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Noise cancelling earbuds

Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
364
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3,504
Location
Strongsville, Ohio
I have a pair of Bose noise cancelling earbuds, 8 years old. I wear them when using my chainsaw, cutting the grass, and in the shop. Well, they are starting to act up, sending loud "pops" into my ears occasionally. Bose has no troubleshooting recommendation, the only option is replacement. I was happy with them, but wonder if there are any competing earbuds at better prices.
 
I use a pair of Apple air pod pros (2nd generation) - they have active noise cancellation, or transparent mode. Haven’t used it a lot, or when running the chainsaw, but seems to work fine in active noise cancellation mode running tools (router) in the shop.
 
I had a pair of Bose quiet comfort ear buds that went out on me (stopped pairing, out of warranty). I couldn’t afford to replace them, so bought these:
https://a.co/d/eAEofhT
They were surprisingly good. Not as good as the Bose in sound or noise cancelling, but way closer than I expected for 40 bucks. I don’t know how long they last. I still have them, but when the next Christmas rolled around, Santa got me a new pair of Bose quiet comfort II earbuds, so I set the other ones aside as a backup. A few months ago my wife won a pair of Denon Pearl earbuds and gave them to me because she does not like earbuds. They are very good as well, but Bose still has the best noise cancelling I’ve used.
 
Michael, When I went shopping, I tried out the Bose, Apple, and Sony noise cancelling earbuds. The Bose were just so clearly superior, even though the others weren't bad. You can get them refurbished, sometimes on the Bose website (my first pair) or through Amazon (my second pair). I lost the first pair, then found them after buying the second, so now I have two. I like the ones with a cord so I can't lose them (unlike virtually every thing else that's not physically attached to my body). The actual earplug pieces (interchangeable, different sizes) on the second pair don't stay put as well in my ears as my original pair, so I'm really glad I found them. Not sure what the difference is - some tiny little difference - but I really like the older ones. So anyway, try refurbished/2nds/open box/etc., whatever you decide on.
 
I have a pair of Soundcore Space A40 earbuds which are terrific. They were recommended a couple of years ago by Wirecutter. Several modes including full noise canceling, and transparent. I use the latter when I’m out walking near traffic, but noise cancelling when I’m in the shop with machines on. Very reasonably priced and more durable than my old Apple EarPods.
 
How much of the useful "noise" coming from the shop environment do these things cancel out? I rely on machine and tool sounds to alert me to potential problems as I work.
 
I still get some noise in “noise cancelling” mode. I can tell if the dust collector is on, but it’s very quiet. As I said, there are a few settings that let varying degrees of noise in. There’s also an initial set-up procedure through the phone-based app that lets you adjust them to your individual hearing. It basically goes through a diagnostic assessment of your hearing to determine where you are on the spectrum of “full” vs partially limited hearing.
 
I bought 2 pair of these. I figured buds would be too easy to lose and these areeasier to put on or take off. I try to keep one pair at home and one at my shop. I use them at my computer, cutting grass or wood, or in the shop with the dust collector on. Also very nice on a plane. Pretty decent sound, effective noise reduction, and long battery life.


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How much of the useful "noise" coming from the shop environment do these things cancel out? I rely on machine and tool sounds to alert me to potential problems as I work.
With both the Bose and the Denon earbuds I own, you can create profiles in the app and adjust the level of noise cancellation.
 
For me, the most effective are Sparkplugs; foam ear plugs which have a rating of 33NRR (higher than they used to be). They block out almost all (and in some cases all the harmful noise) from the loudest machine in my shop; the planer. You'd have to search online to find the best per pair price, but they are widely available. I'm told, though, that some people can't wear foam plugs because they are uncomfortable. Also, some woodworkers feel that they need music or some other entertainment while working. I have always felt that nothing should take my attention away from woodworking with machines, so I don't care about listening to music, etc. while in the shop. Too many things can happen when you are using saws, planer, jointers, sanders, routers, etc.

In my experience, Bose headphones are the best at noise cancelling. Over ear Bose headphones block out nearly 100% of the noise. However, over ear headphones aren't always desirable in shops because they can interfere with dust collection masks. At this point, Bose also has in-ear buds which are also very effective. None of Bose's noise cancelling ear buds or over ears are cheap; all very expensive. However, their performance is the best when it comes to noise cancelling.

Beyond the above, you'd have to try out various brands of headphones/in-ear buds and decide which is most effective. I doubt, though, you'd find anything more effective at sound suppression than the Sparkplugs. Even though these are disposable they are not expensive in comparison to a set of Bose headphones.
 
I would be very tempted to sent the Bose back to customer service dept. You will get a call that they can't fix them but they will replace them for X$$. The price will always be much lower that if you simply replaced them. I have done this on a couple sets of headsets that I wore out.
 
I use the Jabra 75T. Its three modes are off, hear through, and ANC. They aren't cheap, at $175. I bought them on a tech sale for $120, I think. I also have a set of 3M over the ear headphones but I don't use them anymore. By the way, the Jabra ANC is good. I use them in the shop all the time. The primary use of the ANC is for the air compressor, chainsaw, and mowing.

Long story ahead... I had the Jabras. The exterior is silver. Eventually, I lost one after several years. I bought some Echo buds. Didn't like them at all. I bought another set of Jabra 75T, but this time the exterior is black, not silver. Just a model change. Well, I lost one of the new ones. It was the right bud, which is the controller. I remembered that I had the original Jabra right bud. On a whim, I tried the old right-hand bud with the new left-hand bud. To my surprise, it worked. So after a run of losing earbuds, I think I'm back on track.
 
I would be very tempted to sent the Bose back to customer service dept. You will get a call that they can't fix them but they will replace them for X$$. The price will always be much lower that if you simply replaced them. I have done this on a couple sets of headsets that I wore out.
Bose customer service offered me $100 off a pair of ear buds that list for ~$300. So not bad but I'd still like to shop around. Also, Amazon is offering a refurbished set for about the same.
 
Any ideas on what to do if you wear hearing aids? I can turn the volume all the way down but that is not good enough. I could take them out and put noise cancelling buds in but I’m afraid of losing a hearing aid. Over the ear doesn’t work with my PAPR.
 
I have a similar problem with my Apple Airpods. I think that the loud noises from machinery or hammering did something to the microphone.
I've looked into noise reduction earplugs. Does anyone have experience with IsoTunes?
 
The exterior is silver. Eventually, I lost one after several years. I bought some Echo buds. Didn't like them at all. I bought another set of Jabra 75T, but this time the exterior is black, not silver.
Mine are black. After spending close to an hour - or maybe it just felt like an hour - searching for a dropped one in a big pile of shavings (I eventually found it), I painted them with bright red nail polish. Now when they drop they are pretty easy to quickly locate.
 
Any ideas on what to do if you wear hearing aids? I can turn the volume all the way down but that is not good enough. I could take them out and put noise cancelling buds in but I’m afraid of losing a hearing aid. Over the ear doesn’t work with my PAPR.
I almost never wear my hearing aids in the shop. My Dr drilled into my head that preserving I need to avoid load noises to preserve the hearing I have. This gives me choices of hearing protection.

I can hear machines running and wood coming off the gouge without the hearing aides.

My hearing issue is mostly high pitch- need the hearing aids to hear some birds and some electronic beeps ( stud finder is one).
 
Mine are black. After spending close to an hour - or maybe it just felt like an hour - searching for a dropped one in a big pile of shavings (I eventually found it), I painted them with bright red nail polish. Now when they drop they are pretty easy to quickly locate.
That is a FINE idea!
 
I have a similar problem with my Apple Airpods. I think that the loud noises from machinery or hammering did something to the microphone.
I've looked into noise reduction earplugs. Does anyone have experience with IsoTunes?
I used the IsoTunes earbuds before but switched to the over the ear version after I started getting irritation. No matter what size I used for the foam inserts there was always an issue, either they fell out easily or my ears started to hurt. I had the style where the two earbuds are connected and that made it easier to not lose one. The over the ear version works well for me as long as I am not using my face shield.
 
I used the IsoTunes earbuds before but switched to the over the ear version after I started getting irritation. No matter what size I used for the foam inserts there was always an issue, either they fell out easily or my ears started to hurt. I had the style where the two earbuds are connected and that made it easier to not lose one. The over the ear version works well for me as long as I am not using my face shield.
Shopping noise cancelation currently and saw your post. Thanks for throwing Iso Tunes into the discussion.
 
I've had Iso Tunes "Free Aware" model for about 6 months and really like them. They are an ear plug that passes through ambient sound until a certain dB is reached, then cuts it off, so you can still hear when the machines are off. And they have all the usual Bluetooth audio features. Right now there is a 20% off sale on their website.
 
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