Introduction
When it comes to enjoying music or a podcast to the fullest, headphones are an essential tool. It's perfect for a personalized experience, and with so many options, there's a lot to choose from. However, with headphones, you can either get "Noise isolation" or "Noise-canceling." But what's the difference, you might ask? Continue reading, and we'll enlighten you.
Noise Isolation headphones
Noise isolation headphones are a type of headphone that uses the physical design of the headphone to block out external noise. These headphones typically have an over-ear design, and the ear cups act as a physical barrier between the wearer and the environment.
Now, this type of headphone doesn't actively cancel out noise but blocks it by insulation. Hence the name "noise isolation." They can block out background noise by a magnitude of up to 25 decibels, with some models having higher ratings.
So, if you need a basic headphone that removes some external noise, noise isolation headphones might just do the trick.
Noise-canceling headphones
For more extreme cases where you want to block the noise from crying babies and noisy engines, noise-canceling is the way to go. They use a technology called active noise cancellation (ANC).
ANC is an impressive technology that makes use of microphones to monitor acoustic signals when worn. These mics pick up on the external noise, and the headphone then creates a waveform to destruct and cancel out the incoming sound waves. They are particularly useful for repetitive noises, like jet engine sounds, and can reduce sound levels by an impressive 50 decibels, making them the ideal solution for noisy environments like flights, railways, and even noisy offices.
However, to get the best of the technology, it's necessary to activate noise cancellation each time you put them on.
Conclusion
Noise-canceling headphones have certainly gone a long way in recent years. They are by far the better of the two options, but as expected, they come with a higher price tag. If you want the best sound quality for an uninterrupted listening experience, we'd recommend noise-canceling headphones. However, if you only need a headphone occasionally and are on a budget, there's nothing wrong with going for the less expensive noise isolation headphones.
Either way, you must assess what noise level you expect to encounter most frequently and whether the reduction in noise is imperative to your specific needs.