Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
You are sitting in an office, a coffee shop, or your home office and can’t focus because you have to listen to your coworkers or the folks at the next table. Or you are in your bedroom or a hotel room, having to listen to your neighbors having a good laugh and cranking up the …
Quality active noise cancelling headphones work great against low-frequency noise, OK against mid frequency noise (speech, office noise, etc.) and well against high frequency noise. Then we have noise cancelling earbuds. They can be nearly as good as over-ear ANC headphones for low-frequency noise, but are substantially weaker against mid and high frequencies. Good hearing …
Read moreCombining ANC Earbuds and Earmuffs: Ultimate Noise Cancellers?
In my experience, a good white noise machine can completely drown out moderate but not loud snoring from a partner sleeping next to you. It tends to work well against snoring coming from a distance (e.g., snoring roommate, snoring neighbor, or snoring dog). For loud snoring, a white noise machine can still help you to …
The MPow HP102A earmuffs are advertised with a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 29 decibels. This is among the highest I have so far seen for Bluetooth hearing protection earmuffs, so I had to get a pair and try them out. Summary I compared the noise reduction of the Mpow HP102A to that of three …
This review is based on in-depth tests of (so far) 10 white noise machines, all acquired at standard retailers. The 10 candidates were shortlisted over time from a much larger selection of machines (through experience, reading, and listening to samples). I have used each of them until I was confident I had figured out most …
Read moreThe 5 Best White Noise Machines (with Sound Samples)
My search for effective earbuds to cancel low frequency noise has led me to a real gem, 1More‘s Dual Driver ANC Pro. Having put them through an in-depth test, I can report that these are very effective noise cancellers. In fact, they are substantially more effective than my current ANC earbuds reference, the Bose QC20. …
Are you concerned you might not hear your morning alarm if you are wearing earplugs? I can usually hear my alarm even when wearing earplugs, provided I select a loud alarm tone and set my phone to maximum volume. It has happened though that I didn’t hear it. I should add that I often play …
Read moreHow to Hear Your Alarm Clock with Earplugs? [5 Simple Ideas]
I have now used the Sound+Sleep SE for a couple of months and want to share my review. Most nature sound machines work like a simple MP3 player on repeat. You choose a sound like “ocean surf,” the machine plays a recorded sound, and having reached the end, it starts over and repeats the recording. …
Read moreSound+Sleep SE Sound Machine Review: No Loops Please
The best over-ear active noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) feature impressive noise reducing performance and sound great. But, they take up a lot more space than active noise cancelling earbuds (ANC earbuds). ANC earbuds also use electronics to reduce noise, so perhaps they could do just as well? They fit in a handbag or even …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones or Earbuds? It Depends on Where and When
In this post I am comparing two of my favorite noise reduction tools: active noise cancelling headphones and earmuffs. The results of an everyday noise reduction test are also included. Noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) have become all the rage in recent years, and for good reasons: They get rid of bass noise like no …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones vs Earmuffs: Electronics or Big Ear Cups?
