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Noise cancelling headphones! Oh Joy! (and other ways to block sound)

Discussion in 'Hypersensitivity and Intolerance Reactions' started by Unable, Jul 11, 2019.

  1. mango

    mango Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,504
    Ooh, did you? :) Do let me know what you think, when you've had a chance to wear them for a while.

    I turned the floppy part of the silicone thing "inside out", which made it easier to aim and push it over the tube. One side first, and then stretch it a bit to go over the rest of the tube?
     
    Wonko likes this.
  2. Nellie

    Nellie Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    247
    Location:
    UK
    @mango
    That worked a treat, thank you.
    The tree surgeons, with their chain saws and chippers, have left now. They, loop thingies, are comfortable and greatly reduce the noise from neighbour's mowers and I'm now prepared the gardeners - who would have thought leaf blowers could be so very noisy.
    Thanks again for the tip.
     
  3. Haveyoutriedyoga

    Haveyoutriedyoga Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    345
    Just wanted to make another 'plug' for the flare audio calmer ear pieces, they have really helped today with the hustle and bustle at the family home, all of the noise of Christmas lunch preparation and pots and pans etc., I would totally recommend trying them if you have any sensitivity to sound whatsoever.

    I would like to know whether the night time ear pieces are worth getting too (the noise reducers not the actual ear plugs) if anybody has tried them both, and whether the pro versions are much better than the normal versions.
     
  4. Keela Too

    Keela Too Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    I used Loop earplugs today when eating with my large lively family.

    Definitely helped me stay longer at the table, and also be able to talk to those round me. I think they are the Engage Plus ones.

    Glad to be back home now, in my own quiet space again.

    Happy Christmas
     
  5. Wonko

    Wonko Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,674
    Location:
    UK
    I acquired a pair of Bose QuietComfort 45's from amazon a few days ago (on their pay over 5 months scheme).

    It's 'unbelievable' how much they cut the noise down in my relatively quiet flat (compared with where i used to live anyway).

    It's not, most of the time, that noisy here, but I do have an upstairs neighbour who makes a racket every morning, who seems to take half a dozen showers a day, seems to like running/rolling around on an office chair chasing his 45 stone cat until 3am etc.

    But compared with where I used to live, it's quiet, mostly.

    It had however been noticed, by me, that on days when I muffled the din out a bit, using my old £45 cheap and nasty noise cancelling headphones, that I slept better, even though I have never used them to sleep in.

    In other words it seemed likely that the noise, such as it is, was still too much.

    So I invested in a higher grade (i.e. working) pair of noise cancelling headphones.

    and found it's not just the noise from neighbours, 2am traffic, etc. that's noisy - it's practically everything.

    Hence the 'unbelievable' comment above - all my kitchen gadgets make an absurd amount of noise, determined by flicking off ANC and then turning it back on again.

    Very effective noise removal, not total (i.e. running water can be heard, my food mixer can just about be heard, as can my washing machine - but at very low levels, easy drowned out), but good enough. Comfortable with one exception. They need some form of ear cooling - as they, by necessity, totally enclose the ears, and apparently my ears run rather hot.

    If it wasn't for that oen drawback I'd probably wear them every waking minute ;)
     
  6. Kitty

    Kitty Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    5,036
    Location:
    UK
    Good to have that review, @Wonko – sounds like they might be a worthwhile investment for me too. I'd looked at them before, as Bose sells factory reconditioned ones for quite reasonable prices, but I wondered how good they were. Sounds like the answer's brilliant!
     
  7. Wonko

    Wonko Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,674
    Location:
    UK
    Read the reviews, of a few models

    I didn't go for any of the Sony headphones because I don't like bass much, and reports of them not lasting all that long due to build quality issues. Kinda mitigated the 8 hours extra battery life


    I didn't go for the bose 700 coz there was something I didn't like about them, but don't remember what, and most other bose headphones cost more than these ones so thought I'd try these first.

    ETA my problem with the bose 700 headphones was the controls. Capacitive sensors on the right ear cup. I don't get on with such things so chose the 45s which use actual buttons.
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2023
    bobbler, Kitty, Trish and 1 other person like this.
  8. JemPD

    JemPD Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    3,909
    Bose noise cancelling cant be beaten i dont think Kitty, they are like a miracle in some ways. My 700s are a godsend when the man comes to cut the lawn with a petrol mower - eradicates the sound so completely i cant tell when he finishes.

    And the best bit is that if you buy direct from bose everything (even the reconditioned ones i think) have a 90 day trial that if for any reasonyou dont like you can send back.

    I have tested this i actually bought some QC 45s (over ear i hate ear buds) to try them out see if they were more comfy than the NC700s (i have a really pointy head so i struggle) & they werent noitcably, and i didnt think the ANC was any better than the 700s (is on a par i think), so i returned them after a couple of months of use & got full refund no hassle at all.

    I've bought other cheaper ones but i find them compeltely rubbish tbh, no better than foam ear plugs, although the foam plugs tend to block out more high pitch sound & ANC is better for lower frequencies but i'd say they are defo worth the money of you are sound sensitive.

    and i also have a pair of Sony XM5 ones that i just got which are amazing too.

    I tried all the others - loop, quiet on, flare - & find them of no use to me because i dont want them to change the nature of the sound i want them to block it out. So i think it does depend on the type of sound sensitivity you have - if its all sound thats a problem even sound you enjoy like bird song - because it drains the battery and brings on PEM, and or it hurts.... that's a bit different to people who find sound 'only' emotionally overwhelming or stressful or certain sounds they hate (like a misophonia type problem).
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2023
  9. mango

    mango Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,504
    This is an interesting point. Just want to add that my kind of sound sensitivity is the one that is painful, heavily distorts sounds, drains my battery and brings on PEM. The Loop earplugs do block and change many sounds enough that I can tolerate them.
     
  10. Subtropical Island

    Subtropical Island Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    1,978
    I have some Sony headphones, bought in 2016/17, which make a huge difference for me. I can’t compare them with anything else (apart from earplugs) because I never tried anything else (these were a loan that turned into a gift) tho.
    The warm ears thing really is a bit of a bother …but without a better alternative I’d not do without them.
    Anyone who just needs to rest brain from audio would benefit I think. I try not to wear them all the time, but it can be tempting. I use them most often to wind down when I really need rest so I tend to be watching a show to start with, then an audio book. I do wear them with nothing playing but they’re not -that- good.
    I mention as you were wondering about longevity. Nothing wrong with mine and they get a LOT of use.

    If there’s a way to trial them, that sounds like a great plan. You’ll know pretty quickly.
     
  11. lunarainbows

    lunarainbows Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,819
    Loop Quiet vs Quiet-on Vs Bose:

    I tested the Quiet-On earplugs last night (the noise cancelling in ear-buds that you can sleep in), they helped me fall asleep as they drowned out some noise from outside my room that was going on. However, I’m also testing the Loop earplugs (the “quiet” version) today, and I think these may perform just as well as the Quiet-On - but they’re much, much cheaper! Having said that, for side sleeping, I think I find the Quiet-on earplugs to be softer/more comfortable (due to the foam?), although you can of course still feel it and it’s still not totally comfortable. But for someone who is not super touch-sensitive, the Loop will probably be just as good!

    However when testing these Loop earplugs (and Quiet-on) against the Bose - the Bose is way way better. As an example, I have the fan on in my room right now (middle or high speed). I just tested the Loop earplugs and I can hear the fan still - it is quieter but I can definitely still hear the hum. When I put the Bose noise cancelling on, it is pure silence, actual pin drop silence, I can hear nothing whatsoever. So I definitely recommend Bose noise cancelling for anyone who is really noise sensitive - and it’s the Bose that I keep on hand for when I’m really unwell, for when I need to drown out sound or whenever I leave the house.
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2023
  12. lunarainbows

    lunarainbows Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Oh I also have the Flare Calmer earplugs and I’m not convinced that it does much (for me at least). It definitely doesn’t reduce noise like Quiet-on, Loop quiet or Bose. I can still talk normally and hold a conversation and can hear meowing in another room, can hear the washing machine just as much and cars revving outside and it’s still super loud. I know it’s only supposed to reduce noise a little.. but I can’t think when I will reach for these, because when I need to reduce noise - I need it reduced enough that I can actually cope with my surroundings.. and this won’t do that.
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2023
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  13. JemPD

    JemPD Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    3,909
    thats amazing Mango i'm so glad they work for you! i am the same and find them not quite useless, but certainly no better than a standard foam earplug. Just shows how different we all are. Although i dont get any sound distortion with my sensitivity, it just drains battery super fast & makes me crash at which point even the slightest sound becomes torturous agony.

    One thing i do like about loop though.... is that you can safety pin the case to your top so you have them always clean and on hand, and they're good while out as you dont have to touch the bit that goes inside the ear so you dont have to worry about whether your hands are clean. But i find them less effective than the hearos foam plugs so i only take them to what healthy people would consider 'quiet' environments.
     
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  14. Evergreen

    Evergreen Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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  15. mango

    mango Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Peter Trewhitt likes this.
  16. Keela Too

    Keela Too Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    I’ve not tried the Switch ones, but I have other Loops ones. I find they make such a difference for me.
     
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