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

[Squeezy]

Just a year? At that price?

 

[Squeezy]

I do not understand where all the positive reviews come from.

I'm enormously suspicious of Amazon reviews these days. So many are fake.
I go by Which, for choice.

They rate the Sony WH-1000XM3 their Best Buy with a score of 91% across their tests. They say they're the best noise cancelling headphones they've ever tested. Pricey of course. £272

 

[Simbindi]

I have now found out that Bose has a feature on their webpage to find a store nearby (or as near as there actually is a store--not especially near to me, but not further than I have to go for a doctor visit if I go the further place).

https://www.bose.com/en_us/locations/?page=1&storesPerPage=10
I don't know if they have a version like this for other countries

I also read some Amazon reviews that say they don't seem to last past the warrantee, which is 1 year.

So I am looking for something less pricey.

I read the Boss ear pads wear out (not the actual headphones) but these can be replaced. I believe they are easy to find on Ebay.

 

[Unable]

I have those Sony ones. And yes they are pricey, but they are quite amazing I think!

Although mine do have buttons on the left ear pad. One to turn them on/off and another that switches between noise cancelling and ambient sound.

I used them flying recently, and they were brilliant. I was much less exhausted by the journey I thought. And then my son was strimming in the garden recently, WHAT a racket! So I put them on and listened to an audiobook for a while, and it was so peaceful.

 

[Ravn]

A piece of advice: if you're considering noise cancelling headphones, make sure you try them first before committing to see if you can tolerate them.

Turns out they don't work for me. I can still hear most sounds with them on, albeit at a much lower volume. Which doesn't help much because I don't have too much of a problem with loud noises as such, within limits, but I do have a problem with certain specific frequencies that cut right through my brain, loud or not so loud. And those frequencies still get through the noise cancelling.

Worse, within seconds(!) of putting on the headphones I was feeling very queasy and even though I took the headphones off after 2 minutes of increasing nausea, that nausea lasted for hours. I repeated the experiment the next day for 10 seconds only, same result: hours of nausea. No intention of trying again

What do the noise cancelling earphones do to tinnitus?

For the duration of my 2-minute experiment my tinnitus was significantly reduced - but instantly bounced back louder than ever as soon as I took off the headphones, then slowly settled back to normal.

 

[JemPD]

I use ear plugs AND Bose noise canceling headphone all of the time, except when I'm out driving. At stores, I just use ear plugs.

I have Bose noise cancelling headphones (tried them out for a week before buying, through a family member who had them), am extremely happy with them, don't know how I used to live without them! They're expensive but the best illness related investment I ever made.

Most of my autistic friends use Bose noise cancelling headphones. They are possibly the best at reducing unwanted background noise. However, all the models are very big and bulky.

I have those Sony ones. And yes they are pricey, but they are quite amazing I think!

@shak8 @Effi @Simbindi @Unable I wonder if you would answer me a question please....

I decided i couldn't afford them but am seriously looking at getting these expensive headphones now - either the bose or the sony. Because I have new neighbours moving in & he works from home, so the room next to my bedroom is likely to be his home office
I can hear if someone coughs in that room so all the talking/phone etc sound will be going on for 8hrs a day minimum. Am honestly petrified of the increased suffering that's coming.
So I have to do something - I will just have to economise elsewhere.​

But I'd be using them in bed, & much of the time I have to lie flat - I notice the control buttons are all on the back of the ear cup.... so what happens when you rest back on the pillow? does it press the buttons or dislodge the headphones?

A piece of advice: if you're considering noise cancelling headphones, make sure you try them first before committing to see if you can tolerate them.

Turns out they don't work for me. I can still hear most sounds with them on, albeit at a much lower volume. Which doesn't help much because I don't have too much of a problem with loud noises as such, within limits, but I do have a problem with certain specific frequencies that cut right through my brain, loud or not so loud. And those frequencies still get through the noise cancelling.

@Ravn do you remember which brand these were that you tried, or do you think it's the technology rather than the brand that was the problem?

 

[shak8]

Hi. Here's a couple of things about the Bose noise cancelling (now they have Alexa or something built in: Bose comfort is the brand, but I have an older version, I don't know if plain noise-cancelling Bose is still on the market).

First off, with ear plugs and noise cancelling Bose, you are still going to hear nearby noises if they are loud enough. The other problems are: sometimes I have to take them off because of the slight pressure on my face...feels tight or uncomfortable. Also, don't drop them, they may lose the headphone capacity of listening to music, watch movies, but the noise cancelling function still works--which is what happened to me.

I can lie flat on a small pillow or larger pillow and the covering the ear headphone do not dislodge. The on-off button is on the outside of one ear phone (this is the older Bose noise cancelling that I have). If you look at the Bose comfort noise cancelling which are selling now, perhaps there's a video or you can ask a question of their customer service (hah, these days, what is customer service but a....well, never mind).

I couldn't do without these. I have noises from adjacent apartment, too. If they get too noisy, I have a very receptive landlord (she has a son who lives here and he is disabled) and she will talk to the tenant. That could help.

I learned to adapt to the new noises pattern coming from each new tenant (it is quite transient here). it takes a little while, but then it feels reassuring to me to have people around.

However, in the summertime when it's hot and my windows are open, the traffic, motorcycle, loud talking outside is way over my tolerance level even with the headphones. But in hot weather, I can't wear the headphones as they add to the heat.

Sorry, if too much info. If my Bose broke, I would definitely get a new pair.
I asked at a major store and you can buy and return the headphones (2 weeks or was it 30 days?) if you don't like them. I don't know about online sources and their return policy.

 

[JemPD]

I can lie flat on a small pillow or larger pillow and the covering the ear headphone do not dislodge. The on-off button is on the outside of one ear phone (this is the older Bose noise cancelling that I have). If you look at the Bose comfort noise cancelling which are selling now, perhaps there's a video or you can ask a question of their customer service (hah, these days, what is customer service but a....well, never mind).

thanks @shak8 it's the Bose 700 I'm looking at & the button is on the back of the right headphone... I guess the only way is to try it. good to know they stay pput on a pillow though.

it's privatey owned houses so no landlord help, & in any case they wont need to be being 'loud' by normal standards - just holding a conversation, phone ringin opening/shutting desk drawers etc. Next door's sound isn't 'loud' in my room unless there is shouting/loud music, but when i'm at my worst the sound of my carer whispering is like being physically assaulted... so just the sound of him talking at normal volume on phone will be a major problem & i'm scared that crashes will be un-recoverable from - because silence & darkness for long periods are necessary for 'recovery' back to 'baseline'. I'm hoping one of these headphones plus earplugs, will enable something near to silent, as long as it's not loud next door. I think it's reasonable to ask neighbours to 'keep it down' but you cant ask them not to talk! lol

I saw that it's the pressure that the noise cancelling tech uses that might have made you sick @Ravn, apparently they change the pressure. Although how that might be affected by having earplugs in as well I don't know.

 

[Ravn]

@Ravn do you remember which brand these were that you tried, or do you think it's the technology rather than the brand that was the problem?

But I'd be using them in bed, & much of the time I have to lie flat - I notice the control buttons are all on the back of the ear cup.... so what happens when you rest back on the pillow? does it press the buttons or dislodge the headphones?

Bose QuietComfort 35. I still have them and use them as normal headphones with the noise cancelling turned off.
I find them very comfortable and they're fine for lying on your back and on a pillow. It's possible the type of pillow makes a difference, mine is a memory foam one, quite firm and doesn't bulge up much around the side of the head. I've never had any problems with the pillow causing "self-switching" buttons.

I've since managed to borrow a Sony one (not sure of the model) and had the same instant nausea problem with that one, too. Having said that, some reviewers on the Internet claim they can tolerate one and not the other, unfortunately it seems to be individual, some can tolerate only the Sony, others only the Bose. So not very helpful info.

Trying out before you buy seems to be the only way to find out. I hope you find some that work for you.

 

[shak8]

thanks @shak8 it's the Bose 700 I'm looking at & the button is on the back of the right headphone... I guess the only way is to try it. good to know they stay pput on a pillow though.

it's privatey owned houses so no landlord help, & in any case they wont need to be being 'loud' by normal standards - just holding a conversation, phone ringin opening/shutting desk drawers etc. Next door's sound isn't 'loud' in my room unless there is shouting/loud music, but when i'm at my worst the sound of my carer whispering is like being physically assaulted... so just the sound of him talking at normal volume on phone will be a major problem & i'm scared that crashes will be un-recoverable from - because silence & darkness for long periods are necessary for 'recovery' back to 'baseline'. I'm hoping one of these headphones plus earplugs, will enable something near to silent, as long as it's not loud next door. I think it's reasonable to ask neighbours to 'keep it down' but you cant ask them not to talk! lol

I saw that it's the pressure that the noise cancelling tech uses that might have made you sick @Ravn, apparently they change the pressure. Although how that might be affected by having earplugs in as well I don't know.

I know this sounds weird, but I have two rooms, one hot in the summer which is nice in the winter.
Do you have another room that is quieter than your bedroom that you might consider turning temporarily into a bedroom, if need be?

I would purchase some headphones, making sure you can return them if it doesn't work out.

 

[JemPD]

Bose QuietComfort 35. I still have them and use them as normal headphones with the noise cancelling turned off.
I find them very comfortable and they're fine for lying on your back and on a pillow. It's possible the type of pillow makes a difference, mine is a memory foam one, quite firm and doesn't bulge up much around the side of the head. I've never had any problems with the pillow causing "self-switching" buttons.

I've since managed to borrow a Sony one (not sure of the model) and had the same instant nausea problem with that one, too. Having said that, some reviewers on the Internet claim they can tolerate one and not the other, unfortunately it seems to be individual, some can tolerate only the Sony, others only the Bose. So not very helpful info.

Trying out before you buy seems to be the only way to find out. I hope you find some that work for you.

yay! my pillow when I lie flat is memory foam too,

Do you have another room that is quieter than your bedroom that you might consider turning temporarily into a bedroom, if need be?

it's agood idea @shak8 but lol all that is no longer an option for me. I used to have a bedroom for sleeping in at night & unless at my absolute worst I used to spend the days in the bed in the spare room, most of which were default silent. Sometimes workmen/lawnmowers/DIY/Kids in street etc etc would force me into the other one but that was fine - I always had a pretty much silent place to be - so it would be silent for a few yrs & then maybe 1/2hr of sound & then another few hrs silence etc.

But then my neighbours bought a hot tub- which is on 24/7 (the pump & heater are on a thermostat at 40degrees so pretty much all the time) it's low hum vibrates across the house & has basically pushed me into the one small room at the other side of the house - the only room in which I cannot hear it. The room in the house that adjoins that one room i'm now in, has been an empty spare bedroom for the past 20yrs (so all the time I've been ill) so I've been incredibly blessed to have that sanctuary. But that looks set to change

I may need to investigate soundproofing, but that will be more money than I have, more disruption than I can cope with & I think the materials will smell, so I wont be able to tolerate them.

Anyway I think I will likely get the bose to start with as they have the 30day trial period. Then if I cant cope with them or they no good i'll try the sony… & pray!

Thanks for all the input everyone

 

[shak8]

yay! my pillow when I lie flat is memory foam too,

it's agood idea @shak8 but lol all that is no longer an option for me. I used to have a bedroom for sleeping in at night & unless at my absolute worst I used to spend the days in the bed in the spare room, most of which were default silent. Sometimes workmen/lawnmowers/DIY/Kids in street etc etc would force me into the other one but that was fine - I always had a pretty much silent place to be - so it would be silent for a few yrs & then maybe 1/2hr of sound & then another few hrs silence etc.

But then my neighbours bought a hot tub- which is on 24/7 (the pump & heater are on a thermostat at 40degrees so pretty much all the time) it's low hum vibrates across the house & has basically pushed me into the one small room at the other side of the house - the only room in which I cannot hear it. The room in the house that adjoins that one room i'm now in, has been an empty spare bedroom for the past 20yrs (so all the time I've been ill) so I've been incredibly blessed to have that sanctuary. But that looks set to change

I may need to investigate soundproofing, but that will be more money than I have, more disruption than I can cope with & I think the materials will smell, so I wont be able to tolerate them.

Anyway I think I will likely get the bose to start with as they have the 30day trial period. Then if I cant cope with them or they no good i'll try the sony… & pray!

Thanks for all the input everyone

I have moments where instead of thinking of getting a hearing aid, I hope for the opposite: complete deafness.

 

[Effi]

But I'd be using them in bed, & much of the time I have to lie flat - I notice the control buttons are all on the back of the ear cup.... so what happens when you rest back on the pillow? does it press the buttons or dislodge the headphones?

Hi @JemPD, don't worry about the control buttons being on the back of the ear cup, they're pretty sturdy so nothing happens when you rest back on the pillow. The headphones don't get dislodged while you rest your head on a pillow either. I use them every single day and wouldn't be able to cope without them!

PS I noticed a few PWME wearing BOSE headphones in that Norwegian tv segment Left Out. You can see them resting their head on their pillow while wearing the headphones. Here are the time stamps so you can check it out:

 

[JemPD]

@Effi that is so helpful thank you

That looks a great documentary I obviously missed it when it came out, thanks for sharing

 

[lunarainbows]

Haven’t been able to read this whole thread.
Just wanted to say,
I find a combination of these noise-cancelling in ear headphones by Bose -

Amazon product ASIN B00X9KV0HU
And a pair of these Peltor comfort ear defenders over the top -
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00EJIN6M8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

To cut down a huge amount of sound. If I wear both of those, and I open my windows (I live on busy main A road), I can hear no noise whatsoever. When an ambulance goes past, I can hear a little though. In general it’s helped me so much when I’ve had to go to hospital, it’s not perfect as the ear defenders do start to hurt but they’re quite comfy compared to other ear defenders I’ve tried.

they are not the comfiest to lie down in though. So at home unless it’s very noisy I use the in ear headphones, i only use the peltor ear muffs when I need to go out. I’m interested in trying the Bose noise cancelling headphones (rather than the in ear version), but not sure if it will be as effective as the peltor.

 

[JemPD]

Just wanted to update.... I bought the Bose 700 noise cancelling headphones (top spec latest model). They were £349 but i took a punt on them because of the 90 day no quibble money back guarantee.

They are miraculous. I cant believe it, best things i ever bought. Have sold couple of other things to pay for them. The only issue is that my head is quite a pointy shape on top & i find when i have a headache they rest on the top of my head in a way i cant manage, but i think that's a head shape thing as most reviews (even negative ones) said they are very comfy. But when i put them on i cant hear my neighbours arguing.... at all! They don't get rid of everything, they should be called reducing not cancelling, but i have a very loud hoover & the other day i was laying there with them on & i thought 'whats that buzzing?' it was so low volume i couldnt work out what it was, thought maybe the computer fan had come on or i had a bee in the room or something (i have an SSD hard drive so laptop normally silent).... turned out carer had turned the massively loud hoover on 4 feet away! It's just amazing.

My only bugbear is that there is a sound when you turn them on, that you cannot disable (a bit like the windows start up sound), and it's really loud, painfully so. And the volume of the voice that says "connected to Jem's laptop" etc, is also quite loud & not modifiable, which is awful. But other than that they are well worth the money, i cant believe the technology. But turn them on/off before you put them on.

Also make sure you use the app to stop them turning off (sleep mode) after 15 mins of no movement... lol not much good for an ME person! It kept thinking i was asleep & turning off -which would be a huge sudden influx of sound from next door.

I have yet to discover whether they work on next doors hot tub humming - which is very low frequency & i'm not hopeful for it - because it is currently not switched on.

 

[Invisible Woman]

The only issue is that my head is quite a pointy shape on top & i find when i have a headache they rest on the top of my head in a way i cant manage, but i think that's a head shape thing as most reviews (even negative ones) said they are very comfy.

Mine don't fit very well either - I'm pretty sure it's down to me & not the headphones. I use one of those beautician style hairbands (with the velco?) folded over between the top of my head and the bit that rests on the top of the head.

I look like a pillock but luckily I'm used to that & comfort comes first.

 

[JemPD]

Mine don't fit very well either - I'm pretty sure it's down to me & not the headphones. I use one of those beautician style hairbands (with the velco?) folded over between the top of my head and the bit that rests on the top of the head.

I look like a pillock but luckily I'm used to that & comfort comes first.

oh thats interesting thanks i will try it. I think for me they are soft enough it's just the weight of it on top of my head because it's on like an inch wide point rather that spread out. LOL my head is a very odd shape -remember the film 'coneheads'? lol it's like that haha almost the same shape just smaller

 

[ringding]

Thanks for reporting back, great to hear they were a worthwhile purchase.
@JemPD they should be able to manage the hot tub hum, that sort of repetitive noise is what they should be best at. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[shak8]

I use a very old Bose (no techie gizmos) noise cancelling headphones. They help as I have tinnitus plus noise sensitivity.

Recently I experienced a great improvement though by reading the directions on how to insert foam ear plugs (roll into a cylinder and then insert deeply into the ear canal. As they expland they fill the canal.) That helped trememdously. I coat the ear plugs in a thick aquaphor or other inert thick hand cream if my canals are irritated.

I hope I won't have to get a new pair with gizmos and screeches.