Noise-Canceling Headphones Work Too Well; User Misses Three Fire Alarms and a Marriage Proposal

A Seattle man is reconsidering his relationship with his Sony WH-1000XM6 noise-canceling headphones after the devices' industry-leading active noise cancellation caused him to miss three fire alarms, a building evacuation, a FedEx delivery, and what his girlfriend describes as 'a very carefully planned marriage proposal.' Andrew Decibel, 31, purchased the headphones for their ability to 'eliminate 99.8 percent of ambient sound,' a specification he now regards as 'a threat I did not take seriously.' The incidents occurred over a two-week period. On February 1, Decibel missed a fire alarm drill in his apartment building. On February 5, he missed an actual fire alarm caused by a neighbor's cooking, learning of the evacuation only when a firefighter physically removed the headphones from his head. On February 8, he missed the building's fire alarm test, which was announced via intercom, email, and a paper notice slid under his door -- none of which penetrated the headphones' noise cancellation. 'I was listening to a podcast about productivity,' Decibel said. 'I was being very productive. I was also nearly on fire.' The marriage proposal incident occurred on February 10, when Decibel's girlfriend staged an elaborate surprise involving candles, a string quartet, and a speech she had been writing for three weeks. Decibel, wearing the headphones while doing dishes, did not register any of it until she tapped him on the shoulder. 'She had been talking for four minutes,' Decibel said. 'The string quartet had played two songs. The candles were dripping onto the table. I turned around and she was holding a ring and crying, and I said, "Oh, did you need something?"' The girlfriend has confirmed they are still engaged, though she has requested that Decibel use the headphones' 'ambient sound' mode during 'all future life events.' Sony's marketing team has reportedly requested permission to use the story in future advertising, noting that it 'validates the product's core performance claims.'