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Active Noise Cancellation Ear Buds

My first experience with noise-cancelling headphones was the Bose QC-15. I received them as a gift and I couldn't have been more thrilled. They were a fantastic travel companion and did a superb job of blocking out all the noise of air travel.

But, naturally, it opened the door to rethinking things. They're bulky and I prefer to travel as light as possible; the over-ear headphones took up a little too much space in my world of backpack travel. (By the way, none of my backpacks have wheels. No matter the size. Wheels are lame.)

Then came the Bose QC-20, in-ear buds with a terrific noise cancellation system. But, while they were much more compact — the carrying case could fit in my pocket — they were wired.

Sigh. That wire was still there. So in the way while trying to eat a meal on a cramped plane. And the wire — with its noise-cancellation switch box — became a nuisance while on my hikes. Such first-world problems.

Why can't these things be wireless?

Ditching the Wire

Well, then I got the Apple AirPods. The best thing about them was the convenience of wireless and the ease of connectivity within the Apple ecosystem. But, come on, the sound quality is absolute garbage. There is no noise cancellation. The AirPods are inclined to slip out of the ears. They are completely worthless on airplanes.

And yet, somehow, the Apple AirPods ran away with the market and have become the single most popular ear buds out there. I personally chalk it up to sheer consumer laziness. There are so many better options available to those who really care. The best thing I can say about my original AirPods is that I was able to sell them to BuyBackWorld for $40. Not a bad end cost, in the grand scheme of things; true to Apple's other products, they held their value.

My personal search for something better led me to the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8. I got them in March and I was delighted with their performance in the air and on land. They're not marketed as having "noise cancellation" outright; instead, they reference their "transparency" mode to moderate the amount of outside noise that comes in. They're a little pricey, but they suit my needs just fine — albeit, with the natural inclination to figure out where the gaps are and where B&O might take the next generation.

To supplement the ear-to-bud seal, I started using Comply cushions, which helped increase the effect of noise reduction. I found a happy place of form meeting function and providing a fantastic aural experience. The B&O app is a piece of junk, but thankfully it's also virtually unnecessary.

Fast-forward to October 30; both Amazon and Apple launched new ear buds. Curious got the best of me and I had to check 'em out.

Amazon Echo Buds

I was excited about Amazon's Echo buds because they came packed with Bose-branded active noise-cancellation. Sounds good. And reasonably priced at $130. I preordered them and had them in hand — and in-ear — on the release day.

They're good — really good — within certain constraints.

I ran through some comparisons with the E8. The Echo buds offered some surprising range while watching movies (I experimented with a personal favorite, Mission: Impossible — Fallout). The app's equalizer is a great feature to adjust the bass, mid and treble ranges. In a controlled environment, the noise cancellation is also pretty good.

Active Noise Cancellation

Ah, but before going any further, let's figure out what noise cancellation means in the world of buds.

Those over-ear Bose headphones were able to create a seal around the entire ear, a major factor (but not the only one) in blocking out external noise. That's not possible with ear buds. Bose supplemented the in-ear QC-20 with wing-tip pieces that nicely figured into the product design and they worked well in creating a modest level of assistance in creating a type of seal between bud and ear.

With Amazon's echo buds, there's a gruesomely sloppy implementation of the "optional" wing tips; it's a rubber wrap the user has to place around the bud, strategically matching up the tip with the Left/Right ear designation key on the bud itself. It didn't help that I received two large left tips and zero medium left tips. But it also didn't make much difference. The wing tips are an awkward fit and the sizing feature of the Echo app led to wildly inconsistent results while using the tips and without them. I never got an optimal result, even after trying the custom Echo buds Comply cushions.

Honestly, even with the Bose name attached, the noise cancellation is ultimately a shoddy effect — especially after paying more attention to the details.

Reviewing the Reviews

I started checking out other reviews — out of morbid curiosity. I write reviews and I prefer not to read the reviews of others. It's kinda how I roll. As I took in the musings of others, I started to appreciate more why I don't bother reading other reviews.

There were the typically breathless reports of the Apple AirPods Pro creating a completely self-contained environment. As some people described it, the entire world disappeared.

Okay. Reality check. Not possible. Not in October 2019. Not with ear buds, even those with noise cancellation and fancy website animations describing how it all works.

Sure, people played their favorite songs and commented on the dynamic range (or lack thereof) and described how they heard nothing else; every other sound disappeared, so they say. They all noted the superiority of the Pro model to the first- and second-generation AirPods (that's heaping praise based on such a low-end comparison, it's actually worthless). Most also questioned the value, given the $250 price point places the AirPods against high-end competition (like those E8 buds, which nobody else has mentioned, from what I've seen so far).

Great. That's while playing a song.

But what about periods of silence? Between songs, or quiet pauses in the beat? What about while listening to podcasts? Or audio books? Or movies? You'll hear your dog bark. Your washing machine. Your colleagues chatting away a row or two down the cube farm.

Cancelling the ANC

Across the board, the noise cancellation effect reveals itself as a disappointment. And, in large part, that can't realistically be helped with the state of things today.

When I took the Echo buds out for a hike, I noticed their limitations much more. Listening to a book while taking a walk along a relatively quiet bike path revealed the limitations of the Echo buds noise reduction and the audio quality. I then connected to the E8. So much better. It was no contest.

That walk confirmed my decision. I'm on budget lock-down thanks to the upcoming U2 tour and I decided to return the Echo buds. They work great in a controlled environment, but ultimately their distinction in performance compared to the E8 was too inconsequential.

Apple AirPods Pro

Then there are those AirPods Pro. The bulk of the reviews I skimmed were borderline rapturous. But they all made the same comments surrounding a limited set of test cases in the rush to be "first" with a review.

Sure, sound is blocked out — even on the noisy streets of New York — while listening to a favorite song. No doubt in my mind at least part of it is in the mind.

Some wrote about the transparency feature like it was a whole new concept in the universe.

Uh. No. Reread the eighth paragraph.

I was torn. I didn't want to commit to the AirPods Pro up-front (again, I'm on tour in a couple weeks). So, I stopped by the local Apple store and I was able to put them through a quick test using my own iPhone (11 Pro Max).

Yeah. There was an immediate hushing sensation when noise cancellation was turned on. It was cool. But... Wait a minute... There was still plenty of store noise coming through when no music was playing. With music? Yeah. It was good. And the AirPods Pro felt good in the ear. The tip squeezing for various functions was nice.

But. No. Not great. The sound quality wasn't stellar. Not for $250. (And by the way, those E8s are currently on sale at Amazon, putting them in striking distance of the AirPods Pro on price point.)

Tune In

Tuning out the world has its time and place. For me, it's when I'm traveling and I want to block out the white noise and other distractions of air travel. It's also good to block out noise in the cube farm and to focus on the tasks at hand. Certainly, my workouts benefit from my own ideas for quality, blood-pumping playlists. I also enjoy the sensation of solitude while hiking, but I've also noted the joys of not being tuned out while outdoors. To take in the sounds of the wind, my boots against the dirt, the random stranger passing by. (Some nice people still actually say, "Hi.")

I draw the line when needing to function within society. It disturbs me to see people wearing headphones or buds while driving. I thought that was illegal. Can they hear ambulances? Fire trucks? People still have a responsibility to society.

There are also people who feel compelled to tune out while buying groceries. I think it's lame.

But, as the world of noise cancellation enters the picture, to what volume are people taking their music? 11? How long before the complaints of hearing loss start to enter the conversation — among those of us who can still hear?

Product photos courtesy of the respective manufacturers.

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