What're the differences between noise canceling and isolating headphones?
By: Nicolas Lopez
Tags: Headphones, Headset, Tech, Computers

Picture this. You are in your home trying to enjoy a nice afternoon for yourself. You are sitting down with the computer on your lap trying to watch a movie.

However, your extended family is home and a couple of shrieking kids make it impossible for you to hear the film. Or maybe it´s the neighbors that are being loud. Or a construction site across the street. Either way, you want some peace and quiet.

You close the movie and open the browser. You find a pair of noise-canceling headphones on Amazon and think about buying them.

Just below them, however, is another, cheaper, pair of headphones. These are noise-isolating instead of canceling. That´s the same thing, right?

Both these headphones should work the same regardless of the wording, right?

Well no. There is a tangible difference between noise canceling and noise isolating headphones.

What’s the difference between Noise Cancelling and isolating?

Noise-cancellation headphones take a “high-tech” approach to protect you from unwanted noise. They counteract external sounds by emitting their own. Their microphone detects the ambient noise of your room and instructs the speakers to make a sound on the opposite wavelength.

The result is that you hear neither, not the external noise, nor the sound made by the speakers.

This is called “active” noise cancellation because the headset proactively adapts to the commotion.

Noise isolation, or passive noise cancellation, is simpler. These headphones physically block external soundwaves by completely encasing your ears and having padded earmuffs, among other things.

They are less about counteracting noise and more about preventing it from reaching you in the first place. Kind of like the earmuffs that you use at shooting ranges.

To use an analogy:

Imagine that you are in your bedroom at night and the neighbor is having a party. You want to sleep, but the music is keeping you awake.

Passive noise cancellation (or noise isolation) is putting your pillow around your ears to try and block the sound.

Active noise cancellation is the equivalent of turning on the TV or putting music of your own to cancel out your neighbor’s racket.

How do they work?

Noise isolation is simple. It blocks unwanted ruckus from entering your ear by putting the headphones between you and it.

That´s why the most expensive noise isolation headphones tend to be big and bulky.

Active noise cancellation is trickier. The mic detects an unusually loud noise coming from far away (meaning, not your own voice), and the built-in software digitally calculates the amplitude and wavelength of the noise.

Thanks to Marekich for the illustration

With this information, the headset produces it's own “anti-sound” (called antiphase in scientific terms) that negates the external sound.

I know that this sounds like something from a sci-fi book, but that´s how they work.

This “anti-noise” doesn’t affect the functionality of your headphones. You will still be able to listen to music without problems.

Which is better?

This one is tricky to say. Neither is better in absolute terms. They each have their quirks and it is up to you to decide which one is best for you.

Pros and Cons of Noise Cancelation:

Pro: Good at blocking constant background sounds.

Due to the predictive nature of the software used in these headphones, they excel at blocking continuous noises.

This means that they are good for canceling out airplanes engines, traffic and such. In other words, they are great at blocking out annoying ambient sounds.

Con: Bad at blocking sudden, high-pitched noises:

Because these headphones rely on their ability to detect and predict unwanted sounds, they struggle with short and high pitched noises.

Things like screaming children, sudden laughter, and barking dogs give them a run for their money.

By the time they start emitting their “anti-noise”, the sounds will have already ended, and your peace will have already been broken.

Cons: They emit a low sizzle:

The sound that these headphones make to block out external noise is not completely unnoticeable. You can hear a low hiss or sizzle while the technology works its magic.

Some people find this hissing to be almost as annoying as the noise they are trying to block. Others don´t notice it at all. I´m willing to bet that more than a few of you who own active noise-canceling headphones hadn’t heard any sizzle before reading this paragraph. If that´s the case, I´m sorry.

You should consider trying out this type of headsets before buying, to see if it bothers you or not.

Con: They need power

For wireless headphones, using noise cancellation drains the battery faster. If you run out of charge, not only will you be unable to listen to music, but the headset will stop blocking out noise altogether.

Pros and Cons of Noise Isolation (passive noise cancellation)

Pro: They are good with high pitched sounds.

Since they’re made to muffle all external sounds, regardless of origin, they´re better equipped to block sudden noises.

If you are bothered by screaming kids or barking dogs more than distant music or passing cars; this is the better option for you.

Pro: They don´t need a battery:

Because they don´t rely on electricity to cancel out noise, you can use these headphones even if they aren´t plugged into anything.

Con: They can be uncomfortable and hot.

To block outside sounds, these headphones have to be big enough to encase your ears or intrusive enough to go up to your ear canal. A lot of people find either of these two options to be very annoying.

Wearing them on a hot day is enough to make you sweat under the heat. The cheaper ones especially can be quite uncomfortable, as they don´t have an ergonomic design.

Conclusion

In summary, noise-canceling headphones generate their own “anti-noise” to counter unwanted ambient noise.

Noise isolation headsets nullify external sounds by blocking the soundwaves from reaching you, not relying on any technology but their design itself.

Noise-canceling headphones are good at drowning out annoying background noise, but struggle with sudden high pitched sounds and need batteries to work.

Noise-isolating headphones, on the other hand, do well against sudden noises and don’t require power to work.

Personally, I prefer noise isolation headphones, as I´m more annoyed by sudden sounds and I´m always worried about running out of batteries. What about you?

This article was originally published on https://www.gameaccesory.com. The original piece has a few recommendations near the end of good headphones from both categories, and a hybrid one. Check it out.