Shut out the world with the right pair of noise cancelling headphones

Blocking out the outside world has never seemed so appealing. With everything going on right now surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, it seems it’s impossible to escape seeing or hearing bad news. With a huge percentage of the world currently in lockdown or social distancing, shutting out the ambient noise and being able to enjoy the things you love without distraction is more important than ever before. Noise cancelling headphones can help with this.

Essentially, noise cancelling over ear headphones are a barrier between what you’re listening to, and the constant noises and distractions that can interrupt you. Whether you’re trying to watch a movie, listen to music or even take part in one of the many video calls you need to be a part of since working from home, noise cancelling headphones give you the luxury and freedom to do what you want, free from any distractions.

Different Types of Noise Cancellation

While on the surface, all Bluetooth over ear headphones may look the same, there are many key differences regarding noise cancellation that need to be considered. Starting with the types of noise cancellation itself, of which the three main types are:

● Active Noise Cancellation

● Adaptive Noise Cancellation

● Passive Noise Cancellation

Passive is the simplest. It looks to block out noises through just the material it is made of, as the cups form a seal around your ears to reduce ambient noise. Active noise cancelling does this as well, only it employs technology to proactively combat distracting sounds with technology. Taking this approach one step further, adaptive cancellation will adjust the strength of the noise cancellation based on the ambient level around you. If this gets louder, the headphone’s cancellation gets stronger.

It can all seem a little confusing. Especially when you consider that there are a lot of emerging companies now entering the noise cancelling headphone market to compete with the already established names. With so many new products all offering slightly different unique features, it can be difficult to find the right pair that suits your specific needs. So, let’s look at some of the best noise cancelling over ear headphones out there today that can help you shut out the world, and truly immerse yourself in the things you love.

Bowers and Wilkins PX

Bowers and Wilkins’ active noise cancelling headphones come with a number of different settings for you to choose from that match how you like to listen. A stylish pair of headphones that will remain comfortable even with prolonged usage, so if you’re someone who likes to keep your headphones on from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed, these could be the right choice for you.

One additional useful feature of these headphones is the motion-sensing capabilities. Lift one of the cups and what you’re listening to pauses, take them off and they go into standby mode, put them back on and they pick-up right where you left off so you’ll never miss a thing again. While somewhat on the pricey side, and they can’t be folded up, the PX is still a good pair of noise cancelling headphones.

Cleer Audio FLOW II

Everything else melts away when you put on the FLOW II from Cleer Audio as you’re just left with whatever you’re listening to. With an incredibly powerful high-resolution sound and premium noise cancelling abilities, these headphones are truly the best of both worlds. Rich, articulate sounds are created from the FLOW II’s patented 40mm Ironless Drivers™ that allow for minimal distortions while the hybrid noise cancelling features mean you’ll never have to worry about being distracted ever again.

One other unique feature that comes with the Flow II is their sophisticated conversation mode. If you do need to talk to anyone, you can simply place your hand over the left ear cup and the noise cancelling will stop so you can hear what is being said. Remove your hand and the noise cancelling starts up again immediately without the distraction of having to remove your headphones.

An industry-leading 20-hour battery life, when noise cancelling is enabled that is, Cleer Audio have released a set of headphones that can compete with the industry giants, all at a much, much lower price.

Beats Studio3

The Studio3 is arguably the best pair of noise cancelling headphones that Beats have made up to this point. While they may not have motion sensing capabilities like the PX and FLOW II, and again are little on the expensive side, they do make up for it with premium levels of noise cancellation. Even if you’re somewhere that the noise is fluctuating up and down quickly, the Studio3 can adapt fast enough so that you’d never realize. Adept noise control settings and fast charging capabilities, Beats have really stepped their game up this time with their new Bluetooth noise cancelling headphones.

SONY WH-1000XM3

The noise cancellation capabilities on these headphones let you feel as if you’re stepping into a world of your own. They come with a decent battery life, a comfortable fit and can offer soundscapes that are able to manage the deep bass notes just as dexterously as the lilting high ones. With advanced noise cancelling technology that allows you to adapt your listening experience to your specific environment, these headphones let you listen to your music or podcast the way you want to. While not the most aesthetically pleasing headphones out there today, the SONY WH-1000XM3 will do everything you need them to, and more.

Final Thoughts

With more and more people looking for any sort of escape, even if it’s just into their favorite movies or albums, noise cancelling headphones can play a key role in helping you get through the pandemic and the lockdown as comfortably as possible. By experiencing those things you’ve always taken for granted, be it just watching tv or talking on the phone to a loved one, creating a distraction-free setting for you to dive into has never had such a high level of importance. It may seem like an incredibly simple solution, but being able to block out the background noise right now, even for just a moment, can do you aworld of good.