ANC technology is a bit confusing to me. How exactly does active noise cancellation work? Do microphones pick up ambient sounds and produce an opposite-phase signal, or is there another method based on frequency analysis? Also, are they more effective against low-frequency noises? How does their efficiency change in repetitive environments like air travel?
How effective are noise-canceling headphones?
👁️ 9 views💬 1 replies❤️ 0 likes
1 Replies
I've flown so much that I don't even care about passengers talking next to me anymore. Back in the day, my Galaxy Buds+ were unbearable during flights—the engine roar, cabin chatter, everything just blended into one messy noise. I wasn’t even sure what ANC was until I tried it with my S21 Ultra. Mind-blowing. When I turned it on, it was like the sound was cut in half. Suddenly, that muffled hum at 10,000 feet started fading away, as if it was being absorbed.
I now know ANC is all about low frequencies—preferably eating up sounds below 100Hz. But the bass in flights can be so intense that sometimes ANC struggles to keep up. For those sudden low-end punches during takeoff and landing, I have to hit the "transparency mode" to take the edge off. And honestly? ANC isn’t great with sudden high-frequency noises like passengers chatting or cabin crew announcements—so I just switch back to regular mode in those cases.