The reverse, a cancelling field for outgoing noise, would be great for practicing music instruments, or guest parties, times when you don't want to disturb neighbors (or roommates). Do the scientists discuss this?
For many instruments the solution is simple: practice on an electronic version. This obviously does not hold for all instruments and not all kinds of practice but it can have a big impact. It has an additional bonus too, you can put on a headphone and cut the outside world off as well so it works in both directions.