Noise un-cancelling headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones are a must if you enjoy music. There’s nothing quite like trying to immerse yourself in whatever you’re listening to, only to be thwarted by the sounds of incessant chatter around you, babies crying, car horns blaring, or just the rumble of the subway train. A good pair of headphones will drown all of that out, leaving you with only sweet sounds.

Earbuds are great, but removing them just to hear someone speaking to you sucks.

But noise-cancelling headphones can also be frustrating. Someone’s trying to get your attention — probably to tell you something you don’t want to hear anyway. They tap you on the shoulder. You take off the headphones. They babble something. You put the headphones back on, situate them just right, immerse yourself.

Then they tap your shoulder again. Headphones off. Listen. Headphones on. Adjust. Repeat.

Noise un-cancelling headphones would solve that problem by allowing an external noise pass-through. A control on the headphone cable would drop the sound level delivered by the device they’re plugged into, and boost the volume of the outside noise delivered through the headphones themselves. The outside noise would be captured by external mics.

This allows you to hit a button to hear whatever you need to of the outside world, without removing your earbuds or taking off your headset. Perfect for train, bus or plane travel, studio recording sessions and more.

Problem solved. You’re welcome.