INTHEBLACK June 2025 - Magazine - Page 56
WORK SMART
TECH STACK
Noise-cancelling
headphones
No longer just aimed at international jetsetters, noise-cancelling
headphones offer peace and quiet for when users need to get
things done or simply want to get away from it all.
Words Adam Turner
NOISE CANCELLATION WAS ONCE
restricted to large over-ear headphones,
designed to offer relief from the roar
of jet engines on long-haul flights.
Today, the technology is also built into
a range of tiny wireless earbuds, perfect
for exercising, commuting or working in
a noisy environment. Keep in mind, over-ear
headphones support wired connections,
so users have the benefit of plugging into
an in-flight entertainment system.
Noise cancellation works by listening
to the world, inverting the sound and playing
it back. Unfortunately, it can’t completely
block out everything and create a
Maxwell Smart-style cone of silence.
Instead, noise-cancelling headphones work
best on constant low-frequency background
noises like murmuring voices, droning air
conditioning or humming traffic.
While it’s tempting to simply increase
the volume on normal headphones
to drown out the sounds of the world,
it puts hearing at risk. With noise-cancelling
headphones, music doesn’t need to be loud
to get some solitude.
Of course, sometimes noises are important,
such as the sound of approaching cars when
out for a run. Thankfully, many new
56 INTHEBLACK June 2025
noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds
feature what Apple calls Transparency mode,
which lets users listen to music while still
hearing the outside world.
There’s also Conversation Awareness,
which temporarily turns down music and
enables Transparency mode when users start
talking to someone.
Enable Conversation Boost to make it
easier to hear during a face-to-face conversation.
Meanwhile, Adaptive Audio takes the edge off
extremely loud noises without impacting sound
quality. It’s handy for those who struggle with
the loud volume in concerts and movies, but
don’t want to use earplugs that simply muffle
the sound.
Here are six noise-cancelling headphone
options.
APPLE AIRPODS PRO 2
Along with noise-cancellation, the Apple
AirPods Pro 2 earbuds offer Transparency
mode, Conversation Awareness, Conversation
Boost and Adaptive Audio. While they
can work with non-Apple bluetooth devices,
when connected to Apple there are the
added benefits of summoning Siri and
taking advantage of Spatial Audio with
head tracking.
