Why does ANC on X1 earbuds muffle my voice during calls?

[JohnB]

I just got the new X1 wireless earbuds, and I’m a bit confused about the active noise cancellation. When I turn it on in a busy coffee shop, it completely kills the chatter, but it also makes my own voice sound weird and muffled to me when I take a quick call. Is that just how it’s supposed to work?

[EleanorJ]

Yep, that’s about how it goes. The mic array that tames cafe chatter also dials down your own voice a bit, so it can sound muffled to you on a quick call even though the room is quieter.

[Mia52]

I tried it in a coffee shop and, for calls, I switched to transparency mode. My own voice came through more clearly, but the background noise wasn’t fully suppressed.

[Sofia35]

Do you think the issue is with how the mic picks up your voice, or with the processing on calls?

[Ava37]

I’m not sure I’d call it a problem yet. It feels like one of those trade offs I’ve run into with other buds too, where quiet comes at the cost of how you sound on the line.