The $159 noise-canceling earbuds that can block out your partner's snoring

By MOLLIE CAHILLANE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 18:02 22 May 2018, updated 20:51 22 May 2018

  • Ex-Nokia engineers have designed noise canceling headphones for $159
  • They block low-frequency sounds and have 'sleeping' and 'hearing' modes
  • The designers analyzed hundreds of tapes of snoring and use a built in speaker to emit a sound designed to drown out audio irritations below 500 Hz

Ex-Nokia engineers have designed a revolutionary pair of headphones that can block out audio irritations with a frequency below 500 Hz, something they claim normal earbuds can't drown out.

The most common reason married couples sleep in separate rooms is due to the fact that one partner snores. 

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Snoring impacts 25 percent of people in the U.S. on a regular basis and over 50 percent on an occasional basis. Noise cancelling headphones can reduce these problems.

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Ex-Nokia engineers have designed a revolutionary pair of headphones that can block out audio irritations with a frequency below 500 Hz, something they claim normal earbuds can't drown out

QuietOn Sleep earphones first launched in 2016 thanks to an Indiegogo campaign that raised $1million. The second generation is 40 percent smaller and has raised $570,000.

The new $159 headphones were developed after designers analyzed hundreds of snoring audio tapes including sounds of snoring, traffic, and other noises coming though walls. 

The results are a set of earbuds with active noise cancellation that uses a microphone to sample the sound, and a speaker to create a phase-shifted sound that cancels the original sound.

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The buds are made with a soft foam cushion, and with a simple tap the modes can be altered from 'sleeping' to 'hearing'.

QuietOn Sleep earphones have 20 hours of battery life and the carrying case doubles as a charging station. 

QuietOn Sleep earphones first launched in 2016 thanks to an Indiegogo campaign that raised $1million. The second generation is 40 percent smaller and has raised $570,000

The case connects to a wall outlet via micro USB and can fully charge the buds in less than an hour.

'QuietOn earplugs combine the advantages of in-ear passive earplugs with active noise cancellation, providing optimal noise reduction across the whole audible spectrum,' a statement from the company reads.

'This makes QuietOn ideal for use in a variety of noisy environments.'

The headphones will be available in October 2018. 

HOW DOES ACTIVE NOISE CONTROL SOUND-CANCELLING TECHNOLOGY WORK?

Active noise control is found in high-end noise cancelling headphones and promises to reduce the amount of ambient sound entering a wearer's ears. 

Each headphone speaker is equipped with a microphone, which enables the system to detect the waveforms of sounds entering them.

It then generates an exact match for these sound waves, which is then inverted. 

When these two opposite signals meet, it cancels out the offending outside sounds.

Some systems claim to be capable of reducing noise by up to 90 per cent, although this may be as low as 50 per cent in some models.

The technology has existed for several decades, but has relatively recently been used in commercial headphones.

Even more recently, it has begun to be applied in industrial and other public situations.

Full size speakers equipped with the technology is used to cancel out the disruptive noises of transformers, compressors and other low frequency machinery.

A number of institutions are also working on ways to incorporate it into residential and commercial buildings, like homes, shops and offices. 

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