The End of Noise, the Beginning of Sound

When you wear headphones, you want to hear music. You don't want to hear babies crying, adjacent passengers conversation, engine hum or traffic noise. What's a critical listener to do? Either buy noise canceling headphones, closed cup over-the-head phones or snug-fitting in-ear buds.

Is one choice better than another? Was the ending of the "Sopranos" brilliant or a cop-out?

One side of the argument says noise canceling phones are unnecessary and even destructive to your hearing health. "Noise canceling actually adds more sound into the signal in an attempt to cancel the noise," says our audio analyst, "and adds digital artifacts and hiss to the music."

By opting for closed cup or in-ear buds that seal the ear canal, often called "isolating" earphones for their ability to physically block external noise from entering your head, you can turn down the volume and avoid ending up with a hearing problem.

"There is solid research evidence indicating that preferred listening levels are lower - hence, safer - because the user does not have to turn up the music as loud to overcome outside noise," reports say.

Plus, you don't have to worry about the noise canceling batteries dying, which often cancel the headphones entirely.

Not so fast, says Sennheiser (manufacturer of headphones). "Closed-back and in-ear models are great for reducing noise, however they reduce it at a decibel level, rather than a percentage of noise at a certain frequency. As most noise pollution occurs at a steady rate, noise reduction headphones such as the Sennheiser PXC series utilize a closed speaker and an intelligent circuit that listens to specific frequencies - think the droning noise in an aircraft cabin - to effectively remove them." And Sennheiser's PXC phones keep working as non-canceling phones without batteries.

But if you'd rather eliminate the noise old school, be aware that not all in-ear buds seal the deal. "Any ear bud won't block noise," advises our audio expert. "Any in-ear that uses diaphragm technology will only isolate up to -16db. The air from the speaker needs to vent out so the speaker itself acts as a filter. Any in-ear that uses full armature technology will isolate up to -26db. This is a full seal and the best available on the market. This goes for all manufacturers across the board who use armature technology."