| Benefits of Active Noise Canceling to Prevent Excessive Noise Exposure Via Personal Listening Devices |
Hee Jung Yun1,2
, Seoyoung Jo3
, Jeong-Seo Kim4
, Mini Jo2
, Doyun Kim5, Sujin Lee6
, Il Joon Moon2,7
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1Department of Medical Device Management and Research, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
2Hearing Research Laboratory, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
3Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
4Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Aural Rehabilitation, Woosong University, Daejeon, Korea
5Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VHS Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
6Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
7Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea |
| 개인용 청취기기 사용 시 과도한 소음 노출 예방을 위한 능동 소음 제거의 효과 |
| 윤희정1,2
, 조서영3
, 김정서4
, 조민이2
, 김도윤5, 이수진6
, 문일준2,7
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1성균관대학교 삼성융합의과학원 의료기기산업학과
2삼성서울병원 청각연구실
3성균관대학교 의과대학
4우송대학교 언어치료·청각재활학과
5중앙보훈병원 이비인후과
6Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
7성균관대학교 의과대학 삼성서울병원 이비인후과학교실 |
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Received: 9 May 2026; Revised: June 27, 2026 Accepted: 15 July 2026. Published online: 16 October 2026. |
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| ABSTRACT |
Background and Objectives
The use of personal listening devices (PLDs), particularly wireless earbuds, has increased substantially, raising concerns about noise-induced hearing loss as users often raise volumes in noisy environments. Many recent earbuds are equipped with active noise canceling (ANC) technology. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ANC in four popular wireless earbud models using both subjective and objective methods in simulated noisy conditions.
Subjects and Method
A total of 47 participants with normal hearing completed listening tests each using the earbud under ANC ON and ANC OFF conditions. Preferred listening levels (PLLs) were obtained under bus and café noise conditions, and real-ear measurements (REMs) were obtained under bus noise. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare PLLs and REMs across ANC conditions and earbud types.
Results
Significant interaction effects between earbud type and ANC status were observed for both PLLs (p<0.001 in bus noise; p=0.003 in café noise) and REMs (p<0.001 at low and whole frequencies; p<0.001 at high frequencies). Among the four models, earbuds C and D showed greatest reductions in both volume levels and ambient noise.
Conclusion
Although ANC performance varied slightly between models, overall, ANC was effective in reducing PLLs and real-ear sound levels in noisy environments. These findings suggest that ANC-equipped wireless earbuds may help reduce potential sound exposure during PLD use; however, further longitudinal studies with audiometric outcomes are needed to determine whether these reductions translate into long-term hearing protection. |
| Keywords:
Active noise cancelingㆍ Hearing protectionㆍ Noise-induced hearing lossㆍ Noisy environmentsㆍ Personal listening devices |
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