Why does noise cancellation make the sound flat and mids muffled on my earbuds?

[JacobJ]

I just got the new wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, and I’m finding the sound quality a bit flat when I have the feature turned on. It’s like the mids get muffled, especially with podcasts. Has anyone else noticed this trade-off with their own ANC headphones?

[Olivia22]

Yeah, I’ve noticed the same with podcasts. With the active noise cancellation on, the mids can get a bit muted and voices drift toward the back, so it sounds a touch flat.

[Andrew70]

I did a quick side-by-side: ANC off for a bit and the voice came back fuller, but I minded the extra noise. It’s a trade-off I didn’t expect.

[ElizabethC]

I swapped to different ear tips and made sure the seal was snug. Sometimes a looser seal makes the noise canceling feel harsher or the voice thinner.

[Stephen_L]

Do you think the issue is with the mic mixing or with our ears expecting something different when there’s noise canceling?