Benefits of Active Noise Canceling to Prevent Excessive Noise Exposure Via Personal Listening Devices

Abstract

Background and Objectives The use of personal listening devices (PLDs), particularly wireless earbuds, has increased substantially, raising concerns about noise-induced hearing loss as users often raise volumes in noisy environments. Many recent earbuds are equipped with active noise canceling (ANC) technology. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ANC in four popular wireless earbud models using both subjective and objective methods in simulated noisy conditions.Subjects and Method A total of 47 participants with normal hearing completed listening tests each using the earbud under ANC ON and ANC OFF conditions. Preferred listening levels (PLLs) were obtained under bus and café noise conditions, and real-ear measurements (REMs) were obtained under bus noise. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare PLLs and REMs across ANC conditions and earbud types.Results Significant interaction effects between earbud type and ANC status were observed for both PLLs (p<0.001 in bus noise; p=0.003 in café noise) and REMs (p<0.001 at low and whole frequencies; p<0.001 at high frequencies). Among the four models, earbuds C and D showed greatest reductions in both volume levels and ambient noise.Conclusion Although ANC performance varied slightly between models, overall, ANC was effective in reducing PLLs and real-ear sound levels in noisy environments. These findings suggest that ANC-equipped wireless earbuds may help reduce potential sound exposure during PLD use; however, further longitudinal studies with audiometric outcomes are needed to determine whether these reductions translate into long-term hearing protection.