How do noise cancelling headphones/earphones work?

Great question ! No ise - can cell ing head ph ones / ear ph ones use a technology called active noise control or active noise reduction ( AN C ) to reduce unw anted ambient sounds . They work by using one or more micro ph ones to capture ambient noise , and then producing a " negative " sound wave to cancel it out . This results in a qui eter listening experience , as the noise - can cell ing head ph ones / ear ph ones are able to effectively block out background noise . \n The process works as follows : \n 1 . The micro phone ( s ) in the head ph ones / ear ph ones pick up the ambient noise around you , such as the sound of the engine on a plane or the ch atter of people in a busy office . \n 2 . The micro phone ( s ) send the sound signal to an ampl ifier and a processing unit in the head ph ones / ear ph ones . \n 3 . The processing unit analy zes the sound signal and generates an " anti - no ise " signal that is the exact opposite of the ambient noise . \n 4 . The anti - no ise signal is then sent to the head ph ones / ear ph ones ' drivers , which produce sound waves that are the exact opposite of the ambient noise . \n 5 . When the anti - no ise sound waves are played through the head ph ones / ear ph ones , they combine with the ambient noise , effectively can cell ing it out . \n 6 . The result is a qui eter listening experience , with less external noise inter ference . \n It ' s important to note that noise - can cell ing head ph ones / ear ph ones don ' t completely eliminate all noise , but they can significantly reduce the amount of ambient noise you hear . Additionally , some head ph ones / ear ph ones may use pass ive noise isol ation in addition to active noise can cellation , which can further improve the overall noise - redu cing effect . \n I hope that helps ! Let me know if you have any other questions . </s>