Noise-cancelling headphones

What noise-cancelling headphones are

They rely on active noise control, or ANC: the headphones create a sound wave that meets the incoming noise and cancels it out. Ordinary headphones only block sound with their padding or ear tips.

• Active, not just padded: Passive isolation blocks sound with earcups or a seal in the ear; ANC adds microphones, an amplifier and signal processing.
• Built for droning noise: Aircraft engines, air conditioning, road noise and train rumble are the sounds ANC reduces best.
• Over-ear or earbuds: The same technology comes in headphones that surround the ear and in wireless earbuds that sit in the ear canal.
• Powered by a battery: The cancelling circuit needs power, so current wireless models charge over USB-C.
• A hearing ally: WHO advises well-fitted, noise-cancelling headphones so you need not raise the volume in noisy places.

How they work

A microphone picks up the outside sound, and the headphones play a matching wave with the opposite phase. Where the two meet, they cancel each other out, an effect called destructive interference.

• Feedforward microphones: Mics on the outside of the earcups hear the noise before it reaches your ear.
• Feedback microphones: Mics inside the earcup listen to what actually reaches your ear and correct for it.
• Hybrid systems: Most current models combine both to cancel over a wider range of frequencies.
• Adaptive ANC: The strength of the cancelling adjusts on its own as the noise around you changes.
• Isolation does the rest: High-pitched sound has wavelengths too short to cancel well, so the seal of the earcups or tips blocks it.
• Transparency mode: The outside mics can also pipe the room in, so you hear an announcement without taking the headphones off.

Types

• Over-ear headphones: Circular or oval pads surround the ear and seal against the head; Sony’s WH-1000XM6 is one example.
• On-ear headphones: The pads press on the ear rather than around it; smaller and lighter, with a weaker seal.
• True wireless earbuds: Two separate buds sit in the ear canal and recharge in a pocket case; Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are one example.
• Aviation headsets: Pilots use ANC headsets with a boom microphone and twin aviation plugs to hear the radio over cockpit noise.
• Wired and wireless: Many Bluetooth models also accept an audio cable, which matters for seatback screens.

What to look for

• Cancelling strength: Reviewers test how much engine rumble and cabin din a model removes; low-frequency noise is the plane’s main sound.
• A good seal: RTINGS notes that shallow earpads can fail to seal well, especially for people who wear glasses.
• Battery with ANC on: Makers state hours with noise cancelling on: 8 h per charge for AirPods Pro 3, up to 60 h for Sennheiser’s MOMENTUM 4.
• Quick charge: A few minutes on a charger can add hours: Apple quotes about 1 hour of listening after 5 minutes in the case.
• A wired option: An audio cable lets over-ear models plug into a seatback screen; Sennheiser includes an airplane adapter with the MOMENTUM 4.
• Multipoint: Pairing with two devices at once lets you switch between phone and laptop without re-pairing.
• Fold and case: Folding earcups and a hard case protect headphones in a bag; earbuds travel in their charging case.

On the plane and on the trip

• Security screening: TSA allows devices with lithium batteries of 100 Wh or less in both carry-on and checked bags.
• Keep them in the cabin: The FAA says devices with lithium batteries should travel in carry-on bags; in checked bags they must be fully off and protected.
• Spare power: Spare lithium batteries and power banks are banned from checked bags and stay with you, even when a bag is gate-checked.
• Bluetooth on board: Federal rule 14 CFR 91.21 leaves it to each airline to decide which portable electronic devices may be used in flight.
• Plugging into the seat: Bose ships a 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm cable with its QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen); B&O includes a USB-C to 3.5 mm cable with the Beoplay H100.
• Bring a charger: Sony and Bose say no power adapter comes in the box, and Apple sells the AirPods Pro 3 charge cable separately.
• Announcements: Switch to Transparency mode to hear the crew and the gate without removing your earbuds.

Limits and care

• Voices get through: ANC handles constant drones far better than sudden or irregular sounds such as speech, alarms or a crying baby.
• A pressure feeling: Some people feel pressure in the ears at first; the missing low-frequency sound is perceived as a pressure difference.
• Dead battery: Without power, some models stop working, unless they can play over a cable.
• Keep the volume down: WHO suggests no more than 60% of maximum volume; 80 dB is safe for up to 40 hours a week, 90 dB for only 4.
• Not while driving: Several countries and states ban wearing headphones while driving or cycling.
• Batteries age: Sony notes that batteries are consumables whose capacity drops over time; the MOMENTUM 5 and Beoplay H100 let you replace them.
• Cleaning earbuds: Apple says to wipe AirPods with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water, dry them, and keep liquid out of the charging ports.

A short history

German physicist Paul Lueg patented the idea of cancelling sound with sound in 1936. In the 1950s, Lawrence J. Fogel developed noise-cancelling systems for aircraft cockpits.

• April 1978: On a flight, Amar Bose is disappointed by the airline headphones and starts work on active noise cancellation.
• 1987: Sennheiser’s LHM-45, built at Lufthansa’s request, is the first ANC headset to earn FAA TSO certification.
• 1989: Bose introduces its Aviation Headset Series I for pilots.
• 2000: After supplying American Airlines from 1999, Bose begins selling QuietComfort headphones to consumers.
• 2016: Sony launches the MDR-1000X, the first of its 1000X series.
• October 2019: Apple releases AirPods Pro, its first earbuds with noise cancellation.
• September 2025: Apple releases AirPods Pro 3, with heart rate sensing and live translation.