Working from home, walking down the street or traveling are moments that, if you are reading this article, you cannot conceive of doing without good headphones to listen to music and isolate yourself from the outside world. Today I want to talk to you about the fundamental characteristic that these gadgets must have, the active noise cancellation. Don't you know what I'm talking about? Relax, he continues reading and incidentally discovers 5 fantastic proposals that enjoy this benefit.
Why do you need noise cancellation?
Active noise cancellation is a detail that has been becoming fashionable for several years now in almost any type of headset you can imagine. It is defined as "a system that allows the cancellation of unwanted noise" and provides us with certain benefits such as:
- A Greater concentration If we work in noisy environments.
- Can't hear the engine noise while traveling on a train or plane, for example.
- The ability to hear the sound better music while we walk down the street.
And these are just three of the many benefits that a headset that incorporates this type of technology can bring you because, extrapolating the idea of "noise cancellation", we can apply it to many other situations or scenarios in which you want outside noise not did I annoy you.
Still don't quite understand how this cancellation works? I'll explain it to you in more detail.
Active or passive?
First of all, let me tell you that you must be very careful when you go to a store and ask for headphones with noise cancellation because you will have to specify if you want the technology they use to be active or passive.
Although the first we will tell you in more detail how it works below, summarizing a lot active noise cancellation is purely mechanical and it bases all its effectiveness on earphone components that aim to close the ear canal so that noise from our surroundings does not enter. In these cases, there will be no technology inside the devices, nor sensors or microphones to regulate the wave that we hear.
Furthermore, these passive noise canceling headphones are much cheaper so, if you are not attentive, they could give you a pig in a poke in the store with the excuse of the price.
How does active noise cancellation on headphones work?
Without going into too many technicalities, let's go by parts so that you can understand this concept well.
El sound is made up of waves that, depending on where they come from or the intensity with which they are emitted, they will have a totally different frequency or another that can be positive or negative. So far everything is easy to understand.
Headphones with active noise cancellation have at least two microphones capable of capturing and differentiating between ambient sound (the sound emitted by everything around us) and, for example, our own voice. Once they have fully identified the ambient noise, reverse the wave of this sound and add it to what we hear through our headphones. What's the score? When the ambient noise captured and processed by the microphones overlaps with the noise that we are hearing through our ears, what is known as wave overlap and therefore the ambient noise is “cancelled out”.
Here is a video that explains the ambient noise cancellation process and that will help you understand it in a more visual and didactic way where you can also observe the differences between passive and active cancellation.
What to consider when buying noise canceling headphones?
But of course, in addition to ambient noise cancellation, there are other details to take into account when choosing good headphones. The main aspects to take into account are:
- Headphone type: There are different types of headphones with active noise cancellation, but the main ones are either the headband type or the so-called in-ear ("inside the ear"). Depending on the use you are going to give it, you will need one or the other and, as you can imagine, each one has its good and bad parts. While the headband ones give greater cancellation and sound quality, the in-ear type ones are easier to transport due to their size and tend to respond much better for sports uses.
- Construction materials and pad: There are different types of materials used both for the exterior of the headphones and for the construction of their internal components. However, where you will notice the biggest difference (if you are not a music lover) is in the construction quality of the pad, if you use headphones.
- Sound quality: Here we enter a somewhat subjective field and in which you should let yourself be guided by your own tastes and feelings. There are those who like the sound with more bass, others who enjoy a flatter sound and, of course, there are those who do not care too much about this section because they prefer extreme cancellation over better sound quality.
- Endurance: If you need your headphones to be wireless, this is a key detail to keep in mind. As advice I can tell you that the higher the volume at which you play the music and the more powerful the sound cancellation, the greater the battery consumption.
- Connectivity: In addition to the cable connection, there are other types of connectivity to take into account such as Bluetooth or NFC, which allow us to synchronize any other device that has this technology just by bringing the headphones closer to it.
Best noise canceling headphones
Once everything about sound cancellation and the details to take into account to choose a good sound canceling headset have been clarified, I want to show you five of the best over-ear headphones, which are the ones with the highest cancellation and sound quality, and that you should take into account if you are looking for one.
Bose 700
They are positioned as one of the best sound-cancelling headphones on the market. In addition, they offer touch controls and have a quite elegant and attractive design. If you want to know more about them, remember that we did a full review of the Bose 700 headphones a while back. We leave you the video so you can take a look.
See offer on AmazonSony 1000XM4
This is the fourth and newly renewed generation from the well-known range WH-1000XM from sony. This time they improve the audio quality compared to the previous model. They also have a new mode called “Speak-to-Chat” in which you will not need to place your hand or press any button for the noise cancellation and sound to stop. When the person wearing the headset starts to speak, the headset detects it and stops everything to start the conversation. When you stop talking, if the hearing aids detect that the conversation is not continuing, they will automatically continue playing what you were listening to before.
In addition, the weight has also been reduced, the design has been refined and, having tested them, we can tell you that the Sony 1000XM4 are some of the most comfortable headphones we have used. Of course, the noise cancellation on this model is still one of the best on the headphone market.
See offer on AmazonAirPods Max
Another great bet that is among the best options on the market is the latest release from Apple: the AirPods Max. Headband headphones that stand out for how comfortable they are, the good sound they reproduce and, of course, the noise cancellation system they include. In addition, it has a specific mode called "Ambient mode" that will allow us to comfortably hold a conversation with someone without having to get them out of our heads.
See offer on AmazonSennheiser Momentum Wireless 3
These Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3 They are one of the latest additions to the manufacturer's catalog, with fairly good noise cancellation, a different design from the rest, and very correct sound quality. Their biggest "negative" point is that they are the most expensive option of all the ones that I show you in this article without this assuming a proportional jump in sound quality.
See offer on AmazonJabra Elite 85H
We now move on to somewhat cheaper options, but which of course continue to maintain a perfect price/quality ratio. These Jabra Elite 85H They have a good noise cancellation system, a fairly correct sound quality and, in addition to being very comfortable, they have a very striking design with a very particular and attractive finish.
See offer on AmazonSony WH-XB900N
Plus you have the WH-XB900N from Sony that, although it is perhaps the least aesthetically attractive -you know, this is a matter of taste- and the one with the most discreet construction materials (compared to the rest), its price is also the cheapest, standing below 200 euros. A great entry point if you're looking for an option that won't put a lot of strain on your wallet. .
See offer on AmazonJBL ClubOne
This model is a good example of the quality with which the Harman-owned brand treats some of its high-end models. In this case, a headset, over-ear, Bluetooth wireless or USB cable (to choose), and with truly amazing active noise cancellation. As far as autonomy is concerned, the figures are also monstrous, with up to 45 hours of uninterrupted use and it is compatible with virtual assistants such as Alexa or Google.
See offer on AmazonBowers & Wilkins PX7
headband headphones, wireless and adaptive noise cancellation, its technology allows it to analyze the sound sources that surround us and offer the best quality at all times. It promises up to 30 hours of autonomy and a fast charge that in just 15 minutes can inject up to 5 hours of multimedia content playback into the headphones. It has a microphone for use with mobile phones and is compatible with virtual assistants. Finally, it is capable of detecting when we are wearing them, or not, to start or stop the music automatically.
See offer on AmazonInzone H9
Sony has decided to support its new (well, from 2020) PlayStation 5 with everything a set of accessories ranging from 4K monitors to these active noise canceling headphones that are capable of catching us in video games, movies and series in an extraordinary way. Surely it also helps the presence of 7.1 surround sound capable of recreating spatial listening environments that are perfect when we travel through that universe of exclusive Japanese classics. Right here above you can see the video analysis that we did at the time of its launch.
See offer on AmazonBose QC45
Bose, as always, is committed to a quality product, wireless (or wired, as we prefer), with a very careful finish and a care for comfort when we wear our helmets. It has active noise cancellation, a microphone for making calls and is compatible with virtual assistants. It offers up to 24 hours of autonomy on a single charge and with just 15 minutes connected to the current we will obtain three hours of wireless playback.
See offer on AmazonWhich of these proposals do you prefer? Do you use some noise canceling headphones that deserve to be on this list?
*Note to the reader: the links posted are part of our affiliate program with Amazon. Despite this, our list of recommendations is always created freely, without receiving or responding to any type of request from the mentioned brands.