Why do noise canceling headphones hurt some ears?

The noise in the world around us is increasing day by day. Therefore, naturally, many users show interest in using headphones with noise canceling capabilities so that they can enjoy music more by silencing the environment. But these headphones can be annoying and painful for some people. Next, we will discuss this topic and what we can do.

Noise cancellation technology

First of all, we must note that these types of headphones physically They do not remove the sound. Of course, passive noise canceling (PNC) headphones use such an approach and, simply put, eliminate sound to a great extent by using special design and materials. But this article is about headphones with active noise cancellation.

In these headphones, each phone Or several built-in microphones that are used to check the sounds of the user's surroundings. These microphones are always on and therefore can monitor different sounds. After receiving these sounds, a process called phase inversion is used. This means that sound waves opposite to the received sound waves are created. Such work leads to the neutralization of the received sound, and as a result, the person in question enjoys the music played more.

But this process is annoying for some users. The question that arises is how noise canceling headphones cause such problems for people's ears?

Why are noise canceling headphones annoying for some people?

Many users can use this type of headphones without facing any problem. But due to the fact that different people's bodies are not the same, they show different reactions to such devices. But the fact is that the pain caused by noise-canceling headphones is not rare at all, and sometimes some users have to stop using them completely due to the side effects of these headphones.

But what is the origin of these injuries? The pain caused by these headphones is directly related to how they work. This process of brain phase inversion confuses some people and the brain confuses this phenomenon with pressure difference. That's why some people face ear pain when using such headphones.

On the other hand, some people say that they feel dizzy when using these types of headphones. This usually involves creating low-frequency sound waves (usually below 1 kHz) to cancel out ambient sounds, which may trick the brain into thinking you're moving. Such a phenomenon can lead to users' dizziness.

But we must note that based on research, no evidence has been found that these types of headphones can cause permanent ear damage.

How to avoid problems caused by this type of headphones?

Some people who generally have problems with noise-canceling headphones are better off ditching them and opting for passive noise-canceling headphones instead. But in the meantime, you can consider some tips to avoid such problems.

First of all, you should buy headphones that are compatible with the shape of your ears. The reality is that headphones are problematic for some ears, and this can add to the noise-canceling issues. some headphones in this context allow the user to reduce the intensity of noise cancellation. Also, cheaper headphones with this feature usually work less well to remove noise, and as a result, less pressure is applied to the ears.

Last word

In short, although companies advertise their headphones a lot on noise cancellation, this feature is not necessarily suitable for everyone. Not users. Of course, the severity of this feature varies between different models. But if you see that your ears are not compatible with this feature for any reason, it is better to use normal headphones.

• What is noise cancellation technology and what is its use?

Source: MakeUseOf