As mentioned, the ANC has varying degrees of intensity, which is blended with
ambient mics that pick up the outside world so you can hear your surroundings
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removes wide swaths of the low-frequency rumble you hear on planes and
trains and drastically reduces nearby chatter.
Dialing down to Level 5 is actually quite useful—you still block out plenty of
noise, but now you can hear some of your surroundings without them being a
distraction. My guess is people will use these headphones in the levels between
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when you’re not playing music.
Level 0 is what other ANC manufacturers call “ambient listening” or “hear-
through mode,” but it’s far more natural than any other ambient mode we’ve
tested. The mics pick up your surroundings quite well and levels are adjusted to
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between what your surroundings sound like with the headphones set to ANC
Level 0 and what they sound like without headphones at all. The other
impressive feat is the lack of delay—most ambient modes include a very slight
slapback delay that’s noticeable when you’re typing (the clicks arrive later than
they are happening) or chatting with someone. So Level 0 is an impressive new
height for ambient listening.