Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Block Out Voices?

When you work in a noisy office and need to concentrate on what you’re doing, or you travel frequently and want to enjoy a quieter experience, noise-cancelling headphones can be quite the asset. But can noise cancelling headphones block out voices?

Sadly, the answer is no. Noise-cancelling headphones can certainly be helpful in cancelling out low-pitch noises from your surroundings, however, voices and conversations tend to be higher-pitched random noises, which you may still hear despite wearing your brand new noise-cancelling headphones. It helps if you keep reading to learn more about noise-cancelling headphones, how they work, and how they can benefit you.

Here’s How Noise-canceling Headphones Work

With ordinary headphones, you might be enjoying your favorite music until ambient sounds interrupt your experience. Simply plugging in ordinary earbuds or headphones to your device to jam out with your tunes or watch a video can be harder to hear when you’re on an airplane with loud, roaring engines.

This is why many people choose noise-cancelling headphones. They can block out that ambient noise and allow you to enjoy the crispness of the sounds you actually want to hear. With noise-cancelling headphones, you have 2 options – active or passive.

While all headphones offer some slight type of passive noise cancellation due to their composition of materials which block out higher-frequency sound waves, you’re better off with circum-aural headphones that are made specifically to filter out noise as much as possible.

These will feature many layers of materials to drown out unwanted sounds using sound-absorbing materials like high-density foam, for example.

As you may have guessed, this makes them a bit heavier than regular headphones. But it’s worth it if you want to drown out sounds from jet engines, buses, subways, and such because these heavier models can reduce the noise as much as 20 decibels for a higher quality of listening enjoyment.

Passive won’t fully cut it though. While it certainly aids in adding a more hushed atmosphere for your listening pleasures, it can’t completely cover up the roar of the engine. This is why active noise-cancelling headphones are an ideal choice for frequent flyers. These feature microphones that pick up the noise and then counteract that noise with the same frequency.

For ambient sounds like those you get on an airplane, this is perfection. However, noise-cancelling headphones don’t block out voices. Why is that? Keep reading and you’ll soon find out!

Why Noise-Cancelling Headphones Don’t Block Voices

No matter which noise-cancelling headphones you get – from most to least expensive – they won’t completely block out certain noises. Like voices. If you know someone with a pair, try them on and switch on the noise-cancellation without turning on music. You’ll see quite clearly that you can still hear everyone chattering around you. Those random sounds may even feel amplified.

It stands to reason that you’d wonder why in the world you’d pay for noise-cancelling headphones if they don’t stop conversations from coming your way. Unfortunately though, no technology exists at this point that can head off random sound waves like the kind from a nearby conversation or a baby that bursts into tears at the pass.

Why can you still hear voices with noise-cancelling headphones? It’s simple, really. The technology works beautifully when frequencies fall below 500Hz. It is relatively (but not fully) effective for sounds up to 1000Hz.

Engines sounds and the rumbling of the bus or subway train on your commute generally fall below 500Hz (save for the random honking of horns). This is why active noise-cancelling headphones can aptly make them disappear or minimize them so greatly you won’t notice them at all.

But conversations start in the frequency range of around 500Hz. It all depends on how close someone talking is to you, how loudly they are talking, the pitch of their voice, and much more. For these reasons, a conversation could be anywhere from 500Hz on up to 4000Hz.

The current technology for active noise cancellation can’t help you with any noise that runs over 1000Hz. Yes, even with the very best, top-of-the-line brands.

Maybe someday this will change, but for now, no technology out there can prevent you from hearing Janice’s hyena-laugh from across the office.

But whyyyyyy?

If you were to look at a graph that compared noise cancellation to passive isolation, you’d be able to see the difference in Hz between them. From 1000 Hz, when you use active noise cancellation, you may even find that you can hear the unwanted sound whether you’ve switched it on or not. It can even be worse.

The good news is though that you can find noise-cancelling headphones that put that ANC (active noise cancellation) technology with noise-isolating technology which certainly helps you drown out Janice and her cackles.

With ear cups sealing and isolating your ears, it can certainly aid you in finding peace in any noisy environment, turning it down so you can effectively tune it out.

To block out conversations (and cackles), your best lone of defense are active noise-cancelling headphones that also feature passive sound isolation. This has nothing to do with the electronics built into these headphones but will add an extra layer to drown out unwanted random sounds.

Current top-tier noise-cancelling headphones will reduce noise as much as 25dB with 500 to 2000Hz which won’t get rid of the noise completely, but it will most definitely make a huge difference.

If your biggest concern is passive noise isolation, you’d do well with industrial earmuffs, noise-isolating in-ear earphones, or foam earplugs.

These are created to passively isolate noise though they might not be all that comfortable. For example, with industrial earmuffs, they can take some getting used to because they clamp on tight. And with in-ear items, they can be uncomfortable inserted into your ears.

But if you want something that you can use for better comfort, you don’t want to insert things into your ears, and you find yourself in an office or café where it would help to further drown out the regular sounds of conversations, noise cancellation headphones can indeed help, with a few tricks.

Avid travelers should definitely invest in them and then use them in these regular applications to help reduce the conversations that swirl around you.

Ready to find out how to do that? Of course you are! Keep reading for our best tips on using your noise cancellation headphones to block speech!

What Can You Do to Help Block Speech with Noise Cancelling Headphones?

With a normal close-range conversation, it can fall into the 50dB to 75dB range. Passive noise isolation – even on the very best noise-isolating headphones – can’t fully contend with it.

While active noise-cancelling headphones aren’t good at blocking out conversations, they are excellent at cancelling sounds of low frequency, like bass in music.

But if it’s speech you want to block out so you can hear your music or your own thoughts, what can be done to block it in active noise-cancelling headphones?

Say you’re in a coffee shop, trying to work remotely on your laptop while enjoying an espresso. Very hip, very trendy. In any given coffee shop, you’ve got a cacophonous environment – a mixture of all sorts of sound.

You have low-frequency noise that your noise-cancellation headphones will drown out mixed in with high-pitched sounds like neighboring conversations about last night’s antics, loud chewing from the guy at the table just over, and the clacking of fingers on other keyboards as they, like you, attempt to work in what should be a more peaceful or creative environment.

What helps with this is white noise, particularly in the form of water streams. By using noise masking, you’re drowning out any offensive noises by topping them off with a constant noise, one that is much more palatable than that guy’s chewing over there. Just think of a rushing whitewater river. Or Niagara Falls. You’d never hear these trivial annoyances.

True that you could just turn on your music full blast, that would only serve to ache your eardrums. Instead, you can mask speech effectively without turning your volume up too much with a white noise machine.

This one by Adaptive Sound Technologies gives you a range of adjustments to battle any noise so that you can effectively block speech frequency bands even at 4000Hz.

Should You Opt for an Alternative to Noise-cancelling Headphones to Block Out Voices?

In case you’re wondering if it would be better to choose an alternative to those noise-cancelling headphones, the answer really depends on a number of factors.

For one, there’s your budget. There’s also the matter of your applications, if you can plug up your ears, and your level of comfort  that factor into a decision like this.

We definitely think that if you travel often (via planes, trains or automobiles – as long as you’re not driving them!) you should get a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. These will help you drown out engine noises, rumbling, and other low-frequency noises.

Though we do caution that if you need to protect your hearing, you should look for noise-cancelling headphones that have a noise reduction rating (known as NRR when you’re looking on the packaging).

What are your other options? Take a look:

– Earmuffs

Industrial earmuffs are probably the best option for you. Decibel Defense’s earmuffs do an excellent job of blocking out speech from nearby.

They also look great and come in 7 colors, from black on black, to sky blue, a more discrete brown, fiery red, orange, yellow, and even pink.

These earmuffs will completely cover your ears to provide proper noise isolation at an NRR of 37dB, which is one of the highest I’ve ever experienced.

Once you get them, make sure to stretch the head rest by letting your earmuffs clamp onto either the box they came in, or a similar sized one, to make them even more comfortable.

Unlike other brands on the market, I think Decibel Defense tried to make sure they’re portable, by giving you the ability to fold the product to make it super compact. Which is a plus in my book!

I’ve broken so many earmuffs over the years partly because I just throw them in my backpack, and it’s not something I have to worry about with this model.

If you’re in an open-office setting with lot of loud talking going on around you, you can use them in conjunction with a pair of premium noise-isolating earbuds, like the Betron B25 and play white noise to get that peace you need.

You also won’t have to increase the volume on your earbuds if you want to enjoy your favorite music, thanks to the noise isolation of the muffs.

Setting the volume to 20% or 30% should give you a great listening experience minus the headaches.

Other earmuffs, like these by Pro For Sho, are awesome at blocking out conversations when sitting in a coffee shop or subway.

They’re ideal for those that don’t want to hear people around them and feign that no one else exists at least for the purpose of completing work or studies in an otherwise populated environment.

– Foam Earplugs

Another way to stop loud chatter from beating into your brain pan on your next transatlantic flight is to stock up on foam earplugs.

They’re cheap and easy to buy in bulk. You won’t hear if a baby starts crying on the plane. Foam earplugs do a great job for reducing noise from human speech but they won’t completely block louder voices.

That’s because some of the vibrations from those irritating voices are conducted through your bones.

They will certainly dampen it. And if you want more peace and quiet so you can drift off (either on an aircraft carrier or simply next to a partner that snores the whole night through), you can listen to white noise on your headphones for the feeling of bliss.

Earplugs do take some getting used to if you don’t normally wear them. Once you do, they can be quite comfortable.

– Noise-Isolating Earphones

Another option for those that don’t mind inserting things in their ears is to choose noise-isolating earphones, like the Betron B25 which are also extremely affordable.

The key is getting a good fit deep into the ear which will seal out noise including everyday chatter without having to increase the volume.

Play white noise through these to cover any remnants of unwanted noise and you will find your own center of peace and calm in any noisy environment.

Noise-cancelling Headphones Have a Few More Drawbacks:

There are a few more things you should know about noise-cancelling headphones in regards to the downside of them.

For one, they tend to cost more than regular headphones. Of course, this is a worthy investment to get the results of a quieter environment.

If you’re merely listening to music in your room or home without anyone around, you might not need noise-cancelling headphones. But if you are frequently in busier, noisier places, they are definitely worth springing for.

Additionally, active noise control-style noise-cancelling headphones need power via a battery or USB port.

Without the power provided to it, it may not even function as ordinary headphones. You’ll always need to maintain charge on the battery or have a place to plug into that can give it enough juice to provide the ANC feature.

With those batteries to keep them powered or any other additional electronic sources to supply it, that adds to both the size and weight.

This means your noise-cancelling headphones will weigh more than other options out there. Again, this is worth it if you truly desire to block everything else out.

And finally, a bit oxymoronic, but the circuitry from the noise-cancelling features could potentially diminish your audio quality. You might hear a hissing sound, though the reduction of noise could give you the feeling of higher audio quality.

Conclusion

In the end, what truly matters is why you’re wearing your headphones in the first place. Basic headphones can do the job for listening to music when you’re not being subjected to other unwanted noises. But if you’re always traveling or surrounded by people in a noisy place, noise-cancelling headphones can certainly be of service.

For voices though, you’ll need to think about noise isolation capabilities on the model you buy in addition to active noise cancellation.

It may also be necessary to use earplugs or pipe in some white noise to white out every other sound around, but for the sake of finishing your projects by deadline, noise-cancelling headphones will definitely be an effective tool for getting the job done.