Right — and the gap isn't the headset's fault. AI noise cancellation solves one problem very well: it cleans up what the person on the other end of your call hears. It does much less for the people sitting around you, who still hear every word you say, and nothing for your own concentration when the next desk is on a call. The hardest sound to remove is also the most common one in an open office: other people talking. Microsoft's own voice isolation needs a voice profile and is switched off in meeting-room mode. Krisp, a leading noise-removal app, says in its own FAQ that "no tool can guarantee perfect silence in every situation." A good headset is one layer. The room, the floor plan and a few etiquette rules are the others.
What does each kind of "noise cancellation" actually do?
| Technology | Acts on | Good at | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancellation (ANC) in the ear cups | What the wearer hears | Steady low-frequency sound such as air-con hum | Weaker on speech; does nothing for the far end or for neighbours |
| Beamforming / noise-cancelling microphone | What the microphone picks up | Sound arriving from off to the side | A talker close by in the same direction still gets through |
| Teams noise suppression | Your outgoing call audio | Non-voice noise: keyboards, fans, traffic | Other voices can pass through |
| Teams voice isolation | Your outgoing call audio | Removes sounds and voices that don't match your voice profile | Needs an enrolled profile; automatically off in meeting-room mode |
| Krisp and similar apps | Incoming and outgoing audio | Background voices and noise | Vendor: "no tool can guarantee perfect silence in every situation" |
| Room acoustics, pods and quiet zones | The space itself | Everyone, at both ends of every call | Costs space and budget; needs planning |
Source: Microsoft Learn, voice isolation in Teams (16 Apr 2026) and Microsoft 365 message MC1442609 (Jul/Aug 2026); Krisp noise-cancellation page (updated 11 Dec 2025); WELL Building Standard v1 Feature 78. Checked 8 Nov 2026. Descriptions of ANC and beamforming are general principles. SourceIT has not tested these products.
Why is AI noise cancellation "not enough"?
Because it works on the call, not on the office. All the software tools in the table process the audio signal you send. They can make you sound clean to a client in Tokyo while the colleague two metres away hears your entire conversation. That's a productivity problem for them and a privacy problem for you if the call is about salaries, customers or a deal.
It also struggles with the sound that matters most. Background voices sit in the same frequency range as your own voice, so they are much harder to separate than a fan or a keyboard. Microsoft's answer is voice isolation, a personalised AI model that, according to Microsoft, removes "any sounds or voices" that don't match the user's voice profile. It's genuinely useful, but the user must enrol a voice profile first, which is stored on the local device. It's also automatically disabled when a laptop switches into Teams' meeting-room mode, so it won't rescue a noisy huddle space. Microsoft's admin controls let IT decide whether voice isolation and enrolment are allowed, which is worth a short policy discussion, as a voice profile is personal data.
The hardware side has similar limits. ANC is excellent at steady hum and weaker on speech, as we explain in are we paying too much for ANC? A good microphone still hears a nearby talker, which is why your S$400 headset still picks up background noise.
Rule of thumb: headsets and AI fix what the far end hears. Only the room and the rules fix what the near end hears.
What should the room do that the headset can't?
Open-plan acoustics are a design problem with known targets. The WELL Building Standard v1, a widely used workplace health standard, sets a reverberation time of no more than 0.5 seconds for open workspaces and 0.6 seconds for conference rooms. Hard ceilings, glass walls and bare floors push a room well past that, so every conversation carries further. Practical measures, roughly in order of cost:
- Zoning. Put call-heavy teams (sales, support, recruiters) together and away from focus-heavy teams (finance, engineering). It costs a seating plan, not money.
- Absorption. Acoustic ceiling tiles, wall panels, soft desk screens and carpet reduce how far speech travels.
- Phone booths and pods. One- and two-person booths give private calls somewhere to go, and take pressure off meeting rooms booked for a single person on a Teams call.
- Quiet zones and call zones. Clear signage plus a simple rule: long calls happen in call zones or booths, not at hot desks next to people trying to focus.
- Meeting rooms that suit the team size. Several small huddle rooms often serve a hybrid office better than one large boardroom, as we argue in huge boardroom vs huddle rooms. When those rooms sound bad, the cause is usually acoustics too; see why your meeting room sounds terrible.
Where do headsets still fit?
As the personal layer. For people who take calls at their desk, choose headsets that carry Microsoft's "Premium Microphone for Open Office" designation, which Microsoft uses to identify headsets that pick up the wearer's voice without transmitting nearby sound. Then turn on Teams voice isolation where your policy allows it. We compare the microphone evidence brand by brand in Jabra vs Yealink vs Poly microphones for noisy offices, and our open-plan shortlist is in the best headsets for noisy Singapore offices.
ANC also helps the wearer stay comfortable. The WHO notes that noise-cancelling headphones reduce the urge to turn the volume up, and its safe-listening guidance puts 80 dB as safe for up to 40 hours a week, 85 dB for about 12.5 hours and 90 dB for only 4 hours. In a busy open office, people without ANC may compensate with volume. Encourage staff to keep headset volume moderate. The WHO's simple guide is below 60% of maximum.
What's a sensible plan for a Singapore open office?
Start with the cheapest layers. Rearrange seating by call load, and agree call-zone and booth etiquette. Issue Open Office-designated headsets to heavy callers and set Teams noise suppression and voice isolation policies. Then measure complaints for a month. If people still can't focus or overhear sensitive calls, that's the case for acoustic panels or one or two phone booths. That's a facilities budget, not an IT one, so involve both teams early.
Buying in Singapore
For the headset layer, these ANC models are listed in stock (listed 8 Nov 2026): Jabra Evolve2 85 MS S$635, Jabra Evolve2 75 MS S$480, Jabra Engage 75 SE stereo DECT S$625 and EPOS Impact 1061T ANC S$420. The new Jabra Evolve3 85 MS is price on request. Prices change; ask for a current quotation. For meeting-room audio and huddle-room kits, tell us the room sizes and we'll propose options. Use Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, email Sales@sourceit.com.sg or use our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI noise cancellation stop colleagues hearing my calls? No. It cleans the audio sent to the far end. People nearby still hear you, which is why phone booths, call zones and acoustic treatment matter in open offices.
What is Microsoft Teams voice isolation? A personalised AI feature that removes sounds and voices that don't match your enrolled voice profile. It needs a profile, can be controlled by IT, and is switched off in meeting-room mode.
Is ANC or a noise-cancelling microphone more important? They do different jobs. ANC protects what you hear; the microphone and software decide what others hear. For open offices, prioritise the microphone, ideally an Open Office-designated model.
What reverberation time should an open office target? The WELL Building Standard v1 sets 0.5 seconds or less for open workspaces and 0.6 seconds or less for conference rooms.
Can noise-cancelling headphones protect hearing? They can help by reducing the urge to raise the volume. The WHO advises keeping listening levels moderate, for example below 60% of maximum volume.
