The Best ANC headsets

Noise is everywhere. Whether you work from home, in the office, or on the go, you’re likely to be exposed to distracting sounds from neighbors, colleagues, or general ambient noise.


Wearing ANC-type Other Features ANC Headsets

Noise is everywhere. Whether you work from home, in the office, or on the go, you’re likely to be exposed to distracting sounds from neighbors, colleagues, or general ambient noise.

That’s why headsets with ANC—”active noise cancellation”—have become an invaluable tool for busy professionals.
These types of headsets work by sensing the noise around you and generating a kind of “anti-noise” signal to reduce it. This helps you tune out distractions and focus on the job at hand.

But not all ANC headsets are the same. EPOS carries a number of different professional ANC headsets. To make the right choice for you, it’s important to consider several key factors.

In-ear or over-the-ear?

First off, there’s the wearing style and form factor. ANC headsets tend to come in two types:

In-ear ANC earbuds

As the name suggests, these earbuds go directly inside your ear, creating a sound-isolating plug to keep out external noise.

This wearing style is most relevant for people looking to use ANC headsets on the move, as earbuds are more portable and convenient.

Over-the-ear ANC headsets

These are headsets with larger earcups that fully cover the ear to create effective sound isolation with added passive noise dampening. This type of headset is most frequently used in the office.
The added benefit here is that the microphone is typically located closer to the mouth (especially if they come with a boom arm) to ensure optimal voice pickup.

Feedback, feed-forward, or hybrid?

In addition to the wearing style, there’s the question of how ANC headsets actually function.

Feedback ANC

In this type of ANC system, the noise-sensing microphone is located on the outside of the ear piece.
This helps it catch the incoming noise early and adjust the signal more quickly.

The disadvantage here is that this sensor microphone doesn’t hear the “end” result and has no way to self-correct if it generates any unfavorable sounds for the wearer. It also risks overreacting to wind noise.

Feed-forward ANC

In this ANC setup, the sensor microphone is located inside the earcup. As such, what it “hears” is more aligned with what the user hears.
This helps the headset better adjust the levels of active noise cancellation.

At the same time, feed-forward ANC may end up creating higher levels of static “buzzing” noise because the sensor microphone and the speaker are so close together.

Hybrid ANC

These ANC headsets offer the best of both worlds by having microphones on the inside and the outside of the earcup. This helps compensate for most of the disadvantages of each separate system.

Because it requires two sensor mics, this type of ANC system tends to be more expensive. It’s also more complex and tricky to get just right, so it requires significant engineering know-how. At EPOS, we’re proud to offer a range of headsets with hybrid ANC.

Other considerations

In addition to the above, ANC headsets may have additional features you may find relevant depending on your individual needs. At EPOS, we offer the following:

Adaptive ANC

This automatically adjusts the level of active noise cancellation depending on the surrounding noise. This allows the headset to lower the static “buzz” from ANC in quieter environments and boost ANC in more noisy settings.

Adjustable ANC

This puts the user in charge by letting them manually set their preferred ANC levels to make sure they get the best mix of noise cancellation and sound clarity.

EPOS headsets with ANC: Which one is right for you?

Many of our professional headsets come with ANC to help workers focus in busy offices, noisy households, or on the go.

  • ADAPT 300: Work your way in style

    The ADAPT 300 series is an over-ear ANC Bluetooth® headset for any noisy environment. It reduces background noise to help you focus on work, wherever you may be. The headset has a stylish, contemporary look with soft ergonomic earpads designed for comfortable wear.

    Recommended for: Flexible workers who need some noise reduction in different settings.

    Explore the ADAPT 300

  • ADAPT 500: Stay agile, achieve more

    The ADAPT 500 series puts comfort in focus with a low-impact headband and soft earpads. Combined with a hybrid, four-microphone ANC, the on-ear earpads deliver great sound isolation, helping workers stay focused in noisy environments.

    Recommended for: Workers needing a comfortable headset that effectively blocks out distractions without sacrificing call quality.

    Explore the ADAPT 500

  • Adapt 600: Work wherever, whenever

    The ADAPT 600 series is built to deliver ultimate call quality and sound. The headset boasts hybrid, adaptive ANC that uses four microphones to effectively adapt to the sound environment and reduce noise. It is also powered by EPOS AI™ for crystal-clear calls with superior stereo sound.

    Recommended for: Workers looking for an all-in-one, over-ear ANC headset with truly unmatched audio and call quality

    Explore ADAPT 600

  • IMPACT 600: The Noise Buster

    The IMPACT 600 Series puts speech clarity and noise reduction above all. In addition to ANC, it is equipped with ultra noise-canceling microphones. This ensures that both sides of the call can focus on the conversation and hear each other perfectly.

    Recommended for: Especially noisy environments where noise reduction and call clarity are paramount.

    Explore the IMPACT 600

  • IMPACT 800: The Next Generation

    Be heard no matter the level of background noise and get super wideband audio for natural sound. Enjoy total ease of use with intuitive controls and smart features.

    Recommended for: The stationary worker on calls around 50% of the day.

    Explore the IMPACT 800

  • IMPACT 1000: For The New Open Office

    IMPACT 1000 is designed for the New Open Office environment. Built on EPOS BrainAdapt™ technology to reduce brain fatigue with adaptive ANC and industry-leading voice pickup powered by EPOS AI™.

    Recommended for: The flexible worker with a need for connection to multiple devices.

    Explore the IMACT 1000