theoretically. it's never going to match the input exactly though and therefore it will generate noise of its own. it's conceivable that there would be less var

theoretically. it's never going to match the input exactly though and therefore it will generate noise of its own. it's conceivable that there would be less variation in this noise, due to quantized nature of the system that synthesizes the cancellation, and that a fixed synthesized signal for long durations could exhaust parts of the cochlea that are used to the high variability of natural sounds and/or trigger an adaptation in auditory cortex. or the software is bad or the anc mic fails, and it generates a high pitched whine that causes short term tinnitus. just spitballing because it's fun. would be interesting to analyze the frequency responses to benchtop and realistic scenarios for anc in modern earbuds. also would be interesting to understand the psychophysical response to those behaviors!