Ear protectors that can be worn with earbuds - suggestions?

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mr_bigmouth_502
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05 Nov 2015, 11:15 pm

I want to get a set of ear protectors so that I can block out the noise of my landlords upstairs, but I also want to be able to listen to things on my computer at the same time. I'd consider a set of noise cancelling headphones, but they're expensive. Any suggestions for an affordable set of ear protectors that can be worn reliably with a pair of earbuds underneath?



Dox47
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06 Nov 2015, 12:24 am

Standard mickey mouse style earmuffs should work just fine, if you don't mind looking silly at the computer. You can get them at any hardware store, and they're cheap.


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mr_bigmouth_502
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06 Nov 2015, 12:44 am

Dox47 wrote:
Standard mickey mouse style earmuffs should work just fine, if you don't mind looking silly at the computer. You can get them at any hardware store, and they're cheap.


I don't mind looking silly, mainly because I'm the only person downstairs 95% of the time.



skibum
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06 Nov 2015, 7:37 am

Home depot has ear protectors with a music plug that you can plug into a computer or mp3 player.


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Ashariel
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06 Nov 2015, 9:26 am

Try them on first if you can... Mine do a good job with the noise but I feel like my skull is being squeezed, and the weight of them hurts my neck after a while. (Most of the time I just use earplugs.)



Boo Radley
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06 Nov 2015, 10:06 am

I like my 3M Optime 105 ear muffs. They are easy to put on over foam ear plugs. I buy the DuraPlugs ear plugs in bulk on Amazon. You won't be able to listen to music through these ear muffs, though.

As mentioned they do squeeze on your head (which helps keep out sound) so depending on how sensitive you are to that you might not like them. I usually only put them on for 20 to 30 minutes at a time as needed.

You will look silly if you answer the door wearing these. Your neighbor might ask you if you're going to the gun range. True story.



skibum
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06 Nov 2015, 11:59 am

I have the regular earmuffs, the red plastic ones also from Home Depot. I wanted the ones you can play music through but they were $55 and the regular ones were $25. So I got the regular ones. The regular ones also have a slightly higher noise reduction rating. Sometimes they are painful for me to wear though and sometimes I even wear earbuds under them. And that can be very painful also. Sometimes when I sleep in them or in both them and earbuds the pain is excruciating. And sometimes I have found that ear plugs and ear muffs actually accentuate the bass sounds I am trying to block out. So it can be a constant on and off battle especially at night. But I would much rather have them than not have them because they do help often. Eventually I want to be able to afford some that will also let me listen to music because when you put the earbud under the regular one, where is squeezes the cord on your earlobe is sometimes unbearable painful. But I have to choose, what is worse for me, the pain of the ear protection or the pain of the sensory stimuli I am trying to block. I usually always choose the pain of the ear protection.


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06 Nov 2015, 12:57 pm

Why not just get a pair of noise cancelling headphones that cover your ears off of Ebay?

10.00 or less isn't too expensive is it?...or if you prefer a little pricier than 10 bucks they have that to. Seriously I just went and looked and they have lots of nice looking ones for around 10 dollars or less...of course they have to ship them but sounds more comfortable than ear protectors for construction from home depot with earbuds under them.

They do have noise cancelling ear-buds, but those obviously aren't as effective as the over-ear ones.


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Last edited by Sweetleaf on 06 Nov 2015, 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

skibum
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06 Nov 2015, 1:11 pm

I have found ear protectors as low as around US $20. I don't know what that is in pounds. I have also seen them for up to $150 for the construction site worker ones and up to in the $300 range for the music based ones.

As far as how effective they are, the ones I have are $25 and they are okay. I am glad I have them even though I wish they were better. But, I also find this issue with all the earplugs I have ever tried except the beeswax lanolin ones which I have tried and have but have some trouble with, where the bass sounds are actually often times accentuated when I wear the earplugs and ear muffs. That to me is intolerable because bass sounds like on stereos are one of the noises that hurt me the most. But I have found nothing that works perfectly for that.

The beeswax and lanolin earplugs are the best I have found but the problem I have with them is that when I take them out I can't get all the stuff it's made out of out of my ears. I don't like that at all. And they are very sticky so that gets in my hair.


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Last edited by skibum on 06 Nov 2015, 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

michael517
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06 Nov 2015, 1:12 pm

It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.



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06 Nov 2015, 1:14 pm

michael517 wrote:
It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.

I find that with mine, it's the repetitive bass noises that they Don't work well for.


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06 Nov 2015, 1:15 pm

michael517 wrote:
It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.


I think that is what they are meant for but they do help block other sounds to though can also depend on the quality of the noise cancelling headphones....but there is also noise isolation headphones, which are meant to counteract pretty much all unwanted noise and some even have settings where you can have the noise isolation feature on whilst listening to nothing just to have more quiet.


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06 Nov 2015, 1:20 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
michael517 wrote:
It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.


I think that is what they are meant for but they do help block other sounds to I just have a pair of noise cancelling ear-buds and wear them on the bus and can't hear much of anything with them in....but there is also noise isolation headphones, which are meant to counteract pretty much all unwanted noise and some even have settings where you can have the noise isolation feature on whilst listening to nothing just to have more quiet.
I have never seen the noise isolation ones with settings. Can you post some that you like?


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06 Nov 2015, 2:43 pm

skibum wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
michael517 wrote:
It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.


I think that is what they are meant for but they do help block other sounds to I just have a pair of noise cancelling ear-buds and wear them on the bus and can't hear much of anything with them in....but there is also noise isolation headphones, which are meant to counteract pretty much all unwanted noise and some even have settings where you can have the noise isolation feature on whilst listening to nothing just to have more quiet.
I have never seen the noise isolation ones with settings. Can you post some that you like?


I can try and find something...but yeah I had some at my house, not sure whos they were but it was just a button you could turn on or off. I realize I explained it to sound more complex than it is but its like you can turn the noise isolation on or off.


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skibum
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06 Nov 2015, 2:47 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
skibum wrote:
Sweetleaf wrote:
michael517 wrote:
It has been a while since I looked, but as I recall, noise cancelling headphones work on repetitive noises, such as an airplane engine.


I think that is what they are meant for but they do help block other sounds to I just have a pair of noise cancelling ear-buds and wear them on the bus and can't hear much of anything with them in....but there is also noise isolation headphones, which are meant to counteract pretty much all unwanted noise and some even have settings where you can have the noise isolation feature on whilst listening to nothing just to have more quiet.
I have never seen the noise isolation ones with settings. Can you post some that you like?


I can try and find something...but yeah I had some at my house, not sure whos they were but it was just a button you could turn on or off. I realize I explained it to sound more complex than it is but its like you can turn the noise isolation on or off.

oh cool. I will see if i can find something like that.


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mr_bigmouth_502
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07 Nov 2015, 5:54 am

Sweetleaf wrote:
Why not just get a pair of noise cancelling headphones that cover your ears off of Ebay?

10.00 or less isn't too expensive is it?...or if you prefer a little pricier than 10 bucks they have that to. Seriously I just went and looked and they have lots of nice looking ones for around 10 dollars or less...of course they have to ship them but sounds more comfortable than ear protectors for construction from home depot with earbuds under them.

They do have noise cancelling ear-buds, but those obviously aren't as effective as the over-ear ones.


What?!? I thought a good set of noise cancelling headphones was supposed to cost at least $150. :P I'll have to look.

Boo Radley wrote:
I like my 3M Optime 105 ear muffs. They are easy to put on over foam ear plugs. I buy the DuraPlugs ear plugs in bulk on Amazon. You won't be able to listen to music through these ear muffs, though.

As mentioned they do squeeze on your head (which helps keep out sound) so depending on how sensitive you are to that you might not like them. I usually only put them on for 20 to 30 minutes at a time as needed.

You will look silly if you answer the door wearing these. Your neighbor might ask you if you're going to the gun range. True story.


Will they still block external sounds if I wear earbuds underneath, with the wires protruding?