One of the most desirable features of Office Headsets is noise cancellation. But when shopping for a headset, you’re going to be confronted by two different types: active noise cancellation and passive noise cancellation.
What’s the difference between active and passive noise cancellation?
We’re going to give you a clear explanation of the difference with reference to Jabra Headsets. Jabra is a leader for office headsets with active noise cancellation technology and they design headsets to provide exceptional passive noise cancellation. Many of their headsets combine both types for a professional experience that workers have grown to love.
What is active noise cancellation for headsets?
Active noise cancellation (ANC) means the headset interprets incoming sounds and counters the unwanted noise. When we say counters, we mean the headset creates sound that masks the noise. Think of it as creating audio camouflage. You don’t notice the “anti-noise.” You just hear the sound, whether conversation or media, that isn’t being masked.
Jabra Evolve2 85 is a great example. It does active noise cancellation in two different ways, which is why they call it hybrid noise cancellation. The elite headset uses four microphones placed both inside and outside of the headphones. Using the outside microphones, it senses incoming noise and using an advanced chipset produces highly accurate anti-noise. Using the inside microphones, it senses what you are hearing and adjusts the audio automatically so it sounds as good as possible.
The net result? 54% less background noise than the previous Evolve 80, which was already a class-leader in active noise cancellation.
What is passive noise cancellation for headsets?
Passive noise cancellation (PNC) means that the headset by its design reduces the amount of environmental noise it picks up or you hear. There are two areas for PNC: the headphones and the microphone.
Headphones are easy to understand. If you have a stereo headset with a headphone over each ear, you’ll naturally hear less background noise because both ears are covered. Headset manufacturers improve this muffling effect by having an over-the-ear design or extra-plush earpads, which create more of a seal, reducing noise that much better. You’ll only this form of PNC available on stereo headsets, like the plug-and-play Jabra Evolve2 30, which uses memory foam ear cushions and an angled earcup design to provide exceptional PNC at entry-level prices.
Passive noise cancelling microphones work two ways. On most headsets, the microphones are place on a boom. If these microphones are directional and only point to your mouth, they’ll naturally pick up less environmental noise. In addition, the boom can have separate microphones that point in different directions, both to your mouth and away from it. The microphone picks up what sound is coming from what direction and filters out sound coming from away. Jabra Evolve2 65 uses three MEMS microphones that are strategically placed to filter out 23% more noise than the previous model, Evolve 65.
If you want to learn more about office headsets, we cover them in detail in our Headsets Buyer’s Guide.