Keeping Out the Noise, Letting In the Sound
You have been running your white noise machine at maximum volume to drown out the stomping from above, the neighbor’s bass-heavy music, or the rumbling of the trucks passing by. Or perhaps you tried to cover an obnoxious hum permeating your room. Alas, the white noise machine didn’t help all that much. Now you are …
Read moreWhy Most White Noise Machines Don’t Block Low-Frequency Noise
Quality active noise cancelling headphones work great against low-frequency noise, OK against mid frequency noise (speech, office noise, etc.) and well against high frequency noise. Then we have noise cancelling earbuds. They can be nearly as good as over-ear ANC headphones for low-frequency noise, but are substantially weaker against mid and high frequencies. Good hearing …
Read moreCombining ANC Earbuds and Earmuffs: Ultimate Noise Cancellers?
My search for effective earbuds to cancel low frequency noise has led me to a real gem, 1More‘s Dual Driver ANC Pro. Having put them through an in-depth test, I can report that these are very effective noise cancellers. In fact, they are substantially more effective than my current ANC earbuds reference, the Bose QC20. …
The best over-ear active noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) feature impressive noise reducing performance and sound great. But, they take up a lot more space than active noise cancelling earbuds (ANC earbuds). ANC earbuds also use electronics to reduce noise, so perhaps they could do just as well? They fit in a handbag or even …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones or Earbuds? It Depends on Where and When
In this post I am comparing two of my favorite noise reduction tools: active noise cancelling headphones and earmuffs. The results of an everyday noise reduction test are also included. Noise cancelling headphones (ANC headphones) have become all the rage in recent years, and for good reasons: They get rid of bass noise like no …
Read moreNoise Cancelling Headphones vs Earmuffs: Electronics or Big Ear Cups?
I have lived in quite a few apartments and stayed in countless hotel rooms where traffic noise was waking me up several times a night. Over time, I have developed a good understanding of what works to block out enough noise to help me fall and stay asleep. Whether you have traffic noise keeping you …
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?