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Active noise cancelling headphones use microphones to listen to the noise produced in an environment and then, through the use of an algorithm, produce an inverse sound that is superimposed onto whatever you are playing with the result that the external noise is reduced significantly. No headset completely cancels the noise, and the effect is often dependant on the type of sound being cancelled, for example, low frequency sound such as that produced by aeroplane engines is often cancelled much more effectively than high pitch sounds such as a baby crying or people talking.
Noise cancelling was once the reserve of specialist manufacturers such as Bose, and the headsets attracted high prices, however, nowadays the technology has become more mainstream and some of the lesser-known companies are producing well equipped headphones at attractive prices.
Some of these models only allow the ANC feature to be switched on or off, whereas others offer greater flexibility with multiple levels of control and the ability to allow varying degrees of ambient noise through so that you are not entirely distanced from the…
