Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
Many readers have asked me for suggestions for true wireless earbuds and noise reduction earmuffs that work well together. Others already own a specific earbud model (e.g., Soundcore A40, AirPods Pro) and are wondering which earmuffs would be compatible, if any at all. In this post I’d like to point you in the right direction …
Read moreWhich True Wireless Earbuds Work Well Under Which Earmuffs?
Several readers have asked me how the Howard Leight Verishield VS130 earmuffs compare to their still widely available predecessor, the Leightning L3, so here is my review. I haven’t used the L3 much recently because the headband had deteriorated to the point where I was constantly getting black flakes in my hair. The L3 are …
Read moreHoneywell Howard Leight Verishield VS130 Review: Better Than the L3?
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, …
Read moreEarplugs or ANC Earbuds for Noise Sensitivity? A Big City Report
To understand how well and consistently the Space A40 reduce noise and how useful they are in everyday life, I have made them my main earbuds for about a month in loud city environments. I have also conducted systematic noise reduction tests and compared them to the best of the best as well as to …
Read moreSoundcore Space A40 Practical Review and Noise Reduction Test
The objective of headphones with adaptive transparency mode / adaptive awareness mode is to allow you to hear your surroundings as you would without headphones while at the same time reducing loud noises. Wouldn’t that be great? Walking around town and being aware of traffic but not stressed out by excessive honking, sirens, loud motorbikes, …
Read moreHow Can Adaptive Transparency Help Noise Sensitive People?
More and more noise cancelling headphones and earbuds are being advertised as having adaptive noise cancellation. But is that just a sales pitch or are we getting some real benefits? I recently experienced several such adaptive noise cancelling headphones and earbuds. The results were sometimes stunningly good, but in other situations the same adaptive headphones …
Read moreAdaptive Noise Cancelling: Better Than Old-School, Fixed ANC?
This post reports on my experience with the active noise cancelling function (ANC) of the AirPods Pro 2 in daily life. We are also looking at measurements and tips/hacks on how you can improve the noise reduction performance. This article is from the perspective of a noise sensitive person. So far I have been using …
Read moreThe AirPods Pro 2 ANC, Strong when It Wants To: How to Improve It?
I have now used the QuietComfort II Earbuds for six weeks. I am always on the lookout for tools that can effectively reduce noise in a busy, hot city while staying comfortable and in touch with my surroundings. In the following review, I report on my noise reduction tests, fit and comfort, sound quality, call …
Read moreBose QuietComfort Earbuds II Review and Detailed ANC Test
Very few Bluetooth earmuffs allow you to take a phone call in a high noise (>90 dB) environment. Having now tested the 3M Pro-Comms (90546-SIOC) against a lawn mower, saw, and router, I can report that these do the trick: callers can hear me when it gets loud, and I can hear them. Until very …
Read more3M Pro-Comms Electronic Hearing Protector Test and Review: Finally a Good Mike
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 …
Read moreHow to Block Out Cricket Noise so That You Can Sleep?