5 Noise Cancelling Headphones for Autism

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A few more details on how noise-cancelling works:
- Sound in air travels slower than electricity in wire, so the microphones, circuity and speakers in the headset have the time to compute the inverse sound wave before the external sound wave reaches your ear.
- Noise-cancelling is a LOT MORE effective with cyclical, predictable sounds, such as a an airplane engine. It barely works with "unpredictable" sound waves such as breaking a glass.
=> you should think about the environment in which you want to use noise-cancelling earphones.
e.g. if the humming of an A/C compressor annoys you, noise-cancelling might be very effective. If you work in mall and are annoyed with the noise of the crowd, noise-cancelling will reduce but won't be as effective.

For those with tinnitus: you can listen to rain/etc noise while using the noise-cancellation headphones. I find this extremely relaxing at low volume.

Interesting.

Maybe the technology has been improving since I last read literature on it, so I shall review my opinions on it.
I can't use over-the-head headphones, as they are too bulky for me. IEMs fit my lifestyle. Even though that yes, I tend to go out to listen to music where quality audio hardware doesn't matter (since I'm not in the right environments and moods to listen to music properly), it still isn't an issue because due to my set of sensory needs; the semi-isolation is good, but I'm more interested in using music as a mood regulator, balancer and modifier. I have heavy emotional needs too, and because I derive deep emotional links to a lot of places and things (and reminded of past experiences which I deeply-empathize with), music helps to contextualize and put these feelings into place. I am a musician too, so music is truly my bread and butter of bringing myself to the world and the world to me.

I have tried a bunch of IEMs, both slightly and greatly more expensive than my Shures, but their performances has not justified the price differences. It seems over a certain price point, one gets into marginal gains territory, where you pay much more for only a little bit more.

My Shures have been a steal. They provide me with audio quality I can depend on, in a very small package. The sound stage is good too, and provides good positioning for the various instruments for the music I tend to listen to, although mastering and mixing quality of individual tracks is beyond my control. The frequency response is also very good for me as well, and I really don't foresee myself upgrading as I have more important things to worry about for now.

Last edited by jamesthemusician on 13 Oct 2018, 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I wish I could afford such things. In extremis I use hard ear muffs over ear buds, playing an MP3 of binaural Theta waves. Regardless of whether or not binaural sound waves work as advertised, they provide a suitable "white noise" which effectively masks ambient noise, which otherwise can at times be a real problem for me.

Whoever wrote this is really trying to sell you high-end ear buds. The truth is, there are loads of other viable options in the $30-$80 range that won't break the bank.

I use Sony in-ear buds that I get at Walgreens for $30 and they cancel out so much, especially if I plug them into a white noise app on my phone. I also use a really great brand called Klipsch that cost about $90 on Amazon. Honestly, there is not much difference between the two ... I can generally sleep better with the $30 Sony in-ear buds and I use the Klipsch at work because they are maybe a bit better at noise cancelling.

Interesting stuff and posted so it appears next time I log in....

I wrote this article and it's about noise cancellation which is a specific technology. Putting on white noise does not cancel sound, it just adds more sound to drown out other sounds. Definitely not good for your ears because you have to increase it to be louder than the environment. Those earbuds don't really block sound much. Active noise cancellation blocks sound without the need to use white noise or any other sounds.

I'm definitely not trying to sell you high end earphones, which generally cost thousands, and aren't good for noise cancellation. Here's a picture of me wearing actual high end earphones which would not even be good for the purpose of noise isolation because they're open ear and don't black sound at all but still cost $1700:



Here's me with bose noise cancelling headphones which cost 1/10th of the ones above

i used to love my bose, but i’ve noticed that with the ‘upgrade’ to wireless, they’ve changed a few things. most importantly, high frequency sounds come through the headphones at an awful volume level. actually, all sounds come through. for example, even with noise cancelling on, the sounds of paper crinkling, doors opening, outside sounds - lawnmowers, cars honking - all these sounds come through as if they were hooked up to an amplifier. it’s awful, and the battery operated bose i had before didn’t have ANY of these issues. my doctor says there was a lawsuit because some idiot walked into traffic wearing them, and couldn’t hear the car and got hit or something - DUH. so now they had to tweak them to allow these types of sounds in. he suggested perhaps foam earplugs with the headphones or perhaps ballistic pr aviattion headphones. any thoughts on these?

I am not sure if I am atypical in a neural sense, just that I have had similar difficulties adapting socially, so maybe I qualify for this website and maybe not. But I don't think I have been particularly sensitive to sensory stimuli, with the exception of VERY LOUD NOISE, for which I would wear earplugs such as when I went to dance clubs, etc. Probably a good thing that, since the music was enough decibels to do real damage to hearing. Interestingly, I could actually hear others speaking over the music more easily with the earplugs in than not. (I noticed that a lot of others going to the clubs did likewise.) Other environments with loud noises are trains and planes -- the noise doesn't annoy me very much, but it makes it hard to hear what I want to hear, and it's not quite loud enough that I felt the need to block it, except the BART train, which was excruciating in places after a fire forced them to remove the flammable soundproofing and before they ground the grooves off the tracks that cause the loud screaming noises -- although it did seem like I was the only one sticking their fingers in their ears when it want around those awful turns.
In fact, in my case it is almost the opposite -- I would easily shut out all sensory information while I focus on whatever I was doing, so that someone would almost have to knock me on the head to get my attention. I easily get lost in my own world (long before the electronic devices that everyone seems to get lost in nowadays).
As others have remarked, at my advanced age, I have noticeable tinnitus, which is more noticeable in silence, and maybe somewhat annoying, but I'm used to it more or less. The tinnitus seems related to "normal" loss of hearing at my age, above 8k Hz.
When I was young, however, I was able to hear very high frequency sounds that others could not, especially adults. I remember being in a museum, where some of the display cases used ultrasound devices to sense if the glass was broken. The sound of those was so very loud and annoyed me like fingernails on chalkboard, but everyone else was going "What are you talking about?". I couldn't wait to get out of that museum.
My biggest difficulty now is distinguishing one voice out of a crowd, but again, that's probably due to advanced age. I don't remember having that problem when I was young. Of course, headphone won't help with that.

Which bose do you have? Your doctor sounds like he's grossly misinformed... Noise cancelling of high frequency sounds is very difficult to do effectively in the first place due to the speed at which you need to produce an opposite wave. There's not much difference in the new wireless bose in high frequency noise cancellation, only a few db: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-2/g ... 7/2090/342

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates loud bass from passing cars. It's the bane of my existence. For me, a white noise machine is better than having to wear earphones or ear buds all the time. Normal white-noise machines don't stop bass, but I have a sound effects CD called "Soothing Air Conditioner" that make a deep hum. I play it through my stereo and it blocks the bass sounds, and I don't have to play it very loud. I keep it on Pause and when some a-hole is driving by with their thumpdy-dum crap, I just unpause the stereo and get the soothing hum instead of the thumpdy-dum.

i notice that the bose quiet comfort 15 isn't on that list - you can control noise cancelling and phone conversations separately, because the cord has the controls for the audio and the noise cancelling is controlled by a switch and a battery. that's huge, also the shape of the ear cups may also have an effect. all i know is that i never had anyone comment on excess noise whilst on the phone like most everyone does now with the 35.

so does anyone have any experience with ballistic or aviation headphones?

Wearing noise cancelling headphones could prevent you from hearing something you should have heard

For example, cars

My hearing is sensitive and way too good

The feeling of wearing headphones gives me sensory issues




There is something wrong with everything

so does anyone have any experience with ballistic or aviation headphones?

If I need to totally block out the "world" I use in-ear solutions like the Shure's ( they are expensive but work ) however I now use https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06Y52MQQ3/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 these offer noise isolation and when in use with an iPod work well.

For extra comfort I have a set of wireless over ear's from B&A https://www.beoplay.com/en/products/beoplayh9i though I have an older model.

However if I "need" to be in a place and still be a part of a conversation then I use ISOLATE®
PRO TITANIUM , yes again expensive for what they are ... BUT with these in they ( for me ) cut down a lot of the noise, again there are noise isolation not cancelling, but its like turning down the volume in a very loud room! Also these are quite discrete , you can wear these and not have many people notice that you have them in, Some of course will notice, but then there are always those people!

https://www.flareaudio.com/products/isolate-pro-titanium Admittedly I bought these when they where still on indiegogo as a start up

Hope this helps though

Has anyone had experience with Mpow H5's? On a fixed income these are still a major expense, but doable if they work.
Mpow H5 active noise cancelling headphones

This is a review I wrote on Consumer Reports several years ago on the Bose QuietComfort 20i noise-cancelling headphones (earbuds), which I think were the first of the kind. Since that time, they've come out with a newer and better model.

Don't be taken back by the price ...
The reviews I've read on these online all comment on the price. My take is this: they're worth every single penny. Being on the autism spectrum, noisy environments tend to overwhelm me, and my attention is constantly being diverted. Comfort (incl. weight), is also a primary factor. I was one of the first fans of the QC1 and still have them. Until now, I never saw a reason to upgrade those. But headphones in general bother me as time goes on (and I just plain can't use them for working out). The noise cancellation on the QC20i is comparable to ANY of the other QC models, and they're light-weight and comfortable to boot. You can wear these for hours and it seems like they're a part of you. I wear these to work out (upgraded from the IE2), in an environment that's a virtual cluckfest, people jabbering away and multiple TV's on different channels, all seemingly clamoring for my attention (unlike most people, I don't have a good 'tuning out' capability). I don't hear a thing I don't want to hear with these. (Okay, I exaggerated a bit there, I did hear one guy with a huge belly laugh about three feet away from me, it was more like a shout.) BTW, they do have an 'Aware' mode that allows you to hear sounds from your environment. I tested it and it works, but I never use it (I think I'd use it waiting for a flight to be boarded!). It's a simple on-off button on the control device next to the line split, very handy. If you can fork out bucks for a QC3 or QC15, you certainly won't mind the cost of these in the least bit. We're talking value here and you're sure to love 'em! Indeed, you might well think of these as mini-QC15's. When it comes to environmental noise, I'm probably much more sensitive than you, and I can certainly tell how effective these are. I'm probably one of their tougher judges on this. (Caveat: audiophiles may criticize the sound, but I'm not all THAT picky about that. It's plenty good in my book.) One of my first tests was to use the noise-cancellation in a crowded room without playing music. It passed with flying colors, so you can use them simply to shut out noises, if that's your preference. These are truly a Godsend, especially for those of us 'blessed' with sensory challenges. Thank you, Bose!

https://www.consumerreports.org/product ... er-reviews