Noise Isolation vs. Noise cancellation

Most layman people use the term “noise cancellation” to refer everything, ranging from isolation to soundproofing. Well, we can’t blame them. Low noise levels are what everyone wants, right? Why should you get into the specifications and technical details regarding the technology used? Nonetheless, what many people don’t realize is that there is much difference between noise cancellation and noise isolation. And as many are now opting for the latter in their boats and residence, we feel it is unnecessary to explain both of them, including noise cancelling panels.

Noise isolation

Sound or noise isolation is basically the traditional way of blocking external noises, which is using a tangible sound attenuation blanket to block or absorb sounds. Although this has two categories, among, sound blocking and sound absorption, the latter is used for engine insulation as it absorbs low wavelength sounds like those of engines using a soft isolation material like an egg crate or foam.

On the contrary, sound blocking uses the medium of hard soundproofing material, like a diffuser panel, to block and reflect all the incoming sounds. They are quite effective for high pitch noises, and can be made more effective by piling up with an absorption material layer.

Noise cancellation

The term noise cancellation is frequently used along with sophisticated headphones.

While they were previously restricted to headphones, they are used these days in everything from boat engines to car and also traditional airplane engine insulation while adhering to the NRC rating. The technology is much costlier to implement than conventional isolation method. There are other worries also. While noise cancellation does a great job of cancelling out low pitch sounds like air conditioners and engines, they are not truly the best in preventing high pitch sounds like horns and shrieks.