AirPods Max - anyone else experienced a strong pressure inside ear from NC?

[whitedragon101]

I tried out AirPods max today and when I turned on the Noise cancelling I felt a strong pressure inside my ear. Like when you can’t equalise them pressure on a flight. After a minute or so it made me so nauseated I actually wretched a bit. Broken I thought. So tried another pair and another. I tried 4 pairs all the same. A strong pressure and after a minute or so feeling sick

Then tried the Sony XM4, Bose 700 and there was no problem.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yep - it's one of the things (along with clamp force) that made me abandon them.

I found the suction/pressure on the APM to be really strong and vary bothersome.

It's something that's on most NC over ear headsets to varying degrees and is somewhat subjective if a particular model bothers a particular user.

 

[johntw]

I actually found this to only be noticeable when I first tested ANC a few times. After that, I noticed the amount of “pressure” was determined by how much noise the system was working to eliminate. For the most part, I haven’t really noticed it being a problem as much as I feared. But we are all sensitive to different experiences in unique ways.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But we are all sensitive to different experiences in unique ways.

Absolutely the key thing here

 

[whitedragon101]

I noticed the amount of “pressure” was determined by how much noise the system was working to eliminate.

That definitely seemed to be true. I went to a second shop which was quieter and the pressure was unpleasant but definitely less. However after a minute or so the nausea got me and had to take them off to keep my breakfast on the inside.

 

[Htsi]

Yes, normal with NC. I found it better than qc35 & xm4

 

[Julien]

ANC doesn't create or produce pressure. It actually reduces SPL. You are likely experiencing a type of disorientation or other phenomena. ANC uses destructive interference to reduce SPL but does NOT increase it.

Noise is read and then an out of phase signal is created and added (destructive interference) that removes the noise and results in lower noise SPL (pressure).

Here is a good article that explains how ANC works.

Active Noise Cancellation: What Is It And How Does It Work? - Soundproof Panda

Usually when we encounter a noise problem in our life the first thing we do is seek to block it out. This is called passive noise reduction it involves insulating a room…

soundproofpanda.com

 

[NewBench]

It bothered me to begin with, but now it's just something I've become used to

 

[Seanm87]

I had this with the pros. Actually hurt my ears since felt like I was underwater. I thought I'd have to return them but after 1-2 weeks I got used to them and have had no problems since.

No issues with the max but that's probably because I was used to the NC on the pros.

 

[bigshot]

I don't think this has anything to do with noise cancellation. It's getting used to having the ear cups all around your ear creating a seal. If you aren't used to wearing over the ear headphones, it takes a little getting used to.

 

[Htsi]

I don't think this has anything to do with noise cancellation. It's getting used to having the ear cups all around your ear creating a seal. If you aren't used to wearing over the ear headphones, it takes a little getting used to.

There’s a difference in the feel of them in all 3 modes.

 

[bigshot]

Not with my ears. There is absolutely no reason why there should be any difference in pressure between the modes, unless the volume levels are different.

 

[Marshall73]

Never had anything like this on over ear headphones. In ear, when the fit is too tight, causes me to feel sick but not over ear Units.

 

[bigshot]

It's all about the seal and how it works with your particular ear canals and head shape, not noise cancellation. People think that cancelling out sound involves doubling the volume, but the exact opposite is true. Noise cancelling should produce the least pressure, and passthrough mode should provide the most, because it has more sound than the other two modes.

 

[NastyMatt]

The 'cabin pressure' feel is 100% caused by ANC. It is your brain thinking there is no low level frequency sound, causing (your brain to think there is) a pressure differential between your inner and outer ear.

Simply test, turn the ANC on and off! Goes away when you turn it off. Some people get used to it - others do not.

Nothing to do with the seal of the ear cup over your ears.

 

[Julien]

The 'cabin pressure' feel is 100% caused by ANC. It is your brain thinking there is no low level frequency sound, causing (your brain to think there is) a pressure differential between your inner and outer ear.

Simply test, turn the ANC on and off! Goes away when you turn it off. Some people get used to it - others do not.

Nothing to do with the seal of the ear cup over your ears.

That is not the science or how ANC works. An analogy and visual understanding.

You have a large speaker in front of you. Turn it on and play it loudly. You will see the cone move in and out and it is the same as the audio wave. You will also hear it because of the SPL. Now add an ANC wave (same signal but out of phase) and it will cause destructive interference and the speaker will stop moving in and out, you will hear no sound and it will be the same as if you turned it off.

You eardrum behaves the same way as a speaker cone (this is how you hear). So if you add destructive interference it doesn't vibrate in and out and the SPL is lowered.

 

[NastyMatt]

That is not the science or how ANC works. An analogy and visual understanding.

You have a large speaker in front of you. Turn it on and play it loudly. You will see the cone move in and out and it is the same as the audio wave. You will also hear it because of the SPL. Now add an ANC wave (same signal but out of phase) and it will cause destructive interference and the speaker will stop moving in and out, you will hear no sound and it will be the same as if you turned it off.

You eardrum behaves the same way as a speaker cone (this is how you hear). So if you add destructive interference it doesn't vibrate in and out and the SPL is lowered.

Absence of SPL (or should I say the presence of antiphase) does not create actual pressure, it's why people 'think' there is pressure that is the issue here.

Even if you don't believe me - simple google will explain:

Why Do Noise Canceling Headphones Hurt My Ears?

Is that new pair of noise canceling headphones putting a weird, painful "pressure" on your ears? Well, that pain is actually your brain's fault, and it may be unavoidable.

www.howtogeek.com

Noise Cancelling Headphones

The precious noise-cancelling headphones that every seasoned traveller carries in their bags are actually quite an incredible piece of technology. These headphones work by listening via microphone to the surrounding sound waves, and then creating and playing the exact opposite waves, in order to...

www.mcgill.ca

Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Hurt Your Ears? You’re Not Alone.

Before buying noise-cancelling headphones, you should think about what kinds of noise you want to reduce—and find out if you’re susceptible to “eardrum suck.”

www.nytimes.com

 

[bigshot]

Yes, lots of people claim this, but it's expectation bias. People expect noise cancelling to be producing sound pressure they can't hear, so they become sensitive to the seal on the headphones and react to that. It has nothing directly to do with noise cancelling. It has more to do with people's misconceptions about how noise cancelling works.

 

[Julien]

Absence of SPL (or should I say the presence of antiphase) does not create actual pressure, it's why people 'think' there is pressure that is the issue here.

Even if you don't believe me - simple google will explain:

Looks like we are misreading each others posts. Reread both of mine above and you will see that is what I said. I KNOW that destructive interference (out of phase) waves lower the SPL. My analogy even clearly visualizes this.

Many people seem to be conflating atmospheric pressure and SPL (two totally different things). There is no way that ANC can increase atmospheric pressure on the ears. And if it did increase SPL (Sound Pressure Level) they would by definition HEAR it since it would be louder.

While there may be a problem or problems some are having (still most likely just perceived/placebo) it is NOT an increase in SPL form ANC that is the cause since ANC decreases SPL. The exact opposite.