What are Digital Noise Canceling Headphones?
Noise canceling headphones sample ambient (surrounding) noise through a microphone and use signal processing to generate signals that cancel ambient noise. Emitting these cancelling signals as sound through a driver unit provides the user with a quiet listening environment. The signal processing system at the heart of noise canceling headphones has conventionally been based on analog technology because of issues relating to processing speed. By introducing digital signal processing, Sony has succeeded in creating a system that offers unique advantages, as described below.
