Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
To our neighbor the music might sound perfectly balanced, but for us “it’s all about the bass.” Or, suppose the bass is coming from a party across the street or a dance club. You live pretty far away, but still, the rhythm of the drums coming through your windows and door is inviting you to …
The purpose of this post is to provide an overview of different types of earplugs, prime use cases, and some peculiarities you need to know when using them. Common uses of earplugs include: Hearing protection at work and at the range Hearing protection at concerts and other entertainment venues while maintaining sound fidelity Noise reduction …
Read more7 Different Types of Earplugs and What They Are Used For
The Lectrofan Micro 2 easily fits in the palm of your hand and weighs a mere 3.4 ounces (97 g). Wow, this little gadget weighs almost nothing… Yet it is s a fully-featured travel white noise machine: It has 11 different sound options, including 4 white noises, 5 fan sounds, and 2 ocean surf sounds. …
The Lectrofan, now called the Lectrofan Classic, (left in the photo) has been my go-to white noise machine for quite a while. It sits next to my bed and I use it most nights. The Classic sounds good, gets loud, and has a large selection of different pitched white noises and fan sounds. It can …
Read moreLectrofan EVO vs Classic: White Noise Machine Evolution?
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
Update [March 2025]: 3M has released a new version of these earmuffs. I have published a comprehensive review of the new Worktunes Connect v2 based on hands-on testing. The review also includes practical comparisons with this original model. Combining hearing protection earmuffs and Bluetooth headphones for listening to music and making phone calls is what …
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 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
Many people get expensive noise cancelling headphones in the hope that they will somehow completely shield them from environmental noise. But when they switch on their headphones’ noise cancelling without music, they notice that all that chatter, shouting and screaming is still coming through. It may appear at times as if voices are even amplified. …
Read moreWhy Noise Cancelling Headphones Don’t Block Voices and What You Can Do About it