Whether you choose an active or passive model, noise-cancelling headphones help create an environment that's free from ambient noise and distractions – something that's almost impossible to achieve under normal conditions.
After all, if you’re home alone, you can hear your refrigerator humming or your air conditioner turning on and off. Even at the library, there’s an ambient rustle of others turning pages and pulling books from shelves.
And so on. High quality noise-cancelling headphones erase virtually all of those noises. You’re left with a state of sonic solitude As a result, you can engage with your music – and only your music – without sacrificing any aspect of the listening experience.
Aside from the joys of immersive listening, here’s another reason to consider noise-cancelling headphones: saving your hearing. According to audiologists, listening through headphones at over 80 decibels can increase the risk of hearing loss.
And with conventional headphones, you might be cranking the volume more often than you think.
For instance, have you ever struggled to hear your tunes over the commotion inside a busy airport? Or maybe when traffic is whizzing by? It’s easy to turn up the volume in an attempt to drown out ambient sounds, and you might even do it subconsciously. At best, it’s a little annoying to have to listen to music at high volumes. At worst, you could damage your hearing.
To be sure, most in-ear headphones do a pretty good job of reducing ambient noise. A reduction of 25 to 30 decibels is typical. But if you’re always tapping the “plus” button to hear your music in noisy environments, noise-cancelling headphones might give your ears a much-needed break.