• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Noise-cancelling headphones

Divrom

Divrom

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
Hi,

Do any of you use noise-cancelling headphones, if you are sensitive to noise?

If so, which would you recommend? They all seem quite expensive. My employer is considering purchasing some for me when I am doing paperwork in the office, but I don't want to get them to fork out for a pair that might be dud.
 
I was on Newegg.com looking for them myself. Kind of got frustrated between reading buyers' comments over a huge price range.

The noise-cancelling factor is my greatest concern, but I can't justify paying two or three hundred dollars for them either. I know there's a thread in this forum about headphones...I remember going over that as well.
 
"Noise-canceling" is the name for the specific technology, by which an inverted signal is used to "cancel out" outside noise, and they work great for low-frequency stuff, like subways and airplanes. In that regard, Bose's Quiet Comfort line is still the best. If you want to go the extra mile, though, look for some in-ear monitors, which basically act as earplugs. All of Etymotic's offerings do a FANTASTIC job at that, in my experience...and you can get a pair of, say, their MC5 model for around fifty bucks, MUCH cheaper than Bose. But then, there are some serious comfort issues, and they can take a while to "break in" and to get used to.

So...those are my recommendations. Bose for comfort, Etymotic for absolute isolation.
 
Thank you, Wyv, for an excellent response.

I wasn't aware of some of the distictions you made.

You said that all of the etymotic are good, but their prices vary massively. Also, you talked about some serious comfort issues. Can you elaborate?

Thanks again.
 
With the Etymotics, the price difference is sound quality; all of their models share pretty much the same design. The MC5 I mentioned has some serious durability issues, though. And comfort....well, you're basically shoving a bit of silicone into your ears, which can take some getting used to, and it takes a while for them to "break in" and soften up not feel so scratchy. They're rather high-maintenance, too, requiring occasional replacement of their tips and filters.
 
Wow, it's frustrating trying to make the right decision - especially because someone else is paying for it! :unsure:

I don't want some that have to be playing music, so in that sense I guess noise cancelling headphones would be the answer. However, the noise in the background that I've now learned they make does not appeal to me.

I naively thought that it would be easier than this. I know for children they do some big heavy-duty ones, but I'd rather not be quite so conspicuous in the workplace!
 
wyverary said:
With the Etymotics, the price difference is sound quality; all of their models share pretty much the same design. The MC5 I mentioned has some serious durability issues, though. And comfort....well, you're basically shoving a bit of silicone into your ears, which can take some getting used to, and it takes a while for them to "break in" and soften up not feel so scratchy. They're rather high-maintenance, too, requiring occasional replacement of their tips and filters.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the Etymotics. I wasn't even aware that they made noise-isolating earbuds. Though yes, I suppose if they are physically similar to conventional earplugs I suppose the comfort factor could be either very good or very bad. I just get frustrated with headphones that have decent sound quality and cost, but with headbands which have no cushioning. Years ago even the most modest headphones had decent cushioning, but no more.

Love the Bose headphones, but not paying three figures for much of any of them. Mostly I just want a pair to occasionally drown out the sound of a neighbor's subwoofer.
 
Last edited:
Subwoofers or anything that produces an intense low frequency are hard to drown out, but your best bet there is a pair of in-ears that themselves produce a fair amount of bass output. You can actually get some of those for pretty cheap...I'm told that Logitech makes a pair, the UE350, that you can find quite cheap.

I want to make it clear, that while I call myself the "Thrift Shop Audiophile," headphones are not my forte (I'm a speakers person myself), and I am mostly just going by what my research over time has told me. But I have owned Etymotics and they are awesome when it comes to blocking outside noises...and I have also had people tell me that the Bose Quiet Comforts I recommended to them have been a Godsend.

So yeah, I hope I've at least given y'all some good starting points. Let me know how this all works out!

wyv
 
I would recommend Macks earplugs, which you can buy at Walmart. They are very effective, and inexpensive. There are two types that I know of: wax ones that go over (not in) your ear, and foam ones that go inside. The foam ones block the most sound; the wax ones are good if you want to block a lot of sound, but not all.

The only downside to wearing earpugs is some people might not see that you are wearing them, and might get frustrated if they say your name and you don't respond. So I would recommend cheap earphones to make it look like you can't hear, and good earplugs to guarantee that you really can't.
 
Hey I know this is an old thread but I've been needed SOMETHING to block out the noise. I can handle the other stuff, like *seeing* people be loud and obnoxious, but *hearing* them is my biggest issue. It makes me just want to scream and knock them out. Which I would never do, but in my mind I do. After reading this whole thread repeatedly, I can't decide what I need. I thought have Aspergers and needing noise cancelling headphones means that I just need noise cancelling headphones. But now I'm now sure because I don't know if I just need to simply cancel the noise, or become totally isolated. Also a big problem I've always had, unrelated to AS, is that my ears are incredibly small. My ears are even too small for child's earphones to fit; they just fall out. I have super quality 90s style headphones I got one time on a Virgin Airlines flight, but the cord itself is flimsy and now only one ear works when I play music.
I don't know what to do. Can you guys please help?
 
If you want music, then in-ear headphones--the kind that act as earplugs--are definitely your best bet. The ear plug design plus pumping music through them will make you feel as though the outside world doesn't exist at all. Find a pair that offers plenty of different tip sizes to make sure they stay in and block as much as possible.

Noise-cancelling headphones aren't QUITE as effective as in-ears, and they won't do a whole lot unless you're playing music...with in-ears, you can simply leave them in.

Simple good-ol'-fashioned earplugs can do the trick, too. I used them at Bonnaroo every night and slept like a baby.
 
wyverary, I mentioned that my ears are too small for any kind of earplugs. Even the ones you roll down to fit into your ear then expand, those just pop out once they expand because my ears are too small :(
But thank you, Judge :)
 
The only thing I'll add right now to this. Is some of us have sensory issues with touch. This effects our ability to wear headphones. To the point it's excruciatingly painful. However, the right noise canceling earbuds or earplugs may still work for some of those folks even.
 
I have sensory issues (sound, sight, smell, touch, taste) that can bring me to a meltdown on bad days. Auditory is one of them, and the worst.

Here is the list of earphones/earplugs that works for me:

1) Bose QuietComfort 20 noise-cancelling earphones (Music earphones)
A gift from my friend and I have been using it on a daily basis since then. Even though I'm on this noise-cancelling earphones, it's not a godsend as mentioned. I still can hear all the environmental sounds and people talking. But it definitely reduced the normal daily sounds till I'm able to cope. (Though not with motorcycles or big vehicle passing by)

2) Etymotic High Fidelity Earplugs, ER20 ETY-Plugs. (Not music earphones)
Those pairs were okay. I'm able to cope even with a child screaming in front of me during my work.

3) Etymotic Music•PRO High-Definition Electronic Earplugs for musicians (Not music earphones)
When performing in concerts, I use these. It does a good job of reducing the level of sounds automatically. (I like it but it doesn't work after I used it for a few concerts, perhaps need to change batteries)

4) Sennheiser IE80 (Music earphones)
A high-fidelity stereo sound, and high noise attenuation earphones. Great with music. I have two pairs of them. You can also remove the cables so it doubles up as a cool earplug. I use this when I'm in the hall with loud PA system blasting away, and also when I don't want my colleagues to think that I'm listening to music. I'm still able to hear the environment.

5) Kids Ear Defender (Not music headphones)
Can't remember the brand, but it's in silver color. Haha. To be honest, the reduction is not so great.


Hope this list helps anyone of you out there.
There is no one-model-fits-all.
Depending on what you are doing, your needs may be different from mine.
I use various earphones/plugs for different occasions. (Obviously, I cannot use #1 if I am performing in a concert hall because I still need to listen to the subtle sounds from other instruments)

As my auditory got more sensitive recently, I'm still deciding if I want to invest in a Bose Aviation A20 headset for pilots. Haha
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom