ANC (noise canceling) isn't working properly
Your earbuds' ANC isn't working properly. Why is that? And more importantly, how do you fix it?
The short answer:
- 1. The ear tips don't seal properly
- For ANC to work, your ear tips need to seal your ear canals completely. Choose the right ear tips or adjust your earbuds for a better seal.
- 2. Not enough noise to test
- To test active noise cancelling (ANC), you need noise. Make sure you test ANC in a noisy environment, not a quiet living room.
- 3. The ANC isn't very good
- Some earbuds have poor ANC, although we're seeing this less and less. Any earbuds with ANC we sell must have ANC that works well.
The ear tips don't seal properly
For ANC to work, the silicone ear tips need to seal your ears completely. Is there a leak? Or a gap between your ear tip and ear canal that lets outside noise straight into your ear? Then you're not giving ANC a fair chance to filter out that noise.
This is the problem in 70% of cases. So make sure your ear tips really do seal your ears properly. Try a larger or smaller ear tip.
Or adjust the position of your earbuds. Earbuds with stems are sometimes worn with the stems pointing slightly outward. But that often makes the seal worse.
Not enough noise to test
To test ANC properly, you need (you guessed it) noise. And I get it: you've just unpacked your ANC earbuds. With the packaging still right in front of you, you switch on ANC in a quiet living room. And: "I can't hear any difference." Sound familiar?
But to test ANC properly, you're better off sitting in your car and starting the engine. Put your earbuds in transparency mode, then switch on ANC. The engine noise will now be filtered out perfectly.
The ANC isn't very good
The last possibility is that the ANC just isn't good. This was especially common when the ANC hype first started. These days, though, you really do notice a difference when you switch it on. With every pair of ANC earbuds we sell, the difference is very clear.
What matters most is that ANC can filter out low and mid-range sounds. Earbuds costing €200 or more also filter out high-pitched sounds. What I mean is that the rumble of your car engine can be filtered out well, but if you tap your fingernail on the dashboard, you'll still hear it a little. It's quieter, but you can still hear it.
Others also viewed:
- Browse all our blog posts about wireless earbuds
- These are the best earbuds under €50
- These are the earbuds with the best microphone
- Also check out the 3 best earbuds for running
- Also check out our hands-on review of the OneMelon Drops.
