Noise-cancelling technology is not new, but I myself am very much new to noise-cancelling technology. Only since joining the What Hi-Fi? team back in July have I had my eyes opened to the power of ANC.
Despite my lifelong love affair with hi-fi, active noise cancelling wasn’t a feature I was bothered about in wireless earbuds until this year.
The reason was that I simply didn’t think I’d need it, and I also wasn’t willing to pay the asking price that comes with most, if not all, highly-rated earbuds featuring ANC tech.
The way I saw them in my day-to-day life, wireless earbuds were purely utilitarian – a simple distraction on a journey. Sounding good was a must of course, but they didn’t need to be world-beaters. Primarily, I just wanted to drown out the monotony of trains, planes, crying children and the like with my favourite music. I also preferred to spend less, in case the buds were lost or damaged.
I could always live with moments of harsh noise (it came and went) but, my word, I cannot quantify how much my ears appreciate not being forced to put up with it any longer.
Noise-cancelling tech won’t shut out background noise entirely, the odd hint of a conversation or the lower rumbles of the train might still be audible, but with the XM4 earbuds noise is subtle and softened. The harsh upper mid and treble frequencies that really cause distress to your poor eardrums are completely gone.
It is worth noting that some people don’t like noise-cancelling – it can unfortunately have an adverse effect on a few unlucky individuals. Certain users claim to feel an unnatural pressure in their ears, causing feelings of nausea and disorientation.
I can definitely vouch for disabling (or taking your earbuds out completely) when walking the streets at night, for example. However, on busy public transport, I can’t think of anything better than having the ability to mute all the people on their phones along with the metallic screeches of the tube.
Living in London, most people I know use some sort of headphones on their commutes, whether that be overheads or earbuds. Surprisingly, most of my friends (excluding my colleagues at What Hi-Fi? and those with a dedicated tech interest, of course) don’t have headphones that feature ANC technology. As a recent convert, I will be actively encouraging them to consider changing this – this is now essential in my eyes (and ears).
I’m sure many of you have extensive experience with active noise-cancelling tech, what are your thoughts? Is ANC now a crucial feature, or do the negatives outweigh the positives for you personally?
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