I can turn it off with a button, is it only software driven?
In: 3
i think they have a microphone that listens to what’s going on around you and then play an audio back through them that has audio with a reversed phase (so where one has a peak the other has a trough) so the wavelengths of sound cancel each other out
> is it only software driven?
Yes.
There’s things called destructive interference.
Active Noise canceling in airpods and other products work with listening microphones and
then playing an opposite noise it effectively cancels out the outside noise. The button just turns that feature on or off. It’s why it works well against repetitive noises like transit but is a little imperfect for sharp impulses or constantly changing noises.
An easy metaphor is imagine someone splashing in a pool across from you. It makes ripples in the water. But the ripples can be canceled out by also splashing from your side. When the two waves meet they cancel each other out.
Here’s a comment written by someone in the headphone space on how ANC works:
>https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9cn1sv/noise_cancelling_headphones_total_silence/e5ehqi9/
The ANC in the newer AirPods Pro is no different than in the older ones, in terms of how it works. The processor chip however is newer/better, it can work faster, meaning not only are shorter-duration sounds (e.g., clapping) more dampened, but the ANC also is now able to work higher in frequency, covering more of the audible spectrum.
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