Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Noise cancelling headphones block out unwanted background noise by using destructive interference. Destructive interference is accomplished by reducing unwanted ambient sounds by means of active noise control (ANC), which involves using a microphone, placed near the ear, and then electronically generating an anti-noise sound wave with the opposite polarity of the sound wave picked up by the microphone. Generating the sound wave does require energy and most noise cancelling headphones will have batteries that need to be recharged.

Noise cancelling headphones allow you to keep the volume of music lower since it does not have to compete with outside noise. They are great for air travel so you can hear your music over the loud air conditioning system.

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