Noise Cancelling Headplugs or Phones Help

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So I did a search and saw many topics.
I would have posted on them but there were several and each raised more questions.

I work in office and wish to cancel out background noise.

1) Which is preferable, headphones or ear buds?

2) Of those, which is the best kind at both effectiveness and cost?

3) In addition to cancelling noise, do they also connect to a PC or iPod to play music?

Thanks!

(1) Up to you, but headphones are probably better for your ears
(2) I think there are some good NC headphones for around $100 US. Google NC headphones and flying as people often use them in aeroplanes and there are some good reviews.
(3) Yes.

I've tried a few on display but have never been very impressed by them. They seem best at cancelling out constant, predictable, whitish noise like jet engines from within the plane, traffic, murmurs, but not say nearby conversations.

Last edited by albeniz on 05 Feb 2013, 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Blue, if you have a lot of money to spend, Bose makes a set of noise-cancelling headphones. I've never tried them out, but I do have other Bose products, and they are all first-rate.

If you have less money, I can highly recommend something like these, which are made for gun ranges. The nice things about plugs like these is that they largely block out loud noises while not blocking out human speech:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting ... t104381280

hello there

1) Which is preferable, headphones or ear buds?

I find headphones more comfortable than ear plugs. Ear plugs tend to itch, at least for me, after I have had them in for more than an hour.

2) Of those, which is the best kind at both effectiveness and cost?

For ear plugs: the foam ones available in any drug store are quite effective at blocking noise. The best are the ones shaped like an elongated bell.
For headphones: there are two categories for this: construction ear muffs, sometimes called "ear defenders" and noise cancelling audio headphones. The construction ones are the most effective for blocking out sound. They also are available with audio functionality if you want that, although don't expect much audio quality from these. The focus is on noise dampening first and foremost with those. Noise cancelling audio headphones are designed with audio quality in mind first and noise cancelling effectiveness second. Construction ones are significantly less expensive than audio noise cancelling ones.

3) In addition to cancelling noise, do they also connect to a PC or iPod to play music?

Yes, some models of construction ones do have that feature for a bit of extra money.

Also, keep in mind you can use both earplugs and headphones at the same time for extra noise blocking. When wearing both at the same time there is very little that can penetrate.

I've tried "noise cancelling" ear phones and they didn't work. I now have a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 3 headphones and they work. That's if I remember to charge them up. They come with a lead so that you can either use them as you would ear defenders or headphones. The lead can connect to a bog standard MP3 player.

You can switch them off and just use them as normal headphones.

It you work in an office and don't mind "white noise" you can get a machine that makes a noise and it cancels out the other noise, not to mention it should (if you aren't in a cubicle) make it so others cannot hear whats going on in your office aside from the white noice machine.

One time when i was in inpatient, the treatment team would meet in the mornings to talk about all of us and they had a white noise machine they'd leave outside the door of the room they used. I used to turn it on and off all the time until the staff yelled at me.

I have a weird fear of wearing headphones sometimes since i ride my bike a lot and i need to hear whats around me. Cars, humans, we don't live in the best area. Also if i had music on or headphones i don't breathe right i feel as if i can't hear my breathing. I also may stim worse and not realize it verbally. Headphones i usually hang around my neck and blast music out to hear it.

I'd prefer ear plugs I can use in the office and at home when reading.

Are any ear plugs good at noise blocking and affordable?
Do you know of a specific model?

Which of these do you recommend or not?


1) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OBZ2XQ/ref ... B004OBZ2XQ

2) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083E5GUE

3) http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SE215-K-Sou ... B004PNZFZ8

4) http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-S4i-Premi ... B00264GYMG

I went the unconventional route and built my own pair of noise-isolating headphones.

What I did was take one pair of Peltor Optime III ear defenders of the kind you might see someone wearing at an airport or factory etc. I then carefully disasembled and fitted a pair of Koss ProtaPro over-ear 'phones into the body of the defenders. They sound bloody amazing and zero sound gets in from the outside world. Also, zero sound from the 'phones gets out so I can play very loud music and a person sitting next to me will hear noting. Total cost: about £35!

1. I prefer headphones because ear buds come out of my ears.
2. ear buds are cheaper but they break a lot.
3.well the headphones I have used to..
but not anymore (they broke)
so now I only use them for cancelling noise.

1. Preferable is whatever you will actually use. I prefer earbuds for listening to music, and headphone style ear defenders for blocking noise. I can wear my earbuds under my eardefenders if I want to block noise and listen to music.

2. I've never used "noise cancelling" earphones or headphones because they're too expensive if you ask me and I'm not convinced of their effectiveness for my requirements so I won't spend the money. My ear defenders were £10 and my earbuds about the same.

3. Yes as far as I'm aware.

I use my ear defenders / earbud combo in my office at work.

I use JVC Marshmallows (earplugs). They are cheap, go deep in the ears and sound quality is alright for the price. I have a Sennheiser HD201 (headphones) and it doesn't isolate much.

Ear buds work best for me. I've used full-sized headphones for many years as a DJ, and found that with them, the only way to really block out external noise (crowd noise, room reverberation, etc.) was to have them cranked up almost painfully loud... which is not particularly good for preserving one's hearing.

I've since invested in several pairs of ear buds, as well as a pair of custom molded, professional in-ear monitors for studio / pro use. I've used everything from Skullcandy Ink'd (cheap) to Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors (expensive, but for professional use). They block out external noise very well, much better than full-size headphones, in my experience.

Keep in mind that you will pretty much get what you pay for with sound quality when investing in headphones / earphones, as with any audio gear, however the intended use justifies the cost (consumer vs. professional).

Full-sized headphones and ear buds / in-ear monitors all have audio cables for iPod / computer use. The only types that don't have audio cables are construction / gun range type hearing protectors, or earplugs.

I've found that a good pair of ear buds / in-ear monitors will block out sound every bit as well - if not better than - full-size headphones when they are correctly inserted into my ears.

My 2 cents...