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Noise canceling headphones suggestions?

grommet

grommet

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know about noise canceling headphones? I tried a pair at Best Buy once and they worked surprisingly well. They were a Bose model. But they were very uncomfortable. I could not have worn them more than a few minutes.

Can anyone suggest noise canceling headphones that are made to wear all day? I don't need anything for listening to music, I just want to mute noise/sound. If the headphone are also able to play music I guess that's okay but I would like to wear something that keeps out people's voices and street noises, things like that. Anyone know about this technology?

Thank you
 
I didn't think I'd like big, bulky headphones on my head all the time, so I got some tiny earplugs. They're a lot more comfortable than I expected. Not sure I could wear them all day long (although I don't mind the old style of iPad earbuds--I can wear those for hours with no problem), but I'm glad to have them when I need them.

Amazon.com: EarAngels - Comfortable Earplugs for Women (1 Pair): Health & Personal Care

BTW, it says these ear plugs are designed to attach to the back of dangly earrings. I don't wear earrings, but I like the idea of having a little tether to pull the ear plugs out with...don't think I'd like the kind without the tether because I'd be afraid they'd get stuck in my ears.
 
When I look for headphones, I search for reviews. You have to be careful though. You might get a review don't relate to your taste on what audio quality you want for headphones. I will give one example. Beats headphones are popular just because of the branding. To me I find they are horrible headphones as they only about bass. However, there others are into that type of thing.

Anyhow, if possible, keep finding stores you can try out headphones. Another thing you want to consider headphones with decent battery life. I would recommend headphones comes with rechargeable batteries. Otherwise, buy rechargeable batteries if they don't come with them.
 
Those are interesting but I have lots of experience with earplugs. I always have a pair with me. I am looking for electronic headphones that have noise canceling algorithms o meet the phase of the nearby sound. I don't care about listening to music, just want the quiet. The real stuff, like the Bose, worked very well. I was surprised that the technology did in fact work but they were miserably uncomfortable and $300. It might be worth any price if I could stop hearing people talking and shouting outside my window and pressure washers and leaf blowers.

Thank you for your suggestion.

DogwoodTree said:
I didn't think I'd like big, bulky headphones on my head all the time, so I got some tiny earplugs. They're a lot more comfortable than I expected. Not sure I could wear them all day long (although I don't mind the old style of iPad earbuds--I can wear those for hours with no problem), but I'm glad to have them when I need them.

Amazon.com: EarAngels - Comfortable Earplugs for Women (1 Pair): Health & Personal Care

BTW, it says these ear plugs are designed to attach to the back of dangly earrings. I don't wear earrings, but I like the idea of having a little tether to pull the ear plugs out with...don't think I'd like the kind without the tether because I'd be afraid they'd get stuck in my ears.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for the help. I think they all come with rechargeable batteries. The ones I looked at did. If I ever find a comfortable pair that work I will mention it here as Aspie Central.

The Penguin said:
When I look for headphones, I search for reviews. You have to be careful though. You might get a review don't relate to your taste on what audio quality you want for headphones. I will give one example. Beats headphones are popular just because of the branding. To me I find they are horrible headphones as they only about bass. However, there others are into that type of thing.

Anyhow, if possible, keep finding stores you can try out headphones. Another thing you want to consider headphones with decent battery life. I would recommend headphones comes with rechargeable batteries. Otherwise, buy rechargeable batteries if they don't come with them.
Click to expand...
 
As AC's resident audiophile, perhaps I should weigh in...

The best noise-canceling headphones aren't going to do a sensory-sensitive Aspie much good if they are uncomfortable. And unforortunately that can vary quite a lot from model to model and person to person. No doubt, when it comes to noise cancelation, Bose comes out on top. I have heard some say they are quite comfortable indeed, but if they aren't, that is only counterproductive. Unfortunately, because it comes down to very personal preferences, it is impossible for anyone to make a solid recommendation. My recommendation would be to find a good home entertainment store and try out all the headphones they have on display to see if you can find a pair that are both comfortable and provide good isolation from outside noise.

Personally, I use a pair of Audio-Technical ATH-M50's—they don't actually have active noise cancellation, but the seal is good, and they provide enough low-end heft (without ruining the rest of the frequency response) to effectively block out a lot of noise. but they did require a break in period to get the headband so that it didn't clamp too tightly; that's something else to consider, that something that isn't comfortsble at first can either break in, or you get used to it. There are always in-ear headphones, too, and they usually have a good variety of different tips from which to choose, so if you can find tips that are comfortable, they actually work much better even than Bose active noise-canceling over-ears.

Bottom line: It's incredibly tricky! And requires a good amount of luck and good return/exchange policies.
 
If it's just the quiet/noise reduction you're after, you could have a look at noise blocking earmuffs used in construction/workshops and such. Those are designed to do one thing, and one thing only, and that is to reduce the ambient volume as much as possible. Being comfortable to wear for long periods at a time is usually higher on the list of design goals too than with regular headphones, so it might be easier to find a pair that, ideally, you forget you have on after a while. And you won't have to worry about cables getting in the way, or batteries needing to be replaced and such.

One trick I'd like to add, in terms of wearability, is changing the coverthingies (don't know what they are called) that come in contact with your head. That's one variable that can be adjusted, if you find otherwise perfect headphones. There are some materials I really can't stand and things like leather tends to get warm and sweaty after a while. For my headphones I use at home I cut up some soft old socks and wrapped those around, which not only makes them feel a lot more comfortable to wear, it also adds to the amount of noise they block (passively). Since I didn't use the same socks on both sides, it's a little easier to tell apart which side is left and which side is right too. :)

One more option would be to have a look at a musical instrument store. There are special headphones designed for drummers for example, which should do a better job at passively reducing the volume.

Anyway, as wyverary mentioned, best to look around a lot and try lots of pairs. Every head is different, so what's comfortable to one person can be agony to wear for the other.

Edit: for the noise blocking earmuffs I suggest having a look at specialized retailers selling tools for stone cutting companies (the ones that take big boulders of marble and such and cut them into slabs for example), or go to one of those workshops themselves and ask what they use. It's a continuous very high volume environment; they need the good stuff when it comes to blocking noise all day long.
 
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gonzerd said:
: for the noise blocking earmuffs I suggest having a look at specialized retailers selling tools for stone cutting companies (the ones that take big boulders of marble and such and cut them into slabs for example), or go to one of those workshops themselves and ask what they use. It's a continuous very high volume environment; they need the good stuff when it comes to blocking noise all day long.
Click to expand...
I own blocking earmuffs and they work great. I was working at a very loud factory and the noise with the machines was very minimal when I have the earmuffs on. It was the only way to do my job as ear plugs was not enough to reduce noise.
 
The Penguin said:
I own blocking earmuffs and they work great. I was working at a very loud factory and the noise with the machines was very minimal when I have the earmuffs on. It was the only way to do my job as ear plugs was not enough to reduce noise.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing those earmuffs are supra-aural in design. Covering the entire ear pressed lightly against your head. Industrial grade...probably the only way to go although to some they'd be cumbersome I suppose.

But then you probably don't have to worry about someone trying to steal them either...as they aren't audio headphones. Something to consider using expensive noise-cancelling headphones outdoors...
 
Judge said:
I'm guessing those earmuffs are supra-aural in design. Covering the entire ear pressed lightly against your head. Industrial grade...probably the only way to go although to some they'd be cumbersome I suppose.

But then you probably don't have to worry about someone trying to steal them either...as they aren't audio headphones.
Click to expand...
Yeah. What happen one day I was working with wood products. I didn't like the noise of the machines. So I bought the earmuffs. After that day, it was peaceful.
 
Anything pressing too long on my head gives me a headache (why do all the new sunglasses use this design?) I'm thinking of getting bluetooth in ear/buds. They're not available here, so I'll probably have to buy from Amazon - if they will post here! Any experience with these?
 
Wear the construction noise-blocking earphones, that cover the entire ear and contact the head around the ears. When you remove them they have a sort of suction seal that requires a bit of effort to remove. They seem to cancel almost all noise. When I vacuum I wear them, doing dishes, and to cancel out the sound of lawn mowers and loud vehicles.
 
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