There is no uniform standard for the wide variety of noise-cancelling headphones, and experts recommend that you consider many things when purchasing them

Jimu news reporter Liu Dongli

Intern Liu Xinlei

In recent years, the popularity of noise-canceling headphones has gradually risen, and there are many types, but can these headphones really reduce noise?

On the 24th, Jimu news reporters visited a number of headphone stores in Wuhan and found that the price difference between many noise-canceling headphones was more obvious, but in the end, it was better or worse, and many headphone sellers could not say clearly. So, how do you choose when buying noise-cancelling headphones? What are the criteria to refer to when choosing?

Noise-cancelling headphones are available in many styles, ranging from 100 yuan to 1,000 yuan

Jimu news reporter in a shopping platform to "noise reduction headphones" as the keyword search found that the related headphone brands are various, the price ranges from 100 yuan to thousands of yuan, carefully observe the introduction of different styles of noise reduction headphones, each brand and style of the introduction of noise reduction functions is more varied, some functions are introduced to call noise reduction, hybrid active noise reduction, double MIC noise reduction (double wheat noise reduction), some introductions for 40dB noise reduction, 42dB depth noise reduction and so on.

It is understood that there are two kinds of noise-canceling headphones at present: active noise-canceling headphones and passive noise-canceling headphones. The active noise reduction function is to generate a reverse sound wave opposite to the external noise through the noise reduction system, neutralize the noise, and thus achieve the effect of noise reduction. Passive noise-canceling headphones mainly enclose the ear to form an enclosed space, or use sound insulation materials such as silicone earbuds to block external noise. Active noise reduction is better than passive noise reduction.

On the morning of January 24, Jimu News reporters came to a number of headphone stores located in Qianjinsi Road, Jiang'an District, Wuhan City, and asked about the differences in the functions of different styles of noise-canceling headphones. Most of the staff said that they were not too clear about the specific differences, and only introduced that noise-canceling headphones can isolate external sounds, and the sound effect is better than ordinary headphones. When asked about the difference between high-priced noise-canceling headphones and low-priced noise-canceling headphones, the staff frankly said: "Noise-canceling headphones of about 100 yuan almost do not have noise reduction functions. ”

During the period, a salesman recommended a well-known brand headset with a price of 1599 yuan to reporters, saying that its noise reduction effect was better. The reporter noticed that the headset has two new and old styles, the new price is 1599 yuan, and the old price is 679 yuan. The price difference between the two is about double, but what are the specific differences between the two products, and the staff member is an upgrade, but the specifics are sometimes unclear.

On an e-commerce platform, a domestic brand headset with a monthly sales of 10,000+ is priced at 649-749 yuan, claiming that the maximum noise reduction effect can reach 40 decibels. However, some users have left messages saying that wearing more than two hours will cause ear pain.

There are many considerations when buying noise-cancelling headphones

According to CCTV reports, in July 2021, the State Administration for Market Supervision and Administration specifically carried out risk monitoring for active noise-canceling headphones, and 50% of the noise-canceling headphones in the monitoring were insufficient, not only could not effectively protect the hearing, but there was a certain hearing impairment.

Jimu News reporter searched for "noise-canceling headphones" as a keyword on Tianyancha, and the results showed a total of 950 related results, of which 884 existed.

"At present, most of the noise-canceling headphones produced in China are still implemented in GB/T 14471-2013 "General Specification for Headphones", which is a common standard for headphones and in-ear headphones. There is no unified standard at home and abroad in terms of noise reduction performance related to noise reduction headphones, and there is no suitable testing and certification standard, so it is impossible to strictly divide the noise reduction headphone products, and it is not possible to directly judge the quality or quality of noise reduction headphones. Han Yangyu, deputy director of the Standards Archive of Hubei Institute of Standardization and Quality, introduced that through the search, it was found that some headphone manufacturers have formulated and published the enterprise standards and group standards used in the noise-canceling headphones they produce.

For the selection of noise-canceling headphones, experts suggest that consumers should investigate in many ways, try to choose brand products, it is best to go to the physical store to experience the scene, select the products that suit them and then buy them. At the same time, remind, control the daily use time, especially in noisy environments, the daily use time is preferably not more than 4 hours, so as to avoid hearing damage.