An adaptive noise control system is deployed in a box-like structure positioned within the transfer path along which the noise is being transmitted from the source of the generated noise to the receiver of the noise in the passenger compartment of an automobile. The adaptive noise control system is can be deployed in the dual bulkhead of the vehicle dashboard to provide a constrained volume within which engine noise can be controlled. The adaptive control system generates a mathematical model of the noise to be controlled in response to the acoustic environment identified by sensors placed within the engine compartment. Sensors in the passenger compartment define the effectiveness of the noise control system. The controller is operable to update the mathematical model in response to the changes in the acoustic environment, thus providing the appropriate acoustic response within the dual bulkhead plenum for control of noise along the transfer path.