Again, I suspect the trick is impulses -- noise canceling tech I'm familiar with does pretty well with steady-state noise like jet engines or highway sounds, bu

Again, I suspect the trick is impulses -- noise canceling tech I'm familiar with does pretty well with steady-state noise like jet engines or highway sounds, but not with sudden and short bursts like dropping a handful of dishes in the kitchen. If there's something I'm not familiar with, though, I'd love to hear about it.