Seeking Headphone/Earphone recommendations 1

[VeryAnon]

Hello all,
I'm looking for some noise blocking headphones to wear in cubeville. They will be to offset persistant ringing in my ears, so that capability will be important, but fit is also critical because I wear glasses. I have tried some clamp on earphones that we have lying around here, and they bend the bows of my glasses & feel uncomfortable. I'm told the in-the-ear kind damage hearing. Does anyone have a favorite that is effective, clamp on and comfortable? I'd appreciate any advice before I go spend money.
Thanks in advance

 

[SQLBill]

I don't wear glasses anymore, but I have a pair of Targus that are pretty good. I prefer the Bose ones, but they are out of my price range. Best thing about the Bose ones are that you can remove the cable and just use the headsets (the battery and noise reduction stuff is in the headsets themselves).

My Targus ones cost me $50, the Bose ones are $300.

I've heard/read that the issues with the ear buds are:
1. the buds don't necessarily fit all ears and some people force them into the canal.
2. (the biggest reason) buds don't fully enclose the ear so there is 'leakage', this causes some users to turn up the volume louder than they normally would. The cups block outside sound better, so users keep the volume at a more reasonable level.

Having used all three types, here is what I have found:
a. I tend to turn the volume up louder using the ear buds.
b. I tend to turn the volume up using noise cancelling headsets (cup style), but not as much as with ear buds.
c. I set the volume at a reasonable level when I use regular cup style headsets.

I really have to pay attention when I use earbuds to not turn up the volume too much.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[VeryAnon]

Thank you SQLBill for the information. What is your opinion of the noise cancelling headphones? I have heard that they cancel out the outside noise by "feeding back" some kind of reverse noise, but wouldn't that be just as damaging to one's hearing? You can tell I'm sure that I don't know much about the topic, but have to do something to preserve what's left of mine!

 

[SQLBill]

How 'up' are you on how frequencies work?

Basically, a sound is a wave. Noise cancelling headsets 'sample' the wave and set up an alternate wave (when the 'sound' is up, the cancelling wave is down and vice versa). Another way to describe it is with 0's and 1's. The sound wave is a zero when it is at the bottom and a 1 when at the top. The cancelling wave is a 0 when the sound is a 1 and vice versa. That cancels each other out.

Why doesn't it cancel ALL sound then? Remember, it is sampling the incoming sound. A voice is not a steady sound that can be sampled and cancelled. It needs to be a steady sound like a fan or jet engine.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[VeryAnon]

Thanks, SQLBill, I guess I do understand that part ok. I wasn't sure if there was more to it. Does that mean you get less sound related damage to the ear, or twice as much but you can't tell because it seems quieter?


Do you use your noise cancelling headphones much? Do you feel they help?

Thanks

 

[SQLBill]

Your ears get of the droning sound, so you don't damage your hearing as much.

I worked in a server room and my desk was right next to a full rack of servers. It was noisy. I loved the headsets and they saved my hearing. I could leave them on and hold conversations. Sometimes I could hear the 'white noise', but it didn't bother me. I tried my coworker's Bose headsets and loved them (just didn't like the price).

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[Welshbird]

I use these, ALL of the time, and they have been incredible

http://www.shure.co.uk/PersonalAudio/Products/Earphones/E-Series/uk_pa_e3c_content

I find my iPod on half the volume it used to be with standard ear-buds which is the reason I bought them (to protect my hearing).

They cancel out background noise to such a fantastic extent that people throw crumpled paper to attract my attention - I simply can't hear them! And they allowed me to sleep on a transatlantic flight as I couldn't even hear the engines.

So, I'd recommend them! They weren't enormously cheap, but seem well worth the money to me.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[Grenage]

Sennheiser make some fantastic headphones that fold up, have excellent sound and block about 80% of background noise. Prices range from £50-100 or so.

Pretty much all of my headphones/headsets are Sennheiser.


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[Stevehewitt]

Always used cheapo ones (cheap plastic and foam buds for like $10) but thought I'd invest after my staff are telling me off as they can hear my music when listening too it!

Brought some Shure ones for £50 and they are amazing. Worth every penny. Superb quality, great sounds and best of all they use a soft plastic/rubber that fits into the ear perfecly. No leakage, and it doesn't require forcing into your ear with a hammer.

I'm a convert. No more cheap ones, and until they let me down I'll be buying a shure one again.

Cheers,




Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

 

[SQLBill]

Steve,

Are your Shure 'buds' noise cancelling? Or are they just regular headphones?

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[Stevehewitt]

Think the buds are noise cancelling yeah - either way I can't hear anything outside of them and nobody can here my music either!



Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

 

[SQLBill]

If you can't hear anything 'outside of them', then they aren't noise cancelling. Noise cancelling headphones cut out background noise (such as fans, jet engines, etc) but still allow you to hear conversations while wearing them. The one's I have fully cover my ears, yet they still let me carry on a conversation while I have them on. Meanwhile, they block the fan noise from all the servers I worked next to.

-SQLBill

Posting advice: FAQ481-4875