Noise Cancelling Headphones

Jayne <jane DeleteThis @no-spam.yahoo.com.au> writes:

 > Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not
 > what I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones used
 > on airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.
 >
 > Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
 > headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
 > different, can anyone explain why?
 >
 > If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
 > noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing
 > salesmen!

Personally, I think this is an area where the story about the Russian
space programs and NASA's approach to "how to write in space" is
applicable. You may have heard it--NASA spent lots of money
developing a pen that would write in a 0G environment. The Russians
used pencils!

Likewise, this active noise cancellation stuff is mighty tricky. It's
effective for drone continuous noise like you get on airplanes, but
for spurious noise, it's simply not that great.

So, passive attenuation is really the way to go. Check out "in-ear
headphones" that seal your ear canal. think of them like earplugs
that have speakers in em--isolating you from ambient sound and
providin gyou a means of playing your music to you. Nearly every
musician you're seeing on TV is using them these days, and
increasingly more local folks as well.

Shure makes good ones -- E2, E1, E5 models. Etymotic makes them too.
If you can afford an extra $60-$80 to hvae an audiologist make you a
custom mold for them, you'll have fabulous bass response, a great fit,
and wonderful ease of getting htem in and out. I have a web page
about custom ear plugs and the molding process for in ear monitors is
nearly identical:
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://toddh.net/music/ear/" target="_blank">http://toddh.net/music/ear/</a>

You can try the Bose active noise cancelling headphones, but you end
up with big full ear headphones, another battery powered processor
hanging off of you, and I bet a passive in-ear slution would do a
better job of isolating you without all that friggin expense bulk and
complexity.

Best Regards,
--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Todd H
\ / | <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.toddh.net/" target="_blank">http://www.toddh.net/</a>
X Promoting good netiquette | <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://triplethreatband.com/" target="_blank">http://triplethreatband.com/</a>
/ \ <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/" target="_blank">http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/</a> | "4 lines suffice."<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Jayne wrote:
 > Hello.
 > I live in a very noisy household. The train station is next door, the
 > airport is a 5 minute drive away, a boys high school across the road,
 > a primary school on the other side and construction sites going up
 > around me and council men working on roads and have been for some
 > time now, so I hear the planes, the trains, kids, jack hammers,
 > bulldozers, cranes, etc all day long. Then there's my father who is
 > half deaf and needs the TV very loud in order to hear.. The noise is
 > unbearable, especially when it comes to studying, I can't concentrate
 > with this noise. Short of moving and sending my father to a nursing home,
 > can anyone
 > please give me some pointers on noise cancelling headphones?
 > There are so many brands/kinds/specifications out there and as I am
 > female, I can't get an honest salesman who will tell me which is the
 > best without burning a hole in my pocket!!
 >
 > Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not
 > what I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones
 > used on airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.
 >
 > Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
 > headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
 > different, can anyone explain why?
 >
 > If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
 > noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing
 > salesmen!
 > Thanks!

The current mode 2 Bose does a great job. However keep in mind that it
work different with different kinds of noise. I suspect you will like the
results, but I do suggest a test. I believe they offer a thirty day trial
so try them.

The cost is $200 + US as I recall. I think they have a current promotion
(ending Jan 31) you get a CD player thrown in.

I find the can make some sounds clearer and others almost eliminated.
It seems to select well, but again that will depend on your needs. They are
comfortable and the battery has an estimated life of 10 or is it 35 hours.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Hi Jayne,

Here in the UK we have a TV programme called the Gadget Show and last week
they tested 4 noise cancelling headsets. One was Bose, another Sony and a
third that I can't recall (Sennheiser, I think). All 3 of these used noise
cancelling circuitry; the test was conducted on a jet plane and, to some
extent, each of these worked to cancel out some of the noise of the plane.
However, the final set tested were Shure EC3 earbuds; these don't use any
noise cancelling circuitry but have foam over the buds that moulds itself to
the shape of your ear. The programme concluded that these were significantly
better than any of the others in the test. The presenter noted that they
were so good at reducing exterior sounds, he was able to reduce the volume
of the music - something he hadn't been able to do with any of the other
phones. It was a very clear winner, according to the programme.

Mike.
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

These are a few examples. The appropriate options will be required for the
application required. These models are the vary basic types. The cost goes
up as the required performance specifications are demanded. There are some
industrial versions for working in very noisy environments, such as machine
shops, and ect. These are far more costly than the examples listed below.


For general applications:
http://www.siemenscomms-online.co.uk/catalogue/product_display.php?ID=852


For general applications:
http://www.best4systems.co.uk/product.asp?ProdID=5268&CtgID=


You should enquire to the manufactures of these for proper details, to fit
your needs.


--

Jerry G.
=====

"Jayne" <jane DeleteThis @no-spam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41fb4955$0$2201$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
Hello.
I live in a very noisy household. The train station is next door, the
airport is a 5 minute drive away, a boys high school across the road, a
primary school on the other side and construction sites going up around
me and council men working on roads and have been for some time now, so
I hear the planes, the trains, kids, jack hammers, bulldozers, cranes,
etc all day long. Then there's my father who is half deaf and needs the
TV very loud in order to hear.. The noise is unbearable, especially when
it comes to studying, I can't concentrate with this noise.
Short of moving and sending my father to a nursing home, can anyone
please give me some pointers on noise cancelling headphones?
There are so many brands/kinds/specifications out there and as I am
female, I can't get an honest salesman who will tell me which is the
best without burning a hole in my pocket!!

Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not what
I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones used on
airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.

Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
different, can anyone explain why?

If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing salesmen!

Thanks!
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Jayne <jane.RemoveThis@no-spam.yahoo.com.au> wrote:
 >
 >Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not what
 >I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones used on
 >airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.

Nothing will block sound completely, but if I were you I would start out
with the small foam earplugs. They provide pretty good isolation and
are reasonably comfortable for long-term use. You can get custom earmolds
from an audiologist that will be more comfortable and more effective, but
also a lot more expensive. So try the foam first.

 >Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
 >headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
 >different, can anyone explain why?

The noise-cancelling headsets for pilots (Bose, Sennheiser, David Clark, etc.)
are very good for cancelling out repetitive low-frequency noises. They also,
just because they are mechanically surrounding your ear, are pretty good at
sealing out high frequency noise.

The noise cancellation system works great on piston engine noise... on a
small GA craft where there is a huge amount of radial engine noise, they
are just like night and day. On a jet plane where most of the noise is
either random incidence noise from the airframe or high frequency whine
from the engines, they aren't really much more effective than just the
older pilot's sets with good sealing.

My experience with the consumer gadgets is that they aren't really very
useful for anything... at least, they aren't appreciably better than just
good earplugs. Admittedly I have only used the Bose and Sony models, but
they do not provide a good ear seal and are generally much less effective
than the pilot models.

I don't think any of these will be all that useful for day to day noise in
your environment, but it might effectively cancel out power tool noises
and appliance noises enough to be interesting.

I'd sure start with the yellow foam earplugs, though, and work up from that
slowly.

 >If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
 >noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing salesmen!

None of these things have any real specs. Go to your local airport's
general aviation terminal and ask if the pilot shop has any that you can
put on and walk around with.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

"Jayne" <jane RemoveThis @no-spam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41fb4955$0$2201$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
 > Hello.
 > I live in a very noisy household. The train station is next door, the
 > airport is a 5 minute drive away, a boys high school across the road, a
 > primary school on the other side and construction sites going up around
 > me and council men working on roads and have been for some time now, so
 > I hear the planes, the trains, kids, jack hammers, bulldozers, cranes,
 > etc all day long. Then there's my father who is half deaf and needs the
 > TV very loud in order to hear.. The noise is unbearable, especially when
 > it comes to studying, I can't concentrate with this noise.
 > Short of moving and sending my father to a nursing home, can anyone
 > please give me some pointers on noise cancelling headphones?
 > There are so many brands/kinds/specifications out there and as I am
 > female, I can't get an honest salesman who will tell me which is the
 > best without burning a hole in my pocket!!
 >
 > Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not what
 > I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones used on
 > airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.
 >
 > Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
 > headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
 > different, can anyone explain why?
 >
 > If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
 > noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing salesmen!
 >
 > Thanks!
 >
There are two ways to reduce outside noise in a headphone (and they are not
mutually exclusive):

1) Headphones that block outside noise by mechanical means, with large
earpads or earbuds.

2) Headphones that use noise canceling circuitry (run by a battery) to
cancel out noise by adding more noise to the signal (you can do some
research at the Bose web site if you need a more technical explanation).
These do work well in airplanes, which is the only place I have ever used
them. If you turn off the circuitry, they function as normal headphones so
you can definitely tell the difference. These come with normal earpads or
earbuds, depending on the model.

I have not tried the better earbuds, but I am assuming that they still do no
offer as good of bass response as large closed earpad headphones. But maybe
someone who has tried them can comment.

Actually, you might want to get your father some wireless headphones for the
TV. That way you cold turn the sound down (or off) on the TV set.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Consumer noise-cancellers won't help you much. They block out
low-frequency, periodic noise pretty well, but don't do anything for
higher-frequency, impulse noise, which sounds like the majority of what you
have to contend with.

If you don't mind spending a little money, you might look at either video
production intercom phones or headphones intended for use by pilots. Both
of these use active noise-cancelling like the consumer phones, but they
will, essentially, block most anything. I've used the video production
phones before in concert environment, i.e. LOTS of really loud sounds, and
they do an extraordinary job of taking things back. If anything, they're
too good -- you have to get used to the effect, which is something like
being in an acoustic black hole.

"Jayne" <jane.DeleteThis@no-spam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41fb4955$0$2201$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
 > Hello.
 > I live in a very noisy household. The train station is next door, the
 > airport is a 5 minute drive away, a boys high school across the road, a
 > primary school on the other side and construction sites going up around
 > me and council men working on roads and have been for some time now, so
 > I hear the planes, the trains, kids, jack hammers, bulldozers, cranes,
 > etc all day long. Then there's my father who is half deaf and needs the
 > TV very loud in order to hear.. The noise is unbearable, especially when
 > it comes to studying, I can't concentrate with this noise.
 > Short of moving and sending my father to a nursing home, can anyone
 > please give me some pointers on noise cancelling headphones?
 > There are so many brands/kinds/specifications out there and as I am
 > female, I can't get an honest salesman who will tell me which is the
 > best without burning a hole in my pocket!!
 >
 > Are there headphones that block out sound completely, which is not what
 > I am expecting, but also that I shouldn't buy the headphones used on
 > airtravel as they won't be very ineffective.
 >
 > Are there different headphones that cater to noise cancelling
 > headphones? I was told that the airtravel anti-noise headphones are
 > different, can anyone explain why?
 >
 > If someone can provide a list of specs I should use when purchasing
 > noise cancelling headphones, it would help me catch our fibbing salesmen!
 >
 > Thanks!
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

In article <41fb4955$0$2201$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au> jane DeleteThis @no-spam.yahoo.com.au writes:

 > I live in a very noisy household. The train station is next door, the
 > airport is a 5 minute drive away, a boys high school across the road, a
 > primary school on the other side and construction sites going up around
 > me and council men working on roads and have been for some time now, so
 > I hear the planes, the trains, kids, jack hammers, bulldozers, cranes,
 > etc all day long. Then there's my father who is half deaf and needs the
 > TV very loud in order to hear.. The noise is unbearable, especially when
 > it comes to studying, I can't concentrate with this noise.
 > Short of moving and sending my father to a nursing home, can anyone
 > please give me some pointers on noise cancelling headphones?

I can give you one. This isn't the kind of noise that noise cancelling
headphones effectively cancel. If you're studying, you don't want
distracting music or other listening material distracting you either.

Get some earplugs.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Are you sure you need noise-cancellation headphones? One cheap
possibility: plain old ear plugs (to cut the background noise), and then
crank up the volume in your ordinary headphones (to get through the
earplugs). It may work well enough, and it will cost a pittance to try.
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

"Todd H." <bmiawmb.RemoveThis@toddh.net> wrote in message
news:m0651gsi17.fsf@ripco.com

 > You can try the Bose active noise cancelling headphones, but you end
 > up with big full ear headphones, another battery powered processor
 > hanging off of you, and I bet a passive in-ear slution would do a
 > better job of isolating you without all that friggin expense bulk and
 > complexity.


Agreed. The isolation provided by earphones as opposed to headphones is far
greater. People who are unsure about the earphone concept can get their feet
wet with the inexpenive Koss "The Plug" earphones, under $20 at places like
Best Buy and Circuit City. While they don't sound bad, for a greater
investment, substantially better sound quality can be optioned. However, not
everybody seems to be able to get onboard with earphones, so this is a good
way to buy and try before you put forth a major investment for far better
earphones such as the Shure E3C and Futuresonics.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Mike Phillips said:

 > However, the final set tested were Shure EC3 earbuds; these don't use any
 > noise cancelling circuitry but have foam over the buds that moulds itself to
 > the shape of your ear. The programme concluded that these were significantly
 > better than any of the others in the test. The presenter noted that they
 > were so good at reducing exterior sounds, he was able to reduce the volume
 > of the music - something he hadn't been able to do with any of the other
 > phones. It was a very clear winner, according to the programme.

Not that one should be overly cynical, but do you recall who sponsored the
show in question?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

On 29 Jan 2005 03:26:12 -0600, bmiawmb DeleteThis @toddh.net (Todd H.) wrote:

 >Personally, I think this is an area where the story about the Russian
 >space programs and NASA's approach to "how to write in space" is
 >applicable. You may have heard it--NASA spent lots of money
 >developing a pen that would write in a 0G environment. The Russians
 >used pencils!

Urban legend.

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp" target="_blank">http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp</a>

RJ<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones 

"Mike Phillips" <mike1 RemoveThis @blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:361ereF4rg83qU1@individual.net...
 > Hi Jayne,
 >
 > Here in the UK we have a TV programme called the Gadget Show and last week
 > they tested 4 noise cancelling headsets. One was Bose, another Sony and a
 > third that I can't recall (Sennheiser, I think). All 3 of these used noise
 > cancelling circuitry; the test was conducted on a jet plane and, to some
 > extent, each of these worked to cancel out some of the noise of the plane.
 > However, the final set tested were Shure EC3 earbuds; these don't use any
 > noise cancelling circuitry but have foam over the buds that moulds itself
to
 > the shape of your ear. The programme concluded that these were
significantly
 > better than any of the others in the test. The presenter noted that they
 > were so good at reducing exterior sounds, he was able to reduce the volume
 > of the music - something he hadn't been able to do with any of the other
 > phones. It was a very clear winner, according to the programme.
 >
 > Mike.

The problem is, there is no object measure of the extent of noise reduction.
Saying that the presenter could lower the volume of the music is
meaningless, as that's only a measure of the _efficiency_ of the phones, and
not of their noise-cancelling ability. Phones with larger drivers, i.e.
over-the-ear types, as opposed to ear buds, are, generally, not as efficient
because there is so much more mass to move.


 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Noise Cancelling Headphones