A noise-cancellation system, including: a noise-cancellation filter configured to generate a noise-cancellation signal; an actuator configured to receive the noise-cancellation signal and to transduce a noise-cancellation audio signal based on the noise-cancellation signal, the noise-cancellation audio signal destructively interfering with an undesired noise in a noise-cancellation zone in a predefined volume; an error sensor configured to output an error sensor signal, the error sensor signal being representative of residual undesired noise in the noise-cancellation zone; a performance cost filter configured to receive and filter the error sensor signal and to output a performance cost filter signal, the performance cost filter signal being representative of the error sensor signal as weighted by a performance cost function; and an adjustment module configured to receive the performance cost filter signal and to adjust the noise-cancellation filter such that the noise-cancellation audio signal minimizes the performance cost filter signal.