If your home office window faces a main road, you know the soundtrack: a constant engine rumble, the rattle of minibus taxis pulling off, and then the hooters, short and sharp, all day long. Noise-cancelling headsets promise quiet, but they are much better at some of those sounds than others. The AULA A500 is a good example of what noise cancelling for traffic noise can and cannot do for someone working beside a busy South African road.

Quick Answer

Partly. The AULA A500's hybrid ANC, which AULA puts at up to 38dB of reduction, tames steady traffic rumble, but sharp taxi hooters will still cut through. Its ANC works across 50Hz to 2kHz, which suits constant engine drone far more than sudden bursts of sound. Buying it locally from Evetech, at R639, also keeps any warranty claim inside South Africa.

🚐 Why hooters get through when rumble does not

Active noise cancelling works by predicting sound and generating an opposite signal. Steady, low noises like idling engines, tyre roar and the general hum of a busy road are predictable, so the A500's ANC can cancel them well. That is where the 50Hz to 2kHz band does most of its work.

A taxi hooter is the opposite. It starts suddenly, lasts a moment, and often sits partly above the band where ANC is strongest. By the time any system could react, the sound has already reached you. The ear cups still block some of it physically, so hooters sound duller and further away, but they will not vanish.

🏠 What else helps beside a taxi route

ANC handles the rumble; these tackle the rest:

  • Close the window facing the road during calls or focused work. Glass blocks far more high-pitched sound than any headset.
  • Move the desk away from the window if the room allows, even by a metre or two.
  • Add soft furnishings. Curtains, rugs and a bookshelf absorb sound bouncing around the room.
  • Play low background audio. Music or ambient sound at a modest volume helps mask sudden bursts that ANC misses.

🎙️ Calls from a noisy room

On calls, the question is not only what you hear but what your colleagues hear. The A500's hidden boom mic rotates closer to your mouth, which improves how clearly your voice comes through relative to background noise. Flip it up to mute when a particularly loud hooter or a passing truck comes along, and flip it down when it passes.

That same ANC key, AULA says, will pick up a Teams call, and it moves you from cancelling to pass-through when you need the room back.

Will the battery last a working day?

Easily. AULA rates the 1000mAh battery at roughly 60 hours with cancelling switched on, so a full eight-hour workday with ANC running uses only a fraction of a charge. With ANC off, the figure rises to about 100 hours.

Hearing the gate or a courier

Working from home also means deliveries. Switch to transparency mode when you are expecting someone, and outside sounds like the gate buzzer or a knock pass through the ear cups.

🇿🇦 Buying it locally

A headset you wear all day needs dependable support. Buying the A500 from Evetech, rather than importing one, gives you a 1 Year Local Warranty, with claims handled in South Africa instead of posting a headset overseas and waiting. You also get local advice before you buy.

Compare the A500 with other home-office options in Evetech's gaming headsets range, or browse cable-free choices on the wireless headset page. Pair it with a phone over Bluetooth 5.4, run it from the PC on its USB dongle, or use the audio lead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do hooters get through when engine rumble does not?

Rumble is steady and predictable, which ANC cancels well. Hooters are sudden and partly higher-pitched, so they cut through.

What helps besides ANC on a busy road?

Closing the window, moving the desk, adding soft furnishings and playing low background audio.

Will the mic pick up the hooting on calls?

Some background noise can reach it. Rotating the mic closer to your mouth and flipping it up during loud moments helps.

Will the battery last an eight-hour day with ANC on?

Yes, many times over. AULA rates it at about 60 hours with ANC on.

Can I still hear the gate or a courier?

Yes. Switch to transparency mode and outside sounds come through.

What cover comes with it when buying in South Africa?

Evetech sells it with local warranty support, so claims stay in the country.

Working from home beside a busy road? Browse Evetech's gaming headset range and see whether the AULA A500's noise cancelling suits your space.