It is a question that has been asked more than ever during the entire 2020 because of the global pandemic. And people getting forced to work from their homes.
I, someone who has been working from Home for the last decade, with two boys and a wife (who is a food blogger and is always doing something in the kitchen), have some things to share when working from Home without minimum distractions.
Minimum distraction, because we can never have zero distractions. I am talking about using noise-canceling headphones to cut the distracting noises to be more productive.
Can noise-canceling headphones cut distracting noises? Yes. Do you absolutely need them? Not really. But they can be helpful.
What exactly are noise-cancelling headphones?
As the name suggests, they cancel out the noise so that you can enjoy your music without getting affected by external noises. But some people also use it without actually listening to the music and purely for its noise-canceling features.
These headphones have mics on the outside that listen to the surroundings around you. Then they find static noises, mainly low-frequency sounds, and then create anti-noise sounds to silence them.
Sounds are in the form of waves, having mountains and valleys. The headphones produce waves opposite of it, which results in a straight line, which is silence.
Can noise-cancelling headphones cut distracting noises
I have tried a couple of noise-canceling headphones. Thankfully, this tech has also been introduced in TWS earphones lately, thanks to Apple AirPods Pro for initiating the trend.
They are not as good as the headphones because they passively cancel noise because they cover your ears. But the TWS has also become pretty good at noise cancellation.
I have recently bought a Noise Cancelling TWS Earphones from Oppo. It’s the Oppo Enco X, cheaper than any other ANC equipped TWS earphones. They are pretty amazing.
I have previously written an article where I mentioned that you could use any regular earphones to cut down distractions around you. In short, you can play any calming sound and use earphones.
I have been working from Home wearing these; whenever the noise reaches a level, I start getting distracted.
These days I find myself using the Oppo Enco X Earbuds more, and I can now say they do help me a bit. I mean, I can do without it as well. But it’s helpful to completely block only the sounds coming from the adjacent room, annoying neighbors, and random vehicle honkings on the nearby road without listening to random white noises.
ANC doesn’t completely block all the noises. At least not as of now. I mean, I can still hear my boys screaming when they are playing or fighting (I always find them playing, though), but the sound is not unpleasant to an extent it would distract me.
If you are working from Home, and distractions cost you money, it would be wise to invest in ANC Headphones. My pick would be the Sony WH-1000XM4.
But if you are looking for something that you can carry in your pocket, you can then pick ANC TWS Earphones. They aren’t bad at all. And are also a little cheaper than the headphones.
Buy Sony WH-1000XM4 (The Headphones)
Buy Sony WK-1000XM3 (The TWS Earphones)
