The world can be a noisy place. Whether you’re at home, on the bus, or in the mall, the world assails you with sound. Even if you try to relax and detach by playing some music or your favorite podcast over your headphones, all those sounds leak through, distracting you and causing even more stress and chaos. Maybe you don’t even tend to play audio on your devices, and instead, you’re just looking to filter out some of that ambient noise.

If you want to find some peace and quiet anywhere, anytime, try out a pair of noise-canceling headphones. They use special technology to intercept background noise and keep it from reaching your ears. At the same time, they amplify the notes or words playing from your phone or other digital devices to provide a clear and engaging sound. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the merits of some of today’s best noise-canceling headphones and the cool science behind how they work. 

Try Out Alexa and Augmented Reality

These Bose headphones have three levels of noise cancelation, which use two microphones to pick up ambient sounds and reject them. You can use Alexa to control them. In addition, they feature audio AR, an audio version of augmented reality.

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Sleek, Portable, and Quick to Charge

Skullcandy Hesh uses four microphones to detect and cancel ambient noise even when music isn’t playing. 10 minutes of charge will give you three hours of sound. You can also fold them up and take them anywhere. 

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Incredibly Wide Frequency Range

These cordless Bluetooth headphones reduce background noise by almost 90%. They provide high-quality sound that reaches from the highest frequencies to the deepest bass. They’ll play for 40 hours before needing to be charged.

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Clever Technology Makes for High Quality

These headphones have top-notch features, including 30 hours of charge, touch controls, and a sensor that stops the music when headphones are removed. You can easily take calls, and the music volume will automatically reduce when you do. 

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Smooth Lines and Great for Travel

These sleek headphones come in three colors and cancel 90% of machine noise. The charge lasts up to 50 hours, and they are foldable for easy travel and storage. They’re also great for gaming and won’t cause a lag between audio and visuals. 

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Noise-canceling headphones sport tiny microphones on their exterior that constantly pick up the noise going on around you. In particular, they monitor the wavelengths created by those sounds. Then the device creates what is known as a “phase inversion”: it emits wavelengths that are the exact opposite of the sound waves, as though they had a mirror placed beneath them. 

This is called an “anti-noise,” because, due to the laws of physics, these two waves cancel each other out, ideally leaving you with only the sounds being played inside your headphones. 

Some people want noise-canceling headphones so they can hear their music or audiobooks without distraction. But what if you just want some peace and quiet on, say, your evening commute? Does the noise cancelation feature work with nothing playing through the headphones? In fact, many headphones do allow you to have the noise-canceling feature on without having to connect it to any other device. Check the reviews and product descriptions to be sure. 

Noise-canceling headphones are one of the coolest and most useful devices available these days. So if you’re ready for the best audio experience of your life, get ready to purchase a pair by considering the following factors.