Adaptive Noise Cancelling vs Active Noise Cancelling
What's the difference between Adaptive Noise Cancelling and Active Noise Cancelling? Discover which variant better suits your listening behavior.
Published on: 9 februari 2025
What is Active Noise Cancelling?
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is technology that actively blocks outside sounds. This is done by microphones in your headphones or earbuds that capture and analyze ambient sound. These sounds are then neutralized with an opposite sound wave (also called anti-sound). As a result, you hear less distracting background noise, such as the hum of airplane engines or busy traffic. ANC provides a peaceful listening experience, perfect for travel, work or relaxation.
What is Adaptive Noise Cancelling?
Adaptive Noise Cancelling (also known as AANC) goes a step further than ANC. Where standard ANC works at a fixed sound level, Adaptive Noise Cancelling automatically adapts to your environment. Whether you're sitting in a busy train or walking down a quiet street, AANC tunes the sound filter to what you need. This makes it more flexible and comfortable to use, as you don't have to constantly adjust settings manually.
What is the difference between Adaptive Noise Cancelling and Active Noise Cancelling?
The main difference between Adaptive Noise Cancelling and Active Noise Cancelling lies in flexibility:
- Active Noise Cancelling constantly blocks sound at a fixed level. This means that the system works based on one standard setting, regardless of where you are. This is ideal for situations where the background noise is stable, such as on an airplane.
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling automatically adapts to your environment. It detects how much and what kind of noise there is and automatically switches to the right setting. This makes AANC more convenient in changing environments, such as traveling from a busy city to a quiet place.
With Adaptive Noise Cancelling, you have more flexibility without having to change settings yourself, while ANC is perfect if you're looking for a consistent noise cancelling experience.
