Noise cancelling headphones are available in two different variations. Some headphones can offer excellent passive noise attenuation due to the nature of their design. closed back headphones create a seal with the head, prohibiting environmental noise from entering the ear cup. Some types of in ear headphones fit directly into the ear canal with a rubber or silicone tip and create a snug fit, creating a seal which blocks out exterior noise and prevents what you are listening to from leaking out. However, there is also a range of noise cancelling headphones which offer additional noise cancellation technology, above and beyond that which is achieved passively by the nature of the headphones’ design.

Noise cancelling headphones offer a range of advantages over typical headphone designs. Firstly, due to the elimination of exterior noise, these headphones enable you to listen at much lower volumes without suffering from a loss of audio quality or dynamics. This is not only going to protect the lifespan of your headphones or earphones, but also will protect your hearing. We offer a range of noise cancelling products, both headphones with passive noise attenuation and those with active noise cancelling technology. All of our in stock products come with free UK next day delivery.

Noise cancelling headphones which use active noise control achieve much greater signal to noise ratios than headphones which achieve their noise cancellation through passive attenuation, making them ideal for noisy environments. Active noise control achieves noise cancellation by playing an “anti noise”, which is intended to be the exact opposite of the environmental sound, thus cancelling it out and leaving you with just the frequencies of your music.

The active technology found in noise cancelling headphones makes them ideal for use in particularly noisy environments, particularly when commuting or on an aeroplane. The cancellation of ambient noise makes them ideal for drowning out or cancelling the noise of jet engines, or indeed any noisy environment, making such journeys much more comfortable and bearable. They can even be used with no music playing to simply provide a little peace and quiet by cutting out ambient noise!

Noise cancelling headphones, which use active noise cancellation technology and active noise control, require more energy to power this feature. As such, noise cancelling headphones require some form of power. This is often achieved by a battery pack or via internal removable batteries within the ear cups of larger designs of headphones. The need to maintain batteries or keep your headphones charged is something to consider when purchasing noise cancelling headphones. This means that unless you are going to be using your headphones or earphones in a particularly noisy environment, then it may be more simple and convenient to purchase a pair with good passive noise attenuation, as this will eliminate the need to replace batteries and ensure your headphones are charged. Additionally, active noise cancelling headphones may be a little more bulky in order to accommodate the required circuitry and battery – this may be worth considering if you particularly require a compact pair of headphones.