Commutes, open-plan offices and long flights are where noise cancelling earns its keep. By lowering the racket around you, it lets you listen at a lower volume, which is kinder to your ears over time. You do not need to block every single sound to feel the benefit. Even cutting the steady drone of an engine or an air conditioner makes music, podcasts and phone calls clearer and far less tiring on a long day. Here is how the technology works, where it helps most, and what to look for before you buy a pair.
How active noise cancelling works
Small microphones on each ear cup or earbud measure the sound around you, and a chip plays back an opposite sound wave that cancels it out. This works best on low, steady sounds such as engine hum, air conditioning and train rumble. Sudden or higher sounds, especially voices, are mostly handled by the seal of the ear cushions or ear tips rather than by the electronics. That is why a good fit matters as much as the chip inside. Active noise cancelling is at its most useful on a plane, a train or a busy open-plan floor.
Over-ear or earbuds?
Over-ear headphones such as the Nordvik NC700 have bigger 40mm drivers, up to 30 hours of battery with noise cancelling on, and are comfortable on long flights. They are now £279, down from £349. Earbuds such as the Nordvik Buds Pro cost £179, fit in a pocket, give up to 8 hours, or 32 with the case, and are IPX4 sweat and splash resistant for the gym. The seal depends on the ear tip size, so try all four sizes that come in the box. Over-ears tend to block more noise, while earbuds win on portability. Neither is better in every case, so match the shape to how and where you listen.
Features worth paying for
Look for adaptive noise cancelling, which adjusts to where you are without you touching a setting. A transparency mode lets announcements and voices in when you need to hear them, which is useful at a station or a counter. Multipoint keeps a laptop and a phone connected at the same time, so a call can jump between them. Good call microphones matter too: the NC700 has six beamforming mics. Fast USB-C charging is a small luxury that adds up, where 10 minutes gives around 5 hours of listening.
Before you buy: a quick checklist
- Think about where you will use them most
- Check comfort after an hour, so try them in store
- Check the battery life with noise cancelling switched on
- Look for a transparency mode for travel
- Choose multipoint if you switch between laptop and phone
- Pick a carry case if you travel often
If a pair does not suit you, our 30 day returns policy means you can send them back for a full refund. Every set of headphones also comes with a two year warranty, with repairs handled in our own Manchester workshop. If anything goes wrong in that time, we repair or replace them. Browse our full headphones and audio range to compare over-ears, earbuds and speakers.
