Noise Cancelling Plugin?

[TommyArnold]

Hey i was on an airplane the other day listening to music and thought it might be cool if there would be a way to make a noise canceling plug-in that didn't affect volume in anyway.  it would play sound waves that are 180 degrees out of phase with the intruding waves.  You could turn on the plug-in when you wanted it.  One of the problems i foresaw was that there was the possibility of a lot of noise from your clothes like if it was in your pocket.  However on the plane i wasn't going anywhere and simply put it down on my lap so i could access it easily.  that in itself eliminated that problem.  I don't think i want this feature all the time just on those occasions when i am in transit and so i think it would be best if it was a plug-in not an sound option.  I'm using a Sansa e280 with rockbox!!   

[gevaerts]

You mean, like cancelling the noise getting to your ears by sampling the noise getting to your player more than half a meter away? I don't see that working...

[GodEater]

I'd just invest in some decent IEMs with good isolation. Much better idea.

[donp]

Noise canceling phone performance is limited (frequency and dB) by how far the microphone is from the headphone speaker.  Typically <1 inch. 

You want a small percent of a wavelength for the highest frequency you want to cancel.

[GodEater]

Hence get isolating headphones rather than wasting time / money on "noice cancellation". It's just a gimmick in my experience.

[cool_walking_]

I have some noise cancelling headphones (Sony MDR MC6) that I got as a gift and some IEMs (Sennheiser CX300, recommended by some members here), and the IEMs work *much* better - they block out much more noise, don't make a hissing sound in the background like the headphones tend to, don't need batteries, and are much more portable.  The only downsides are: they could be seen as slightly less comfortable than 'phones (though I think most people would get used to it), and they tend to collect earwax.

[donp]

In my experience, cancellation works best at keeping out low frequencies, foam plugs or muff protectors work better for high frequencies.  I'd like to try something that has both.

Either way, not an issue at all for Rockbox unless you have phones with the mics, no built in circuitry, and a player with stereo mic input.

[GodEater]

I'm currently using triple flange plastic sleeves on my Shure E2Cs - and I can't hear a thing from the surrounding area. Volume on the player is set to about a third of what's possible - so the music isn't deafening either.

[TommyArnold]

Thanks everybody, sounds to me like IEM's are the way to go.

[BdN3504]

Concerning IEMs: I got the UE Super.fi 4s and they are pretty neat to use with rockbox. They are loud (i listen to music at -23dB -> absolutely enough on my gigabeat f) and cancel noise very well. The best thing about them is their neutrality, you can continuously listen with them without getting a headache...