Noise-canceling headphones boost sound clarity

Noise-canceling headphones boost sound clarity

Have you ever tried listening to your MP3 music while riding a
bajaj, the hyper-noisy three-wheeled vehicle that every other
road user hates but a lot of people still need for their daily
transportation?

No matter how sophisticated your MP3 player is, it is unlikely
that you would get any enjoyment from it. The noise from the
engine -- which no longer has an effective muffler -- is so ear-
shattering that you will not be able to hear any music even when
you are using one of the best noise-canceling headphones on the
market.

An airplane is another noisy means of transportation -- both
inside and out, although newer airplanes now produce much less
noise. In the past I never succeeded in spending my time on the
airplane effectively, as I would like to, by listening to
recorded interviews. Even an expensive pair of Pro-2 headphones
that I bought in Changi airport could not do much to reduce the
sound of the jet engines.

My break came when I bought a pair of Sony MDR NC11 headphones
at a store in Narita International Airport, Japan. They cost me
around Rp 700,000 (about US$82.5). They were quite effective in
reducing noise when the aircraft was already airborne, and thus I
was able to listen to the recording on my cassette recorder.

By the way, this also reveals to you that I have not yet
bought myself a digital audio recorder. It turns out that the
Sony MDR NC11 is one of the best noise-canceling headphones on
the market today. What is more, the price I paid for it in Japan
was much less than the $159 price tag I saw recently at
Brookstore, San Diego, or the $100-$110 at any Internet store in
the U.S. Requiring one AAA battery, it has an on/off switch and a
volume control. It also has strong cords, too.

Incidentally, what is this technology called noise-canceling?
As the name implies, it aims at eliminating or reducing the noise
that our ears hear and at the same time makes the sound from the
real audio source much clearer.

We have both passive and active noise-canceling methods. With
passive noise-canceling, the headphones use thick padding to keep
ambient noise out. The active noise-canceling requires additional
microphones that pick up the ambient noise, then a pair of
amplifiers produce the same audio in exactly the opposite phase.
The two noises, one original and the other artificial, cancel
each other out.

Besides on a plane, where else do we need noise-canceling
headphones? Operators in call centers should actually be using
them, so that they can work more effectively.

People who work in an extremely noisy environment will also
need noise-canceling headphones to preserve their hearing -- even
though they may not be listening to anything.

Who makes noise-canceling headphones besides Sony? A very
popular product comes from Bose, a well-known name in audio
technology. At $299, the Bose QuietComfort 2 is also quite
expensive, unfortunately. Other high-end brands of noise-
canceling headphones are Sennheiser and Shure, and there is also
a series of models from Panasonic.

The Sony MDR NC11 is not only effective in reducing ambient
noise, it also produces deep bass and great midrange and treble,
too. The only problem is that it does not have an auto shut off.
As I always forget to turn it off, I have wasted a lot of AAA
batteries that I have decided not to use alkaline batteries for
it.

When buying a pair of noise-canceling headphones, test the
gadget first to see whether you like the sound that it produces.
Check whether they are comfortable enough for you to wear for an
extended period of time. Also, make up your mind whether you want
a model that fits into the ear such as the Sony MDR NC11 or you
can tolerate the bulk of models that fit over the ear such as
Bose QuietComfort 2. -- Zatni Arbi

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