Finding a decent set of earbuds for your ipod or other mp3 player is not difficult. It can get a bit complicated though when you want to find some noise cancelling earphones. You can find cheap or expensive options, find models labeled noise blocking rather than noise cancelling and read claims that make noise cancelling seem like the best thing since sliced bread. Are these claims credible? What is the difference between high versus low priced options? How exactly does noise cancelling work? Since we have been paying attention to this segment of the earbud market for a few years we thought it would be useful to answer these and other questions you may have about noise cancelling earphones.

To get started you should know a little about the technology and terminology.

Noise cancelling versus noise isolating.

Most earbuds fit snugly in your ear and block the opening to your ear canal. This alone is a somewhat effective way to block at least some noise. By  definition it is a noise isolating mechanism. Earphones that are marketed as noise isolating are manufactured with extra attention to how snugly they fit in your ear. Most of these models try to seal off your ear canal more thoroughly by extending the earbud into your ear canal. Noise cancelling, on the other hand, is not an inherent feature of all earbuds. The technology and idea behind noise cancellation is to produce sounds that cancel out external sounds that are reaching your ears.

Noise cancelling technology works best with steady low frequency noises. Things like a jet engine or the white noise traffic sounds you hear in a house that is next to a busy street. Voices, inconsistent sounds and many higher frequency sounds are handled better by blocking the noise out.

Probably the best deal is to get a pair of earphones that have noise cancelling and are also good at noise isolation. By having both you can effectively block more noise than having one or the other. Ideally this is what manufacturers of noise cancelling earbuds should do when they design their products.

Let’s take a look at a few different popular models and see how well they perform. This will help you to see what some of the options are and also  learn more about earphone technology. We will start at a low price point and move up to the higher end of things. Noise isolating earbuds are included here (and you can also jump to a post on this site that discusses some quality mid priced noise isolating earbuds) since they are a viable option for many people that are looking into noise cancelling earphones.

JVC Inner Ear Noise Canceling Earphones

My only experience with this model consists of being skeptical that such a low priced option is a good choice. Reviews of these $ 30 earbuds appear to bear out my wariness. While the JVC’s have all the requisite equipment they do not appear to do much more than block some noise through noise isolation. Trying to manufacture complex mechanisms and technology on the cheap often does not work out so well. This model appears to bear out the fact that noise cancelling is something that requires careful engineering and an attention to details that you will not find in earbuds that cost $30. You would probably do much better to purchase something like these….

Shure SE115-K Sound Isolating Earphones

These shure earbuds  do not have active noise cancelling and cost $20 more than the JVC earbuds. Yet they do a good job of passively blocking out external sound. The downside is that the fit is not great for some people.

Sony MDRNC22 Noise Canceling Earbuds

These are a decent option for a reasonable price. Even though the list price from Sony is $100 you should be able to purchase them for around $50. The consensus, both my own opinion and reviews I have seen from others, suggest you are getting what you pay for here. The sound quality is fine but cannot compare to a high end set of headphones or earbuds. This tends to be true across the board – if you want superior sound reproduction you better be ready to pay hundreds of dollars. As far as the sound cancellation, the Sony’s are useful for a plane flight or similar situation. Yet, surprisingly enough, they are not the snuggest fit so their noise blocking capabilities, important for higher end and intermittent sounds, is not that great. As with the lowest price point model it seems you can do a little better without sound cancelling technology……

Shure SCL2 Sound Isolating Earphones

Decent sound quality, a snug fit and great reviews from most people that comment on them. I have not used these myself but if I was shopping in this price range  (~ $100)  this would likely be my choice. On the other hand if you have a bit more money burning a hole in your pocket and you are an audiophile that values high fidelity sound….

Shure SE535 Sound Isolating Earphones

If you want superior sound quality and the elimination of environmental noise these high end Shure earbuds are among the best. This model highlights what is probably the most interesting point about noise cancellation versus isolation of sound. At least for earbuds, really good noise isolation is often a better choice if you want to eliminate all of the environmental sounds. Why then would anyone consider noise cancellation? A person flying a lot that wants to drown out jet engine noise may find noise canceling works just fine for their needs. This could also be true for a person that works in a production environment where there is a lot of low frequency background noise or any other situation that an ideal fit for noise cancellation to work well.

As far as the higher end Shure SE535′s, unfortunately $400 is not something most people would consider spending for earbuds. If you do have the cash though these are a great product. Their sound reproduction is really nice. Maybe half of that is still a little pricey, but more affordable for some highly rated good earbuds – Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10. One caveat you need to be aware of though – if you have an mp3 collection that is composed of digital files recorded at lower end bit rates, the quality of these recordings cannot be made up by the use of a great sound reproduction system.

Summing Up..

It is important to know what you want your earbuds for. Buy the best technology for the money you have to spend. If you will be flying noise canceling earphones would be useful. If you need to block sounds like voices or something other than a low frequency constant sound then noise isolating earbuds may be a better choice. If you want the best sound quality, the best environmental sound elimination and money is no object, you can’t go wrong with the Shure 535′s.

Mid Priced NOISE CANCELLING Earbuds

Mid Priced NOISE BLOCKING Earbuds

Sony earbud photo courtesy creative commons license, http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterallen/177529314/

I have listed a few popular earbud models in the $100 range (some higher, some lower) that are well rated and favorably reviewed. Noise isolating earbuds are a good option if your aim is to block out things like conversation or less constant but nonetheless unwelcome sounds. Noise isolation can also deal with low frequency constant sounds provided the fit of the earbuds in the ear is really good.

Etymotic Research MC5 Noise Isolating In-Ear Earphones

Shure SE210 Sound Isolating Earphone

Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 Noise Isolating Earphones

The sound quality in this price range is generally better than lower priced earbuds. Still they are not up to par with the reproductive quality of pricier models. If you want really superb sound you need to invest at least a few hundred dollars in a pair of great earbuds (and you could check out Klipsch Custom-2 In-Ear Noise-Isolating Earphones, Phiaton PS 200 Sound Isolating Earphones and Shure SCL5-CL Sound Isolating Headphones).

The most important feature of these kind of earbuds is their fit. Most of the models that work well come with numerous types of tips. To find the best fit you generally have to switch out the tips to find the set that works best. It may also be somewhat tricky to get this earbuds into your ear just right. By design, noise isolating earbuds fit deeper into your ear than conventional earbuds. Some people do not like this and simply cannot tolerate wearing them.

Many reviewers, from various websites, report that sound quality of noise isolating earbuds are strongly influenced by fit. A nice fit means can you cannot hear anything when they are in your ears and there is nothing playing through the amplifiers. Without a good fit you can hear more environmental noise and do not get as good a reproduction of the sounds being played.

Finally it should be noted that there are no one-size-fits-all earbud design, so in trying to get a tight fit not everyone will find the perfect match between their ears and every earbud. If you look at reviews realize that there will be some complaints from a few folks that are mad the earbuds would not fit well. This may well mean that these people were simply not compatible with that particular model’s design.

Ultimate Ears has a short video that explains how to use their earbuds video (it should be noted their .Fi5 does not shop with a case like the one shown in the video). This provides some idea about why there is such an emphasis on fitting the earbuds just right to get both the best sound and the optimal noise isolation.

Also check out…..

Klipsch IMAGE S4 In-Ear Enhanced Bass Noise-Isolating Headphone

There are plenty of people that make good use of noise cancelling earbuds and enjoy the benefits they can provide. Even so, anyone that has every owned a pair will tell you that the technology is not without its issues. None of these have to be show stoppers that ruin the experience. It is helpful though to be aware of these points before you jump in and purchase some.

White Noise

There is typically a small amount of white noise involved with using headphones or earbuds with noise cancelling technology. This problem is generally minimal. Most people will tell you that they simply get used to it. Yet personal opinions vary as to what the threshold is between minor background noise and an unacceptable annoyance. If you are flying, on a train or in any other situation where you would like to shut a constant noise like a jet engine, a bit of background white noise is not much of an issue. On the other hand if you are an audiophile and are looking for a perfect sound system – you want exquisite sound reproduction and noise cancelling capability – then you might be a bit perturbed by this issue.

Power/Batteries

The noise cancelling capabilities work through creating sound waves that literally cancel the unwanted sounds. Creating sound waves takes energy. Noise cancelling earbuds therefore need to have a power source. This is typically a small addition, in the form of a small box, that is added somewhere along your earbud’s wires. Clearly this added bulk is not very welcome. Manufacturers realize the bummer factor associated with having something more added to the typical earbud/wire arrangement. Some effort is usually made to create a battery/power system that is not too intrusive or uncomfortable. Perhaps unsurprisingly it is the more expensive earbuds that tend to have more effort put into design and ergonomic considerations. They tend to have more elegant solutions to the “have to have a power source” problem.

The need for power also creates another issue. When you are using your headphones away from home your batteries may run out of juice. Depending on your earbuds, this can mean the sound cancelling will not work or it can mean your earbuds will not work at all.

Noise Cancelling Amplifier

Each earbud has two sound producing systems. One system recreates the sound you want to hear: music, the radio, an audio book, etc. The other sound production system creates the sound waves that disrupt and wipe out the unwanted sounds: jet engines, bus motors, etc. Most active noise cancelling earbuds have longer earpieces than slimmer models that can practically disappear once they are placed into your ears. Even so, many noise cancelling earbuds are only slighter larger.

Some sounds are cancelled well and others, not so well.

Constant sound or noise is generally what sound cancelling does a great job with. Problems arise with sudden or uneven sounds. A variably timed and sharp clanging or banging, for instance, is harder to filter out. This also applies to someone sitting behind you on a plane that is excitedly talking and regularly varying the modulation of their voice. Interestingly if you put this same person into a crowded room where many people are talking, everyone’s voices form a din that noise cancelling can handle quiet nicely.

Baby with earbuds photo courtesy creative commons license, image provided by http://www.flickr.com/photos/inferis/227667437/

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The idea behind noise cancelling earphones is to actively cancel out the noise from your surroundings. This is done by producing sound waves that cancel the environmental noise. The details of this are explained in more detail below.

Noise cancelling technology involves four different components. First there is a power source to provide the energy to run the system. Typically this involves a battery or two. Second is a sound detector for assessing incoming noise. Third is a processor, which actually serves two purposes. It determines the frequency of incoming sound and sends out the signal for the sound that will cancel the noise. Fourth is the speaker that emits the noise cancelling frequency.

The idea for this form of noise cancellation was first patented in 1930 by Paul Lueg. This work acknowledged the fact that a noise and its mirror wave, exactly out of phase, could cancel each other out. In the 1980′s the US Airforce and Amar Bose perfected a headphone system of active sound cancellation that cancelled incoming noise within the ear canal in the 1980s. This advance lead to the modern day headphone and earbud applications we use today. Bose headphones with active noise cancelling are still offered for sale today, as are a number of other brands.

Bose QuietComfort 3 Noise Cancelling Headphones

JVC HANC250 High-Grade Noise Cancelling Headphones

Audio Technica ATH-ANC7B Active Noise-Cancelling Closed-Back Headphones

In theory noise cancelling technology is just as easily built into earbuds as it is into headphones. In reality it is a bit of challenge. Adding a battery fueled power source, a device to assess incoming sounds, a processor to determine the frequency of the sound cancelling waves that are needed and more sound reproduction transmitters to headphones is not problematic. Earbuds are another matter. They are not bulky and ideally should be unobtrusive and virtually unnoticeable.

Sound Waves and Noise Cancellation

Sound is produced by waves moving through air. All waves have peaks and trough and with a steady sound the distance between each repeating part of the wave is defined by a set distance (the wavelength). So the distance from one trough to the next or from one peak to the next peak is the same distance away. The trick with effectively negating this wave is to produce the same sound but with one important feature related to its timing. The sound cancelling noise is exactly out of phase with the noise you want to eliminate. This means that when the two sound waves meet the trough of the original noise is being met by a peak of the sound cancelling wave. The end result is an entirely flattened sound profile.

Baby with headphones photo courtesy creative commons license, http://www.flickr.com/photos/gideon/429590768/

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Forget about the absolute lowest price end of noise cancelling earbuds. There are some really cheap models out there and they are really not worth the money. This page will focus on a step removed from that low end.

Most folks are interested in noise cancelling because they really want that specific function. Probably one of the most common noise cancelling needs has to do with air travel and wanting to remove airplane jet noise. If you begin to read any serious reviews of any of the earbud models I have listed, plane rides are the most discussed “lets test to see how well my earbuds eliminate unwanted sound.”

Here are three different noise cancelling earbud models.

Philips SHN7500-27 Noise Canceling Headphone

Sony MDRNC22 Noise Canceling Earbuds

Audio-Technica ATH ANC3BK NoiseCancel Earphone BK!

The list is shown from lowest to highest price. The Philips are the cheapest of this bunch. It is difficult to find reviews that can tell you how well these actually work. The Sony’s are perhaps a better deal and tend to be reviewed one of two ways. First there are those that understand that there is a connection between price and sound reproduction. Their reviews are that these earbuds work fine but that they are not great – you get what you pay for. A second type of review are those that like this model and feel it works well for what they wanted.

The third model listed, the Audio-Technica, is given a thumbs up by plenty of people that review products on various tech sites and technology forums. These earbuds are a step in price above the other two models listed here so it is perhaps to be expected that they seem to function quite well for many people.

I would say if you are in a situation where:

1. you can use noise cancelling to help you through plane travel, a local public transportation commute, or other situations where these kinds of earbuds will help you tune out the background noise.

2. You have $100 to spend on earbuds.

3. You are not super anal about sound quality.

…..then the Audio-Technica ATH ANC3BK NoiseCancel Earphone BK! might be your best choice. Is the sound the same as what you can hear in a set of high end (and pricey) earbuds or headphones? No. Is the sound good in these earbuds? Yes.