An active noise control system is provided which cancels a noise using a sound radiated from a speaker driven by an output from an adaptive notch filter. The system employs output signals from an adder or simulation cosine-wave and sine-wave signals, an error signal or an output signal from a microphone, and a compensated signal from the adder or a signal available for acoustically transferring anoutput from the adaptive notch filter to the microphone in accordance with initial transfer characteristics to update the filter coefficient of the adaptive notch filter. This configuration allows the system to operate with stability even when the acoustic transfer characteristics vary with time or under circumstances where there exists a significant amount of incoming external noises. The systemalso prevents overcompensation for a noise at the ears of a passenger in a vehicle, thereby proving an ideal noise reduction effect.