Background History
Trains, cars, and airplanes: how great they are for transportation, and how bad they are for a quality listening experience. Whether its some older music or the newest podcasts, earbuds and headphones are used by the masses. The problem occurs when outside noises interfere with the audio, creating a poor user experience. That's where noise canceling devices come into play. They use innovative technology to limit outside noises and focus on the desired audio.
How it Works
A small microphone is placed on the outside of the headphone or earbud, which listening to the external sound. Noise-canceling circuitry then creates a replica of the wave and sents it out of the headphones, limiting the majority of the noise. Sometimes the circuitry can catch parts of audio being transmitted inside the headphones, which can take away from the user experience.
Impacts/Future Outlook
As headphones continue to grow in popularity, so does the market of noise-canceling devices. Consumers are willing to pay a heftier price to get the quality of noise reduction. As the technology is further developed, it can be expected for the quality of noise reduction to improve closer to a noise-less device, and one that is dramatically less in cost.
Pros
- Limits outside noise from the ears of the user
Cons
- Cost more than typical headphones/earbuds
- Use battery (typical headphones/earbuds rely on phone/device power)
- Lower quality devices can lower the quality of sound coming from the device
Works Cited
Harris, William. “How Noise-Canceling Headphones Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 15 Feb. 2007, electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/audio-music/noise-canceling-headphone3.htm.
“How Do Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones Work?” How Do Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones Work? || Audio-Technica US, www.audio-technica.com/cms/features/b3ef06fca462fcad/index.html.
“How Do Noise Cancelling Headphones Work: A Simple Explanation of the Physics of Sound.” Phiaton, 14 July 2018, phiaton.com/how-do-noise-cancelling-headphones-work-a-simple-explanation-of-the-physics-of-sound/.
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