Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) works similarly to a game of tug of war. If two teams tug with the same force, the rope won’t move in either direction because each team’s strength is canceled out. Soundwaves work in a similar way: If one sound wave meets another soundwave that’s the same in frequency and opposite in amplitude, the two sounds will cancel each other out.

Headphones with ANC use tiny microphones inside the ear cups to continuously analyze the sound of your surrounding environment.

The microphones identify the frequency and amplitude of the external sounds, then ANC uses this information to create a soundwave that’s the exact opposite. This contrasting soundwave gets played through the internal drivers on your headphones and, voilà, the unwanted noise is eliminated.