How ANR In AviationHeadsets Works

Higher-end aviation headsets
count on Active Noise
Reduction (ANR) to achieve
a quieter flight environment.
Manufacturers use this
technology to give you the perception that sound is
reduced. These are the 2 key
components of how sound is
controlled when you wear a
headset while flying: 1. Passive noise control
provided by the fit of the ear
cup around your ear 2. Active noise control from
the acoustic components of
the ANR process Headsets reduce sound
passively through fit. This is
achieved through design of
the material the ear cup is
made of as well as the
amount of force the ear cup exerts on the area
surrounding your ears. All headsets - ANR or not -
reduce and filter the sound
this way. ANR technology goes
beyond that and attempts to
kill the rest of the sound that
creeps into the ear cup
environment. Here are the components that
make it work … 1. Microphones to pick up
ambient noise 2. Electronics that match the
sound and create an opposite
sound 3. Speakers that broadcast the
opposite signal into the ear
cup environment to cancel
the ambient noises The way this all comes
together is the microphones
first sense the frequency and
amplitude of the noise in the
ear cup. The electronics in the
headset understand and
reproduce opposite wave
forms of the same sound and
communicate that to the
speakers. The speakers then send that
opposite wave sound into the
ear cup to cancel the
perception of noise. Obviously, this all happens
real time - a delay in sound
delivery would make the
ANR exercise pointless
because you would hear
feedback otherwise. In order to get real
cancellation the electronics
must be sophisticated enough
to pick up on subtle
differences in cockpit noise.
The more perceptive the electronics, the greater the
accuracy of the noise
cancellation. The toughest job for headset
manufacturers is to draw a
balance between the passive
filtration of sound via the
clamping force of the ear
cups and the ANR. Obviously the more effective
the passive noise control
provided by the ear cups
themselves the less work the
ANR technology must
perform. The problem is the passive
steps can make the headset
uncomfortable to wear, so
there are tradeoffs the
designers must make. The degree to which they get
the mix of passive and ANR
right determines their
marketplace success. Higher-end headsets tend to
be very comfortable and do
an excellent job of
cancelling sound. The choice
for you in which headset you
buy is more one of personal preference. No one headset
works best for every head
and for every flight
environment. Roger Brown has been a
helicopter and airplane pilot
for 40 years. AND, he
happens to be crazy about
new gadgets. If you want to
see detailed comparisons of high-end aviation headsets
check out Best Aviation Headset Reviews . Article Source: http:// EzineArticles.com/?
expert=Roger_G_Brown