Noise preventor

voise-cancelling
headphones, or noise-canceling headphones, are headphones that reduce
unwanted ambient sounds using active noise control. This is distinct from passive
headphones which, if they reduce ambient sounds at all, use techniques such
as soundproofing.

Noise cancellation makes it possible to listen to audio content without raising the
volume excessively.

It can also help a passenger sleep in a noisy vehicle such as an airliner. In the aviation
environment, noise-cancelling headphones increase the signal-to-noise
ratio significantly more than passive noise attenuating headphones or no headphones,
making hearing important information such as safety announcements easier. [1] 

Noise-cancelling headphones can improve listening enough to completely offset the

effect of a distracting concurrent activity.

To cancel the lower-frequency portions of the noise, noise-cancelling headphones

use active noise control or ANC. A microphone captures the targeted ambient sounds and
a small amplifier generates sound waves that are exactly out of phase with the
undesired sounds.

When the sound pressure of the noise wave is high, the cancelling wave is low (and
vice-versa). The opposite sound waves collide and are eliminated or "cancelled".
Cancellation focuses on constant droning sounds like road noise and is less effective on
short/sharp sounds like voices or breaking glass.

It also is ineffective in eliminating higher frequency noises like the sound of spraying.
Noise-cancelling headphones often combine sound isolation with ANC to maximize the
sound reduction across the frequency spectrum.

Noise cancellation can also be used without sound isolation to make voices, etc. easier
to hear.

Noise cancellation to eliminate ambient noise is never passive because of the circuitry
required, so references to passive noise cancellation actually are referring to products
featuring sound isolation.