No... Noise cancellation requires electronic circuitry that "listens" to noises and attempts to send out the exact opposite sound profile, thereby cancelling out the original sound.
There are a few physical principles which limit the effectiveness of noise cancellation as an intervention method for snoring noise distractions.
They are:
- Snoring sounds fluctuate too rapidly (both in volume and tone) for noise cancellation circuitry to respond effectively. Noise cancellation is best suited to deal with consistent, predictable sounds, such as airplane noise, wind, etc.. Noise cancellation is commonly used to limit background sounds that would contaminate music clarity and enjoyment.
- Noise cancelling headphones ONLY have any effect at all on the sound that would otherwise have entered directly into your ear canal. They CANNOT do anything about the sound that vibrates your skull and travels through your head, to your inner ear. So about 50% of the original volume of the snoring reaches your inner ear without ever being altered by the noise cancellation circuitry. In other words... enough snoring noise volume simply bypasses the noise cancelling device and you wind up being distracted anyway.
- Aside from the facts described above, there is no noise cancellation technology in existence that is capable of 100% cancellation. The best that can be achieved is partial cancellation, which means that you would still be disturbed by the fluctuations of intermittent snoring sounds, even if bone conduction was not such a significant factor
SnorEraser can be used in conjunction with noise cancelling headphones. Which will further reduce the necessary volume required to reach the full masking threshold.
Noise cancelling headphones are by no means necessary, in order to achieve excellent results, but using them while enjoying SnorEraser may further enhance your overall experience.
The difference between noise cancellation and SnorEraser is that noise cancellation only alters sound that would otherwise enter into your ear canal only. Where SnorEraser gently floods the inner ear with a consistent sound that shares similar characteristics to that of the intermittent snoring, thereby preventing the recognition of any fluctuations in the intermittent snoring (regardless of the path of entry). It is the erratic, intermittent nature of snoring that disturbs your sleep, NOT the actual sound of the snoring itself.