Earbuds for studying and focus: what really helps
Why noise tires you
Background noise, conversations around you, traffic or ventilation, does not necessarily stop you reading, but it uses up your attention. The brain filters it all the time, and after a few hours you feel tired without having done anything hard. Voices are the hardest to ignore, because the mind tries to understand them.
Earbuds help in two ways: they reduce the noise reaching you and give you a steady sound in its place. For studying, the first matters more.
Noise cancelling for studying
Active noise cancelling (ANC) greatly reduces steady, low noise such as ventilation, a fridge, distant traffic or the hum of a library. Voices and sudden sounds drop too, but less. With ANC on, you can study with music at low volume or even without music, just with the quiet the earbuds create.
The Ultra have adaptive ANC up to 50 dB, which adjusts itself to the noise. The Pro2 have hybrid ANC up to 42 dB and multipoint, handy if you often switch between laptop and phone.
What to listen to
For reading and writing, music without lyrics distracts least: instrumental, classical, ambient or nature sounds. Lyrics in a language you understand compete with the text you are reading. White, pink or brown noise, available in many apps, masks the voices around you without asking for attention.
For revision or repetitive tasks, your favourite music at low volume can keep motivation up.
Comfort for hours
A study session lasts hours, so the earbuds must be comfortable. Small in-ear buds with the right tip are soon forgotten. Over-ear headphones do not go into the ear at all and are very comfortable at home: the Pods M6 have hybrid ANC up to 32 dB, fold up and last 60 hours.
If your ears hurt after an hour, try a smaller tip size or change the type of headphones.
Breaks matter
Even with the most comfortable headphones, take them off now and then. A short break every hour rests both ears and attention. It is a good moment to get up, drink some water and look into the distance, away from the screen.
Low volume is essential: with ANC on you do not need much volume, and your ears tire less.
In the library, dorm and office
In a library, in-ear buds are discreet and do not let sound leak out. In a dorm, where the noise comes from roommates, ANC helps most. In an open-plan office, ANC buds help you work with focus, while open-ear ones let you hear when someone calls you.
TESNA models have no transparency mode: to hear an announcement or a colleague, switch ANC off or take a bud out. A simple habit: when you are waiting for someone, leave one bud on the desk and put it back when you return to work.
Online lectures and classes
For online classes and video calls, multipoint earbuds spare you reconnecting: the Pro2 stay connected to the laptop and the phone at once. For long classes, check battery life too: the Ultra last 8 hours with ANC on, the Pro2 7 hours, plus charging from the case.
If you watch video lectures, there may be a small delay between sound and picture; our guide to delayed sound explains why and what to do.
Focus and safety
Noise cancelling isolates you, which is exactly what you want when studying, but not on the way to university or the office, on the street. When you go out, switch ANC off or use a single bud, so you hear traffic and announcements. On bikes and scooters, keep your ears free.
If you study at home and still want to hear the doorbell or a phone, open-ear buds are an alternative: they do not isolate, but they do not press either, and they give you background music without cutting you off from what happens at home.
Every model is in the shop, under noise cancelling earbuds.