Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
Your neighbor’s dog barks at random times during the night. You’ve again gotten jolted out of your slumber by a barking concerto in the early morning hours and can’t fall back asleep. Lying there you wonder, “How the heck do I block this barking noise?” One pup starts barking for good reason, but shortly thereafter …
Have you ever experienced a low-frequency humming noise in your house that kept you awake? On a recent trip to Vietnam, I had one of these weird sounds in a hotel room. I checked into the hotel and almost immediately noticed a humming noise in my room. Being the low-frequency noise “hater” I am, I …
Read moreWhat’s That Humming Noise in My Hotel Room? Can I Get Rid of It?
All earplugs in this review are excellent for blocking noise during sleep. I have tried a large variety of earplugs of different shapes and sizes over the years and come up with this particular selection to give you the best possible chance to find a comfortable plug that suits your ear canal and needs. My …
Read moreThe 6 Best Earplugs for Sleeping – and a Way to Boost Their Performance
Learning how to put in earplugs isn’t rocket science, or is it? Sadly, in multiple studies, fitted earplugs did not even provide half the noise reduction that was printed on the package. The striking difference between the noise reduction rating (NRR) obtained in the lab and real-world noise reduction prompted the National Institute for Occupational …
Read moreHow to Put in Foam Earplugs and Test Their Fit for Optimal Noise Reduction
Foam earplugs are very effective at reducing noise across the whole frequency range. Unfortunately, not everyone can tolerate foreign objects in their ear canal. Other people like me, sometimes need or want to give their ears a break from earplugs without completely giving up on noise reduction when going to bed. Others yet may be …
Wax earplugs, invented in 1907, and virtually unchanged to this day, and moldable silicone earplugs have a huge following, and for good reasons. Still, foam earplugs are the most popular earplugs today. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. On average, they are also the most effective for blocking noise: I am a huge …
Read moreFoam vs Wax vs Silicone Earplugs: How Do They Compare and When to Choose One Over the Other
I have worn earplugs for a few years’ worth of nights and while there was nothing major, I have had to deal with a few side effects. The most prominent one was ear pain—mainly when I had gotten earplugs that weren’t a good fit for my ears or when I hadn’t inserted them properly. But …
Read moreAre Earplugs Good for You? Side Effects of Using Earplugs and How to Overcome Them
I recently got myself a pair of bone conduction headphones, the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium and put them through some good testing. In this post, I am reviewing the Sportz Titanium for various applications, including listening to audio while keeping an open ear and awareness of my surroundings, and the opposite: using them together with the …
Read moreAftershokz Sportz Titanium Bone Conduction Headphones: Review and Favorite Uses
I have a history with sleeplessness caused by night-time noise. It started a few years after I had moved to Asia to take on a new job. The first four years everything went well, but then I had the idea to upgrade and get myself a nicer apartment. It was right in the city center, …
Many companies advertise their in-ear headphones as noise isolating or noise cancelling. Often though they are not very specific as to how much noise reduction you will actually get. Haven Technologies, the company behind ISOtunes specializes in earplug headphones that have been lab-tested and given a noise reduction rating as a hearing protector. To qualify …
Read moreISOtunes PRO Review: Bluetooth Earplug Earphones with a 27 dB NRR