I imagine it would matter more for more dangerous noise levels and environments, like a shooting range, where even a single shot fired without protection can ca

I imagine it would matter more for more dangerous noise levels and environments, like a shooting range, where even a single shot fired without protection can cause damage, and while some of the better ANC headphones would be able to noticeably suppress a different, sustained, noise of similar intensity, they wouldn't be able to protect you against gunshots.