The Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones for 2020Posted by Carol on November 27th, 2020 IStockphoto/Getty Images A fantastic pair of headphones should be on peak of each traveler's fundamentals list -- and we are not only talking about the pair that came along with your smartphone. Even when you're not the sort of person who plans to spend the entire duration of a 10-hour trip listening to audio or watching movies, you're going to want to tuck a pair of headphones to your carry-on tote. Why? Because falling asleep on a train or plane is not the simplest or most relaxing thing to do. And your best bet to block the noise of that baby crying behind the couple loudly discussing their vacation itinerary in the next chair: a high quality pair of noise-cancelling headphones. RELATED:The Best Knee Headphones for Swimming, Water Sports, and MoreSo what sets noise-cancelling headphones aside in their standard counterparts? There are two components and we'll get a modest scientific here, so bear in mind. Each set has a miniature built-in microphone that picks up sound waves from background sounds -- that the buzzing of the plane's engine or your neighbor's snoring, for instance. Then, an integrated noise-cancelling system generates waves of the exact identical amplitude but of the other stage, effectively cancelling out the bothersome ambient noises. The result -- if you've gotten a high quality pair of cans -- should be silence. This way, you may enjoy your podcast binge without having to turn up the volume quite high to block out the background noise. Or you may use a white noise app like Noisli to drown out some sounds that are annoying. One more significant piece to notice: the gap between passive and active noise-cancelling is the latter uses physiological insulation such as much better soundproofing materials to decrease ambient sounds. Like it? Share it!More by this author |