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Advanced ANC

Cut the noise, not your music.

There are times when we all want to shut out the world around us and disappear into our own private space with our favorite music. For those times, noise-cancelling headphones are a must. These kinds of devices have been commercially available since 1989, when they were used by pilots to reduce cockpit noise. Since then, the technology has evolved to handle the wide range of frequencies involved in music, but not all noise-cancelling is the same.

The challenge is eliminating noise without changing the music we love. Modern active noise-cancelling (ANC) technology uses microphones, both internally and externally positioned, to measure noise; processing is then applied to remove the noise component. Thanks to ever-shrinking electronic circuitry, ANC is commonly found in headphones, earphones and even earbuds today. However, differences in placement of microphones and processing mean that ANC is still not a consistent experience for all ear sizes and head shapes.

Enter Advanced ANC, one of the adaptive technologies featured in the new top-of-the line Yamaha YH-E700A wireless noise-cancelling headphones and EP-E70A wireless noise-cancelling earphones. This takes ANC to a higher level by not only measuring the external noise of the environment but also precisely taking real-time measurements of the noise elements present inside the headphone. Sophisticated processing is then applied to remove that noise without affecting the music signal.

Back in the Day

Early versions of noise-cancelling headphones tended to overemphasize the reduction of lower frequencies, resulting in thin sound with little in the way of deep bass. That’s because there was no method of completely isolating the noise component from the music inside the headphone. As a result, the cancelling signal contained not only noise but a significant amount of music too, resulting in the cancellation of low-frequency music content. To compensate, the low frequencies in the signal had to be artificially boosted before being sent to the drivers, making for a less-than-natural result.

Accounting for Fit

The way headphones fit over your ears (and the way earphones sit in your ear canals) affect how much outside noise and music signal reach the internal microphone. Advanced ANC analyzes the signals received by the internal microphone, using a precise processing algorithm developed by Yamaha that isolates the unique noise component reaching your ears and meticulously removes it from the music. Outside noise reaching the ear is cancelled, while the music signal remains pure and untouched. Because no unnecessary processing is performed on the music signal, you hear every note of your favorite songs … including the always important bass.

With Advanced ANC, you can have a truly personalized listening experience that makes you feel like it’s just you and your music, wherever you happen to be.

Want to learn more? Check out the video: