What's The Difference Between Active Noise Canceling And Passive?
The frustrating science of keeping your ears from doing their job.
Max Miller for Engadget
Active noise canceling headphones and earbuds have skyrocketed in popularity over the past couple of decades, spreading from a niche product popular among frequent fliers to a nearly ubiquitous technology. Whether we're talking about Apple's ubiquitous AirPods Pro or premium consumer headphones from brands like Sony and Bose, it seems like there's one thing upon which we can all agree in these divisive times: the world around us is way too noisy and we'd rather not hear it.
But if you've spent time looking at the best noise-canceling headphones, you've likely come across a puzzling distinction between passive and active sound attenuation. At a basic level, the difference between the two is that active noise canceling (ANC) headphones use a computer algorithm to prevent you from hearing outside noises, while passive noise canceling uses...
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