When you're listening to podcasts, the sound quality isn't the number one concern. As long as the headphones are clear and concise, and don't miss any vocal detail, you're going to have a good time. No, the place we have to focus on here lies elsewhere.
It's all about the ANC. See, when you're listening to music, the headphones use bits of the sound to help block out the outside world. When you slim down the sonic pickings and listen to a podcast, there's less audio for the ANC to work with. As a result, the noise canceling isn't as powerful as it could be.
