The promising wave deceleration and energy trapping behavior of the Acoustic black holes (ABHs) has received much attention, particularly for applications in passive structural vibration control. However, as opposed to ABH for structural vibration control, less attention has been paid to its airborne counterpart, called sonic black hole (SBH), in view of possible noise abatement. This study reports an investigation on SBHs in terms of sound wave propagation in air, from theoretical, numerical and experimental perspectives. In particular, typical SBH phenomena, their realization and the underlying physical mechanisms are discussed. Simulation and experimental results show promise and efficacy of some typical SBH-based designs for potential noise control applications.