Robust feedforward active noise cancellation is provided which can overcome or substantially alleviate problems associated with the diverse and dynamic nature of the surrounding acoustic environment. A multi-faceted analysis is performed to determine the direction (or directions) of propagation of noise in the surrounding acoustic environment. The direction of propagation is then utilized to determine direction-dependent characteristics of the acoustic path between a reference position where the noise is captured and a desired position where the noise is to be cancelled. These characteristics are used to form a feedforward signal adapted to cancel the noise at the desired position. By forming the feedforward signal based on direction-dependent characteristics of the acoustic path, the techniques described herein can achieve optimal noise cancellation at the desired location, regardless of the direction of propagation of the noise.
