Your S$400 headset still lets colleagues hear the office because "noise cancellation" means two different things. Active noise cancellation (ANC) works on what you hear: speakers play anti-noise into your ears. Microphone noise cancellation works on what your callers hear: the microphone and its processing try to pass your voice and reject everything else. A headset can be excellent at the first and ordinary at the second. Even with a good microphone, a raised boom, the wrong input device or a laptop's built-in Bluetooth can undo it.
ANC vs microphone noise cancellation
| Active noise cancellation (ANC) | Microphone noise cancellation | |
|---|---|---|
| Who benefits | You, the wearer | The people you are talking to |
| How it works | Microphones sample ambient noise; the speakers play an inverted signal | Microphone placement, beamforming and voice-isolation processing reduce noise in your outgoing audio |
| Typical names | Hybrid ANC, Advanced ANC, Adaptive ANC | Acoustic Fence (Poly), ClearVoice (Jabra), Acoustic Shield (Yealink), EPOS AI voice pickup |
| Microsoft rating to look for | None | Teams Open Office / Premium Microphone for Open Office |
Jabra puts it simply: a noise-cancelling microphone "doesn't actually benefit you directly. Instead, it helps others hear you better", while ANC "protects you, the wearer".
Seven reasons your headset still picks up background noise
- You bought for ANC, not the microphone. Strong ANC tells you nothing about how you sound. Check for an open-office microphone rating instead. Microsoft describes headsets with its Open Office designation as ones that "pick up the voice of the headset user but don't transmit the sound of their neighbors".
- The boom is up or too far away. On boom headsets, the microphone needs to sit close to the corner of your mouth. Jabra, for example, notes the Evolve2 75 meets Teams Open Office requirements in its performance mode with the boom down.
- Teams is using the laptop microphone. Check Settings, Devices in Teams. If the microphone shows "Microphone Array" or the laptop's name, callers are hearing the whole room.
- You are on the laptop's built-in Bluetooth. Classic Bluetooth headsets typically switch to a lower-quality hands-free profile when the microphone is in use, and the laptop radio is shared with other devices. Use the USB adapter that came with the headset. Details are in Why Your Expensive Bluetooth Headset Sounds Terrible on Teams.
- It is a consumer headphone, not a business headset. Music headphones put most of their engineering into listening. See Can a Business Headset Replace Your Sony or Bose Headphones?
- Teams noise suppression is off or set too low. Microsoft turns noise suppression on by default; on mobile, Low handles steady noise such as a fan or air conditioner, and High "suppresses all background sound that isn't speech". Microsoft also offers voice isolation, which uses AI to filter for your voice only once you have set up a voice profile.
- The noise is very close or very loud. No headset fully removes a colleague talking a metre away. Boom microphones have more margin here than boomless designs; see Boom Mic vs Boomless Headsets.
ANC is for your ears. The microphone is for your reputation on the call.
Which headsets are built for the microphone side?
If background noise on calls is your problem, these combine a boom microphone with vendor-stated open-office ratings, at SourceIT's prices on 25 Oct 2026:
- Yealink BH74 MS, S$186.30: boom microphone with Acoustic Shield 3.0; Yealink states Teams Premium Open Office certification.
- Jabra Evolve3 65 MS Stereo, S$325.68: 270° boom with ClearVoice; Premium Microphone for Open Office (Jabra).
- HP Poly Focus 625, S$329.23: hideaway boom with Acoustic Fence 2.0; Teams Open Office (HP).
- EPOS IMPACT 1060T ANC, S$400.00: boom with EPOS AI voice pickup; EPOS states it meets Teams Open Office.
Each also has ANC, so you get both kinds of noise cancellation. A broader comparison is in The Best Headsets for Noisy Singapore Offices.
A two-minute test before you blame the headset
- Open Teams, Settings, Devices, and confirm the headset is selected for both speaker and microphone.
- Plug in the headset's own USB adapter and connect through it.
- Lower the boom to the corner of your mouth.
- Turn on Teams noise suppression, and voice isolation if your organisation allows it.
- Make a Teams test call and listen to the recording.
If it still sounds noisy, the headset's microphone may not be designed for your environment. Talk to us about a model with an open-office rating.
Buying in Singapore
SourceIT supplies Yealink, Jabra, HP Poly and EPOS with local warranty and a GST invoice, and the headsets above were in stock at the time of writing. Browse Teams certified headsets or all business headsets. For a quotation, 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
Why can people hear background noise when my headset has ANC? ANC only reduces what you hear. What callers hear depends on the microphone, its position and its noise processing.
What is the difference between ANC and a noise-cancelling microphone? ANC plays anti-noise into your ears to help you. A noise-cancelling microphone rejects background sound from your outgoing audio to help the people you are talking to.
How do I know a headset's microphone is good in noisy offices? Look for Microsoft's Teams Open Office or Premium Microphone for Open Office designation, which Microsoft describes as picking up the user's voice without transmitting the sound of neighbours.
Does Teams have its own noise suppression? Yes. Microsoft turns noise suppression on by default, offers Low and High levels on mobile, and provides voice isolation that filters for your voice once you set up a voice profile.
Should I use the USB dongle or my laptop's Bluetooth? Use the headset's own USB adapter for PC calls. It gives the headset a dedicated link instead of sharing the laptop's built-in radio.
SourceIT Approved
Researched and verified by the SourceIT team for Singapore buyers.
