The Current State of Technology
Noise reduction headsets are an amazing new technology that have really just reached mainstream levels in the last few years. The Bose company was one of the first to popularize the use of these headphones and who had a product that worked exceptionally well.
In the recent past many other manufacturers have come out with competing products and now you can easily find noise reduction headphones and headsets in a wide price range. As the market has expanded, the price has come down and the quality of many products has decidedly improved.
Being able to wear a headset and have the background noise nearly completely disappear is an exceptional experience. The idea behind noise canceling technology is that your headset has a tiny microphone included that monitors the ambient noise that surrounds you. The included circuitry then immediately reverses the wave of the bothersome outside noise and play back a canceling wave that reduces or does a very good job of highly eliminating the background noise.
While your mileage may vary, you will find that the various models all do a good job in some areas while they may not meet your expectations in others. Headsets that totally cover your ears and provide an additional physical barrier to noise may do a better job than those that rely only on the noise canceling technology to work.
Most models offer the option of being able to plug in your laptop or MP3 player or use them on a planes audio system so that you both get the reduction of background noise and can listen to music or other audio at the same time. However, the headset can be used on their own to just supply reduction in the background noise in loud or noisy situations.
An additional branch that the technology is taking is in making 'comfortable' headphones that can be worn while sleeping. These are made of soft material and would be an ideal for a long plane ride and a long nap at the same time. These sleep headphones often are used by those who listen to subliminal or sleep music and want headphones that are extremely comfortable.
Since the headsets use active electronics to create the noise cancelling effect, they all need a power source. This is usually a triple A battery but models are available with many different options. They are also packaged with various options to allow connection to different audio sources.
You will want to consider trying noise reduction headsets if you frequently fly or travel long distances or if you are exposed to work or other situations with high levels of background noise. The difference between a pleasant quiet experience and the noisy irritating times of the past will quickly convince you how effective and essential this technology is. By Zach Carson
