3 ms·

I have the feeling that this is related to noise cancelling in general. I have some Sennheiser over-ear headphones with ANC and initially I had the same feeling

I have the feeling that this is related to noise cancelling in general. I have some Sennheiser over-ear headphones with ANC and initially I had the same feeling. After using them I notice that my ringing (I already had tinnitus) got worse. It wears off after half a day or more, but it's slowly getting worse overall. My theory is that it's not possible to create an exact counterwave, so occasionally the delayed ANC "counterwave" will add up to the external sound, increasing it. Maybe this happens is very short bursts or mostly at frequencies which are too high to be really noticeable.

originalvichy 4y ago
My totally non-scientifi guess why ANC is uncomfortable is that it could be ear ”fatigue”. What you said about the imperfect noise counterwave is what I’m guessing is the source of fatigue in the ear, because even though your surroundings sound more quiet, the ear canal is getting blasted by soundwaves right next to it. If I focus I can clearly feel my ears in ”active” mode when using ANC. A sort of soft pressure. I have a feeling ANC silence is not real silence.