ANC Vs ENC

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

  • Principle: Active noise cancellation technology achieves noise reduction through electronic circuits. The built-in microphones in headphones continuously detect external noise, and a digital signal processor (DSP) generates sound waves that are opposite in phase to the external noise. These opposing sound waves cancel out the external noise, resulting in noise reduction. For example, when there is a persistent low-frequency noise in the environment, the microphone captures this noise, and the DSP generates corresponding opposite sound waves, which are emitted through the headphone speakers to cancel out the external noise.
  • Advantages: ANC is particularly effective at reducing low-frequency noise, effectively diminishing background noise in environments like airplanes and subways, thereby enhancing audio quality and call clarity. The noise reduction effect can be adjusted for different environments, providing a more personalized experience.
  • Disadvantages: ANC requires built-in batteries and electronic components, making the headphone structure relatively complex, heavier, and more expensive. Additionally, in some cases, active noise cancellation technology may produce slight background noise or a “hissing” sound, though these issues have gradually improved with advancements in technology.

Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC)

  • Principle: Environmental noise cancellation (ENC) primarily utilizes algorithmic processing to reduce background noise interference during calls, improving voice clarity and intelligibility. ENC technology typically employs multiple microphone arrays to capture sound. These microphones simultaneously capture both the user’s voice and surrounding ambient noise. The system can then distinguish between the user’s voice and background noise through built-in audio processing algorithms, suppressing or eliminating the background noise.
  • Advantages: During calls, ENC significantly enhances voice clarity, especially in noisy environments. For example, using headphones with ENC technology in a noisy outdoor setting can effectively reduce wind noise, traffic noise, and other distractions, allowing the other party to hear your voice more clearly.
  • Disadvantages: In some extreme environments (such as strong winds or very high or low noise levels), the effectiveness of ENC may be limited.

Summary

  • Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): Utilizes electronic technology to generate opposing sound waves to cancel low-frequency noise, providing significant noise reduction but with a complex structure and higher cost, and may produce slight background noise.
  • Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC): Uses algorithmic processing to reduce background noise during calls, improving voice clarity, particularly in noisy environments, but may have limited effectiveness in extreme conditions.