How to use active noise cancellation properly

Many people miss the point of active noise cancellation (ANC). After some trial and error, you'll eventually land on some hardware with ANC that's worth using and can actually rely on.

1. Why Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Headphones Make Your Ears Feel Uncomfortable

How People Get ANC Completely Wrong

What initially makes people react reflexively to ANC is the idea of ​​having your thoughts isolated from the surrounding noise. Your thoughts are always running, so it's not pleasant to be in an environment where you have to hear more of your thoughts.

All you need is a pair of earbuds.

Many people don't like headphones. Their ears get hot, even though the earcups are breathable. This can cause ear pain after just an hour. Earbuds, on the other hand, feel much better. You can wear them for an hour without getting too hot, although you should avoid wearing them while exercising. The winner in the headphone vs. earbuds battle is clear.

Since it is never possible to bear wearing a headset for a long time, many people never have much of a chance to experience the difference between ANC on and off. The ANC feature is the reason many people choose a headset in the first place, after believing that earbuds don't have good ANC due to their size. This is a mistake!

ANC is hard to recognize at first

Many homes are constantly noisy. Many people also like to listen to music regularly, so the combination acts as its own filter, preventing them from really hearing the difference. They also aren't sure what to expect.

Had to move to a quieter part of the house and play music on a separate device while turning on ANC on the headphones. That's when the difference really became apparent!

Many people also do not appreciate Awareness Mode.

The opposite of ANC is Awareness Mode, also known as Hear-Through and Transparency Mode. It amplifies ambient noise, making it sound like someone turned up the volume in your ear.

Combined with music, Awareness Mode solves two problems: Music sounds better with ANC off, and it also lets you pay attention to your surroundings. That's useful because then you can hear your dog whining when it wants to go outside, the doorbell ringing when a delivery arrives, or the kids needing help.

3 Benefits of ANC You'll Notice Right Away

Now that you're familiar with ANC, using it becomes second nature. More importantly, you can take advantage of the technology's benefits and finally understand why people love it so much. Among the many useful benefits of ANC, there are three that stand out.

ANC protects your ears from damage

Even if you are not old, you still need to take care of your health and not cause unnecessary stress. One of the bad habits is listening to music at high volume.

You need to understand how ANC affects your hearing, you may notice it more when listening to music. It may sound louder, but that's only because you're muting the outside world. So turn the volume down to a safer, if not the safest, level.

Turn on ANC to help you concentrate better

As mentioned, the idea of ​​isolating your thoughts from the noise around you makes many people shudder, but ultimately it's what you need to help you focus. Having noise around you is part of the problem.

Ambient noise has been known to distract the ADHD brain. With ANC turned on and background noise muted, you can focus more on your thoughts and writing them down.

ANC will cut down on stimulation when you travel

Many people don't travel often, but when they do, they feel restless, especially when they have to sit for hours on a plane. All that noise grabs their attention and their heads keep jumping back and forth between sounds until their brains are exhausted. With ANC, you can experience a more meditative state because ANC can also work without music.

ANC helps you relax and enjoy the ride. However, you won't be wearing your headphones the entire time. The chance of missing something important is real, so only use ANC when you're feeling overstimulated and when you know you can relax for an hour.

David Pac

Update 16 June 2025