Why Don’t My Noise-Canceling Headphones Block All Sounds?

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Calling headphones noise-cancelling can be deceptive. While it is true that noise-cancelling headphones are capable of counteracting some background noises, they are not perfect for all types of noise. In this article we will discuss the inner workings, limitations, and potential tradeoffs of noise-cancelling headphone technology.

All Headphones are Noise Cancelling

Technically all headphones are noise cancelling on some level. Just as putting your hands over your ears blocks incoming sound, any headphone you put on, in, or over your ear will ...

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What is a Decibel? — Logarithms & Math

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In the previous post, we learned that the decibels belongs to a group of units called a relative units. This means that decibels are always expressed as a ratio of a measured value to a known reference value. There is, of course, a bit more to decibels than dividing one number by another, but don’t worry—the math isn’t too bad. We’ll walk you through it nice and slow.

So, why bother with more math in the first place? Shouldn’t it ...

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What is a Decibel? — Relative Units & Reference Values

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The word decibel, abbreviated dB, seems to show up everywhere in acoustics: sound pressure levels, sound power levels, intensity levels, and even voltage levels. With so many usages, it is no surprise that a cloud of confusion lurks around the term. How could one unit describe so many different things? Shouldn’t different quantities have different units?

Well, the firstly it’s important to understand that the decibel is not an absolute unit like seconds or meters—it’s a relative unit. Absolute units can ...

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What is Acoustics?

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When most people hear the word acoustics they think of acoustic guitars or concert halls, but the field of acoustics is actually much larger than internet covers of radio songs and plush theatre seating. The word acoustics comes from a Greek word akoustikos which means “of or for hearing”. The contemporary definition of acoustics is broader than the original Greek. Today, acoustics is the science of sound and vibration, which includes topics like noise control, ear health, SONAR, speech, structural ...

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