necessity
Classically shaped silicone tips filled with foam or gel can also be very effective. Gel ones are denser and more elastic, but they cause discomfort when worn for a long time if the size does not suit you at least a little.
In general, in the issue of isolating external noise, the correct selection of tips for in-ear headphones plays a key role. In addition to the fact that excessively large and small headphones will not stay in the ears, you need to select their size and shape as accurately as possible. If the headphone manufacturer saved money and did not include a sufficient selection of tips in the kit, find alternative options and take the time to choose the right ones.
The size, shape and material of the tips directly affect the degree of noise reduction
The reward will be not only silence and comfort during long-term wearing, but also cleaner sound with improved depth and richness of the bass range. And the most important thing is that the more effective the attachments are, the fewer reasons there are to increase the volume of the player; the music will be clearly audible anyway. As a result, you will avoid the fate of Brian Johnson and keep your hearing intact.
The essence of the issue: Closed-type in-ear headphones and properly selected tips are an excellent way to get rid of external sounds and protect your hearing from overload with loud music.
Life hack: To avoid getting bored, I suggest buying earplugs at a hardware store and comparing their effect with what in-ear headphones give without music. The role of an external broadband noise generator will be performed by a home stereo system and, for example, a Rammstein disc.
Best Wireless Vacuum Noise Canceling Headphones
Thanks to their design, the plugs effectively absorb external acoustic waves. The absence of wires will eliminate discomfort: there is nothing to get tangled, torn, and no need to hide under clothes.
1
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Rating:5.0
- intracanal, closed
- active noise cancellation (ANC) system
- Bluetooth 5.1
- dynamic
- operating time 7 hours (from battery in case 28 hours)
Average price: RUB 22,890
Headphone model with 7 mm dynamic drivers with rich low frequencies and detailed high frequencies. Transparency mode allows you to hear the world around you without removing the headphones from your ears. The battery will last up to 7 hours in playback mode and a day when recharged from the box. The smart pause option will not let you miss a single note - the headphones stop playing when they are taken out of your ears, and continue playing when they are inserted back.
The headphones sound just perfect. The sound is rich, smooth and natural. The sound is head and shoulders above Apple Airpods Pro.
Peculiarities:
- moisture protection IPX 4;
- Smart Control application for sound settings;
- change in control scheme;
- 4 pairs of replaceable earbuds of different sizes;
- High frequencies are cut off.
We have previously written about:
15 Best Vacuum Headphones with Quality Sound
2
Apple Airpods Pro
Rating:4.9
- intracanal
- active noise cancellation (ANC) system
- Bluetooth 5.0
- dynamic
- operating time 4.5 hours (from the battery in the case 24 hours)
Average price: RUB 20,990
Not budget TWS headphones for iPhone with ANC, three sets of spare earbuds with a conical cavity. The holes in them stabilize the pressure, making the plugs invisible to the music lover. The testing system in the Bluetooth settings will determine the optimal size of the earbuds. The body is designed for sports. Touch sensors respond to finger pressure. There is a “transparent” mode - the microphones are turned off. The Apple H1 chip supports Siri, Bluetooth 5.0, minimizes latency and maintains stable communications. In the iOS environment, the charge level is displayed, the noise suppressor is activated and disabled - represented by internal and external microphones, cutting off up to 93% of noise. There is an auto ear detection feature.
Criteria for choosing plugs
Regardless of the declared parameters, the degree of popularity of a particular model, the buyer, first of all, will pay attention to how much the headset he likes costs. If a person is only at the initial stage of choosing a Bluetooth or wired headset, then you should pay attention to the following aspects:
- Autonomy. For wireless headsets, this figure should reach 20 hours of battery life. The capacity of the case itself is important, as is the rate of recharging of the plugs.
- Sound. The TTX indicator is of great importance when choosing such a headset. You shouldn’t rely only on your own feelings, because a person listens to more than one song. Sound may vary depending on recording quality and volume. Everyone perceives sounds differently. Therefore, you should not rely on the opinions of marketers and manufacturers alone. Before purchasing, it would be a good idea to listen to a few of your favorite songs and compare the sound quality of different models.
- Design features. A modern headset may have special ear mounts, be equipped with wires, or be completely absent. In any case, it will be necessary to guess with the size and fastenings, which should 100% cope with the designated tasks. A microphone may be placed between the earbuds or there may be special neck mounts.
- Noise suppression. Before choosing one of the popular models, you should pay attention to such an aspect as the presence of noise reduction technology, which should be implemented in both the microphone and the speaker. Otherwise, it is recommended to give preference to a design with maximum sensitivity.
- The type of emitter used. Dynamic drivers are mounted in inexpensive and budget designs. They operate on the principle of an electromagnet. In expensive models, it is customary to use armature speakers, which transmit copied noise with increased accuracy.
- Is there a microphone provided? If they have a microphone, after connecting to the phone, they will work as a full-fledged headset. If there are none, then you will need to adapt and bring the smartphone to your face more often than required.
- Supporting aspects. Before delving into additional selection criteria, it should be noted that the human ear is not capable of perceiving the wide range of frequencies offered by the world's best vacuum plug manufacturers. The material of manufacture is important, but it does not play a fundamental role. Regardless of whether the accessories were produced in Russia or China, their quality standard will be the same.
Rating of over-ear, full-size noise-canceling headphones
Designed for gamers and true connoisseurs of silence.
1
Sony WH-1000XM4
Rating:5.0
- full size, closed
- active noise cancellation (ANC) system
- Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- dynamic
- operating time 38 hours
Average price: RUB 29,990
A headphone model with excellent low-frequency noise reduction and voice activation - when you start speaking, playback is paused and outside sounds are skipped. Intelligent noise reduction adapts to the acoustic environment and remembers locations. The 360 Reality Audio feature brings songs to life and volume. The Sony Headphones utility allows you to set noise reduction profiles and connect with two gadgets.
In the city, a person’s personal space is extremely limited: people everywhere, their conversations, the noise of cars, even neighbors behind the wall do not always give peace. There are few options - go out of town or put on headphones that can create an individual little world with a unique atmosphere and provide ideal silence. Headphones with active noise reduction (ANC) Sony WH-1000XM4 will not let a single sound through to your ears from the hustle and bustle of the subway at rush hour, cars passing outside the window, and constantly incessant colleagues and neighbors.
Peculiarities:
- 30 hours of autonomy;
- the processor polls the speakers 700 times per second;
- frequency range up to 40 kHz;
- optimization of the sound of a compressed audio stream.
2
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless
Rating:4.9
- invoices
- active noise cancellation (ANC) system
- Bluetooth 5.0
- dynamic
- opening hours 17 hours
Average price: RUB 29,490
Premium headphones with genuine leather lining and a metal earpiece. An intellectual pause and switching on will eliminate unnecessary body movements. Adaptive noise cancellation adapts to the acoustics of the external environment. A three-button remote control allows you to control the player and call an assistant. Smart TILE technology will help you find headphones lost or hidden by a child.
Peculiarities:
- setup via Smart Control;
- automatic pause of playback during conversations;
- up to 17 hours of music with ANC;
- noise transmission mode.
3
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II
Rating:4.8
- full size
- active noise cancellation (ANC) system
- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
- dynamic
- operating time 20 hours
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Carbon Edition
Plush ANC headphones with impeccable sound
★★★★★
RUB 32,389
price may vary
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Size and weight: 79 x 175 x 221 mm, 283 g Battery life: 30 hours (ANC on), 33 hours (ANC off) Bluetooth range: 10 m Features: ANC, Ambient mode, soundscape profiles
pros
- Wide and dynamic soundstage
- Companion app with useful features
- Long battery life
Minuses
- Difficult connection
- Carbon fiber design isn't for everyone
Another premium option is the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Carbon Edition. These headphones are designed to challenge the AirPods Max, and they sound great. The beautifully wide soundstage is great for loud songs and is just as good with more detailed, intimate-sounding tracks.
There's no customizable equalizer, but it doesn't seem particularly necessary, and ANC is very effective. There is also a very cool Soundscapes feature that adds various nature sounds, which has a relaxing effect when you need to unwind a little.
5
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Expensive and great-sounding ANC headphones
★★★★☆
RUB 16,742
price may vary
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Size and Weight: 28 x 17 x 23mm, 6g (per bud) Battery Life: 7 hours without ANC (28 hours with charging case) Bluetooth Range: 10m Features: ANC, Transparency Mode, IPX4 Waterproof, Customizable EQ
pros
- Balanced, detailed sound
- Comfortable fit
- Full EQ customization
Minuses
- Short battery life
- Poor connection quality
Sennheiser's flagship TWS headphones put sound quality above all else. ANC performance is decent, but not at Bose levels, and battery life isn't anything special. But when these headphones produce such richly detailed, impeccably balanced sound, it's easy to see why they cost so much.
You also get a very well-designed fit that combines security and comfort, and the EQ is fully adjustable via an easy-to-use app.
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