Noise Soundproofing vs Noise Cancelling Earbuds: Which One is Better for Work

We live in a noisy and dynamic environment. For that, we are striving that at least in our free time or when in office, we can have our peace and quiet. For that, there are numerous alternatives, such as renovating the office with soundproofing materials, that block the noise from our side as well as from other colleagues, or by some earbuds with noise cancellation options.

Wireless earbuds are pretty new to many people, but their popularity has grown in leaps and bounds over the last half a decade. They are among the recent innovations that have come at the right time- when people are desperate for peace and quiet. These earbuds now have advanced features such as the ability to block out noises so that users can enjoy their music in public spaces without the interference of unwanted background noises. They have the ability to lessen or eliminate car horn sounds, noises from chatty colleagues, or even music in the streets.

If this is the first time you are considering acquiring these advanced earbuds, you probably have come across two unfamiliar terms- noise soundproofing and noise-canceling earbuds. You are now curious to know how different the two are and which one is the best option for your noise-drowning needs. Well, they both reduce noise and the key difference is in how well they do it. They are also made of different soundproofing materials and with different technologies.

Nevertheless, it is important for businesses and organizations that constantly tend to boost and improve their workers’ productivity, to invest in offices that are soundproof from exterior noise and do not bother their workers.

There are multiple alternatives that companies can use to soundproof and absorb noise, some being more expensive and some more affordable. One affordable method that can be applied is using plants. Studies have shown that plants have a very high absorbing power of noise, where it leaves divert the noise and in this context absorb it. This, for businesses, presents an advantage, given that they also have benefits such as releasing oxygen and making the work environment look better. However, if the office does not have much natural light, make sure to use LED Grow Light, which will enable the plants to grow indoors without natural light.

How Soundproofing Earbuds Work

Noise soundproofing is the basic technology of drowning background noises. These earbuds work by sealing off your ear canal so that any extra ambient noise is blocked from accessing the ear canal. Your ear is isolated from your immediate surroundings.

How Noise Cancelling Earbuds Work

Noise cancellation does more than just isolate your ear. These earbuds come with a more advanced functional design that creates an anti-noise barrier around your ears. This technology emits signals that neutralize sound waves around your ear, so that no sound gets to your ear canal.

Which Earbuds are Better For Work?

Which wireless earbuds will work best for your needs: noise cancelling or noise soundproofing? In all fairness, both work impressively well in reducing noise. Each of them is unique from the other, so it is impossible to say that one is better than the other. We shall look at the differences that define each of them and then you will choose the one that best suits your preferences.

1. Noise reduction abilities

Soundproofing earbuds muffles sounds with an intensity of 30 decibels and below. Noise-canceling earbuds can muffle external sounds with an intensity of 85 decibels or even more. To give you an idea of what decibels mean, a human being speaking normally will produce a noise of 15-20 decibels. That is to mean that soundproofing earbuds will drown out noises in a chatty office, but they won’t be too effective in a busy airport. Noise-canceling earbuds will effectively cancel out an airplane that takes off with noises of around 80 decibels.

However, some low-cost noise-canceling earbuds are made from cheap soundproofing materials, so they allow more than necessary ambient noise to pass through. The active technology that helps these earbuds to reduce noise intensity cannot be 100% effective without quality soundproofing material. There are some high-end noise soundproofing earbuds that outdo low-cost noise-canceling earbuds in this regard.

2. Quality of sound

In this aspect, noise soundproofing and noise-canceling earbuds are almost at par. They both give you the best quality sound, both in noisy places and in isolated environments. Even if you aren’t fond of using earbuds when traveling or in the office, you can still buy the best budget noise-cancelling headphones for domestic use.

Ensure that you buy from reputable brands and dealers because cheap earbuds might not give you the best quality sound. Brands that manufacture earbuds using low-quality soundproofing materials sometimes exacerbate the noises instead of eliminating them.

3. Power Consumption

Because noise soundproofing earbuds are designed to block out external noise without canceling it, they are basically mechanical in nature. Noise-canceling earbuds, on the other hand, need electrical energy in order to create magnetic waves that then cancel out sound waves. They come with chargeable batteries that you have to charge your noise-canceling earbuds occasionally.

4. Price

As you can guess, maintaining noise-canceling earbuds is more expensive than maintaining soundproofing earbuds because of their difference in power consumption. The upfront cost of noise-canceling earbuds is also higher than soundproofing earbuds due to the extra technology they come with.

Conclusion

There you have it! As you can see, both earbuds are way better than wire earbuds. If not for anything else, they make the user appear sophisticated and cool. They both make your music sound pretty good too. Whichever decision you make, you can bet that you will get the best value for your money.

author avatar
Salman Zafar
Salman Zafar is the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, and an international consultant, advisor and trainer with expertise in waste management, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, environment protection and resource conservation. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biogas technology, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. Salman has participated in numerous national and international conferences all over the world. He is a prolific environmental journalist, and has authored more than 300 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. In addition, he is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability through his blogs and portals. Salman can be reached at salman@bioenergyconsult.com or salman@cleantechloops.com.

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