This document describes a method that includes receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a sensor disposed in an active noise reduction (ANR) device, determining, by one or more processing devices, that the ANR device is operating in a first operational mode, and in response, applying a first gain to the input signal to generate a first amplified input signal. The method also includes determining, by the one or more processing devices, that the ANR device is operating in a second operational mode different from the first operational mode, and in response, applying a second gain to the input signal to generate a second amplified input signal, wherein the second gain is different from the first gain. The method further includes processing the first or second amplified input signal to generate an output signal, and generating, by an acoustic transducer, an audio output based on the output signal.