Take a look at a list of the best wireless headphones; in ours or any other round-up, you'd be hard-pressed to find a model that doesn't offer ANC, or active noise cancellation.
This technology works by hearing what's going on around you and feeding you anti-noise in your music, so loud background noises are nullified. And it's present on the majority of consumer-grade earbuds and headphones you can buy.
Despite reviewing earbuds and headphones as a large part of my job, I've never been sold on ANC as an important feature. To me, traits like fit, battery life, and listening tests are far more important.
Or they were, until a recent experience proved me wrong.
Why I didn't consider ANC an important feature
Hear me out here
I understand the value of noise cancellation headphones, but it's worth bearing in mind that you don't need ANC to cancel noise.
I often found PNC, or passive noise cancellation, sufficient in many situations. This refers to the natural muting that happens when earbuds are pressed into your ears, or headphones cover them, which deadens some incoming sound.
On top of that, if you're listening to loud music, it'll sometimes drown out surrounding sounds enough to make ANC redundant. It's not a strategy that's good for your hearing health, but again, it means noise cancellation isn't mandatory.
Part of reviewing audio gadgets is using them as an intended owner would. While I tested ANC headphones to their limits (taking them on the noisiest trains, to busy gyms, and on flights), not everyone needs intense use cases.
Many buyers, who'll only use their earbuds at home or in their office, don't need ANC. While I didn't rule ANC out, I didn't consider it a very important feature... until recently.
Traveling is what makes ANC really shine
Training myself to need ANC
Over the last few weeks, I've spent at least 15 hours on various train journeys, all in the interest of various holidays.
I've been on long jaunts to the furthest reaches of my own country, and traveled to other countries, and so I've become very familiar with the locomotive.
Being a tech journalist, I brought audio devices to pass the time: a pair of open earbuds for those fun holiday runs and over-ear headphones to use on the journeys.
The headphones in question were the Soundcore Space 2 from Anker, released earlier in the year for $130. We didn't cover them at Android Police, but I listed their in-ear cousins (also pictured in this article) as some of the best wireless earbuds to buy over Prime Day.
I picked the Space 2 because I thought their 50-hour battery life would be sufficient for the trip, and I remembered them having the fun, bassy sound profile I wanted for holiday tunes.
Noise cancellation wasn't the main consideration, and they're not the best ANC headphones I've tested this year, but I picked them knowing that the ANC was still above average. And I'm really glad I did.
Soundcore Space 2
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**Battery Life** - 50 hours
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**Bluetooth** - 6.1
The latest over-ear headphones from Anker, the Soundcore Space 2 are mid-range cans with a long battery, heavyweight ANC and bass-slanted sound.
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**Driver size** - 40mm
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**Weight** - 264g
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**Case included** - Fabric case
A cacophony of noises to cancel
Peace and quiet on a super-long train journey
As soon as I embarked on my first train, I knew I'd made a good decision to pick some heavyweight ANC headphones — and I felt even more glad after that first five-hour journey was over.
Long-distance trains are noisy, far more so than city transport. The rumble of the locomotive going down the tracks, the screaming of crying babies and chattering children, the incessant announcements about stations no one's ever heard of. They all add up.
The sound I can't stand most is a common pet peeve: people watching videos out loud from their phones. This whining buzz is annoying if one person is doing it, but if multiple people in your carriage are doing so, it's a nightmare.
On one coach journey I took, a child behind me spent the entire three hours watching SpongeBob SquarePants recaps out loud on a phone. No, not watching the cartoon: watching narrated recaps. If I didn't have ANC, I might have gone mad.
A pair of headphones that removes all this noise is a blessing. Such a pair hasn't been invented yet, but the best ANC headphones do a good job at removing the worst parts.
Thanks to my Soundcore Spaces, I could travel in (relative) peace, without wincing every time a baby woke up from its nap, or some drunk sports fans decided we needed another chorus of a chant.
It made countless hours of journeying much more tolerable. PNC or loud music would barely have taken the edge off.
Changing my tune on ANC in audio gadgets
I'm not going to pretend that ANC is now the only spec I'll consider when testing headphones and earbuds. But my travels have given me a better understanding of why certain users might value it higher than I'd initially thought.
Noise cancellation isn't an abstract concept I'll evaluate, but a new way to consider how people buy the gadgets I'm testing. When I'm traveling, it'll become a more important part of my headphone choice.
I now understand that in consumer gadgets (as opposed to audiophile ones), buyers might prefer it to perfect, neutral sound quality. It might even join one earbud feature as a non-negotiable for my own listening.