Noise Cancelling Headphones - The Basics of How They Block Unwanted Noise5122660

You can find basically 2 kinds of headphones created to reduce background noise. Passive noise cancelling headphones and Noise Cancelling Software. The passive type muffles extraneous sounds while the active ones electronically decrease external noise.

Passive-

Passive noise cancelling headsets use what is called circum-aural sound dampening design. They're shaped like a single cup, which surrounds the ear. The rim of the cup is constructed of a high-density foam and sound wave dampening material. This produces a seal that blocks as much as 20 dB of noise.

Active-

The active noise cancellation headphones produce an additional 20dB of noise reduction compared to the passive type. It employs exactly the same technology (circum-aural sound dampening design) because the passive headphones but additionally incorporates phase cancellation. Here is the key feature of active noise cancelling headphones. A microphone is positioned inside the headphone that picks up external noise that the aural cushions with the passive headphones cannot block out. The phase cancelling technologies are able to analyze the intensity and frequency of the pitch, also called the loudness and pitch from the noise. The circuitry then creates a perfect replica from the noise and throws it 180 degrees out-of-phase. This, for many intents and purposes, eliminates the sound.

The headphone speaker then plays this "non-sound" in addition to whatever it is that you will be listening to. This artificial noise may be the exact opposite of the extraneous noise which makes it past the ear cushions. Then they cancel one another out because of the 180-degree phase reversal. Consequently the external noise is reduced significantly, allowing you to enjoy your audio with a dramatic decline in background noise.

These kind of headphones are fantastic for airplanes or any place where there is much external noise. On airplanes, as an example, this type of noise reduction while using the headphones will dramatically reduce fatigue.

Another difference between the two is the active type requires a power source, normally a battery.

Noise cancelling headphones tend to be larger and heavier that regular headsets or earphones. They could, however, be a little more comfortable when worn for long periods of time as a result of large cushions that impose less pressure around the ears.