Q30 with Imperfect Earplug Fit: Can the ANC Compensate?

Soundcore-Life Q30 plus Pretty in Pink earplugs performance

In this post, I am looking at the noise reduction performance of the combination Soundcore Q30 headphones and Hearos Pretty in Pink (PiP) earplugs. This is part 2 of a series. In part 1 reported on the Q30 together with Mack’s ThermaFit earplugs. The idea of this series is to devise ways to maximize noise …

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Life Q30 over Earplugs: Great Noise Reduction on the Cheap (Part 1)

Soundcore-Life-Q30-over-ThermaFIt-noise-reduction

I have been able to achieve excellent noise reduction results by combining the economical Life Q30 noise cancelling headphones with two types of foam earplugs. This is what this post and the next one are about. The Soundcore Life Q30 are budget ANC headphones (test and review) that punch way above their price when it …

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Alpine SleepDeep Review: Oval Earplugs for Oval Ear Canals?

Alpine SleepDeep Review and Noise reduction test

So far, SleepDeep are Alpine’s only reusable silicone earplugs with an oval instead of a round shape. This caught my attention. I have had good success with oval tips for earbuds. In fact, very few companies make any oval reusable earplugs, which is surprising because most people’s ear canal is—oval. And indeed, SleepDeep (M/L), despite …

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Mack’s ThermaFit Review and Noise Reduction Test Results

Macks ThermaFit Review and Noise Reduction Test Results

Mack’s ThermaFit have been my backup earplugs for reducing low frequency noise (LFN) at night for more than two years now. Lately, my go-to low frequency noise earplugs have undergone such substantial changes that they now feel like entirely different earplugs. Consequently, ThermaFit have moved to the top spot. It’s good to have options! In …

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Flents Protechs Quiet Please SOFT vs Predecessors: An Improvement?

Flents Quiet Please Soft Review

Only a month ago, I wrote about the differences between the Flents Quiet Please and their successor, the Flents Protechs Quiet Please. I found changes in durability but they remained my favorite low frequency noise reduction earplugs for sleeping. Now we have the Soft formula, another change to the Quiet Please, and it’s a big …

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Are Flents Protechs Quiet Please Worse Than the Old Flents?

Flents Quiet Please vs Protechs Quiet Please

Apothecary Products, the owner of the Flents brand, has changed the branding of several of their most popular earplugs, including the Quiet Please, one of my favorite earplugs for blocking low frequency noise. For decades known as Flents Quiet Please (or Quiet! Please) by earplug lovers[1], these cylindrical PVC earplugs are now called Flents Protechs …

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Earplugs or ANC Earbuds for Noise Sensitivity? A Big City Report

ANC-earbuds-and-earplugs-for-noise-sensitivity-comparison

In recent months, I have focused on using noise cancelling earbuds as my go-to noise reduction tool during the day. My ears are already itching. Before that, I tested an almost excessive amount of inexpensive, reusable push-in earplugs, including many moderate-noise reduction earplugs (Hi-Fi earplugs) for dampening irritating noises while commuting, exercising, walking around town, …

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How to Block Out Cricket Noise so That You Can Sleep?

how to block out cricket noise

A few readers have contacted me because they were being kept awake by chirping and trilling crickets, so I have decided to look more closely into blocking out the night time songs of common crickets. I thoroughly enjoyed conducting the experiments described below. This is intended to be both a problem solving article for you …

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How Well Does Cleaning Foam Earplugs Work?

how effective is cleaning foam earplugs plus howto

For nighttime use, I typically toss out foam earplugs when they don’t look or smell clean anymore or when their effectiveness starts deteriorating. Many manufacturers state something like: “Discard after several uses or as soon as dirt or wax accumulates…” (Macks) “Disposable foam earplugs” (Moldex) When using earplugs for hearing protection in a high-noise environment, …

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My Favorite Earplugs for Noise Sensitivity and Sensory Overload

best earplugs for noise sensitivity and sensory overload

I have been asked many times to comment on specific earplugs for noise sensitive people and sensory overload. As a regular user of earplugs at night, I used to give my ears a break during the day, resorting more to earmuffs, headphones, and earbuds to subdue the daily noise onslaught. A year or so ago, …

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