System-Level Solutions for Active Noise Canceling Headphones

Product Development

Moderator:
Michael Klasco, Menlo Scientific Ltd. - Richmond, CA, USA
Panelists:
Mark Donaldson, SoundChip - Aran-Villette, Vaud, Switzerland
Mark Noon, SoundChip - UK

Active noise canceling headphones were first commercialized over 30 years ago yet remain a challenging product to design, manufacture and quality control. Best practice design methods for high performance passive headphones are not fully adequate when developing those with an active noise cancelling feature. Physical construction from materials, earcup wall thickness and ribbing, intra-cavity sealing and mechanical integrity of glue joints, speaker driver parameters and circuit topology all contribute to an active noise cancellation headphone’s unit-to-unit performance and stability in mass production. Our talk will focus on the unique construction and performance aspects that require particular attention during the development phase, as well as the need for precision, speed and automation during end of line testing and calibration.