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Thread: Shop noise: noise-canceling headphones?

  1. #1

    Question Shop noise: noise-canceling headphones?

    I have a shop problem that I suspect is not uncommon. The noise from my basement shop really bothers my wife. She's a teacher and spends a lot of time working in her home office. To make matters worse, she has MS, which makes concentrating even harder at times. As a result, I have a lot of difficulty finding shoptime. I'm considering buying her a pair of noise-canceling headphones and wonder if anyone has any experience with them.

    I've tried doing a little research, both here and on the web in general. I haven't had much luck on the web because most reviews discuss blocking out airplane or office noise or discuss sound quality. Searches on Sawmill tend to discuss using them for the woodworker as hearing protection. And also, the posts I found are a couple of years old and technology and models change so quickly, I'd like more recent info.

    I'd be willing to drop $300 on the Bose models if need be, although I'm also looking at the well-rated (and much cheaper) Monoprice model. But before I spend a lot, I'd like to know if anyone has any relevant experience with someone in their household using noise-canceling headphones while you're working in your workshop.

  2. #2
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    Not sure that would make her happy. Wearing headphones all the time could be a little annoying.

    Whatever you do, good luck.

  3. #3
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    Hate to sound obviously stupid, but I use 33 dB foam ear plugs (purple 40 pk @ Walmart) ( http://www.walmart.com/ip/Flents-Qui...40-pr/34729649 ) to cancel out my wife's snoring - nothing could be louder than that! Might consider that first???
    Don't know what frequencies you want address, so just a thought..
    Or noise cancelling ear plugs by SportEAR (http://sportear.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAu...TQgaAmQj8P8HAQ). No experience with these, just a thought.

  4. #4
    Is the ceiling insulated between your shop and the first floor? Is there drywall? I find that insulation and drywall add to sound proofing - not that that would eliminate the higher pitched sounds. To me they seem to travel the most.

  5. #5
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    I have both the Bose and Logitech NC headphones. For pure noise reduction these are FAR more effective: 3M Peltor X-Series Over-the-Head Earmuffs

    I use them with my CNC Router, I have not found anything better at reducing noise.
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  6. #6
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    I wear hearing aids and use a set of Peltor noise cancelling ear muffs when shooting. Very comfortable and effective and work off batteries in the muffs. In the shop I have a pair of non-noise cancelling ear muffs that work well.

    One thing I learned about ear muffs is buy from a store that will accept returns. What feels good in the store may not feel as well after wearing them for a period of time. Also some ear muff materials are uncomfortable and caused the ear to sweat. Before I purchased the Peltor muffs, I tried and returned several brands as all were uncomfortable for one reason or another. If your spouse wears glasses, try the muffs on while wearing the glasses.

    It might be an idea to contact an audiologist/hearing aids store or a company that specialize in industrial safety products for more advice and ideas.

    As another posted, insulation would help.

    Last edited by Ray Newman; 02-01-2015 at 4:18 PM.

  7. #7
    I appreciate all the input. The basement is unfinished. I may finish the shop off soon, at least partially and that should help somewhat.

    As for the other comments, I can't ask her to wear out-and-out ear protection like I would in the shop itself (I mean, I might ask but I don't know if she'l go for that). Mike's point is well-taken; the reason I'm looking at noise-canceling headphones is that I suspect they would be more comfortable and she could listen to music when she felt like it. I'm looking for a compromise with her that would allow me to get a few hours to work on projects with minimal sacrifice on her part.

  8. #8
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    Be careful when buying noise canceling headphones. Some limit the loudness by just switching off during the excessively loud sounds. What comes through is H___o Th_er_ instead of "Hello there" (just an example). These are mostly the lower priced versions. Then there are the really good ones, like the Bose which have sophisticated electronics in them that actually creates a negative version of the sound and when this is mixed with the incoming sound the result is nearly zero. These work very well and are designed to allow normal levels of speech through, but block most everything else. You can still hear some noise, but it will be very low when compared to not having them on.

    A more expensive solution, but one that I chose because it also keeps the sawdust out of the house, is to build a detached shop. My last shop was in the basement and when we moved a very high priority on the list was to have a detached workshop.

    Charley
    Last edited by Charles Lent; 02-01-2015 at 4:22 PM.

  9. #9
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    Unfinished basement shop? What size ceiling joists? If nominal 2 x 10 you can put R30 batts between the joists....that'll go a long ways toward muting the sound. Drywall doesn't add much noise insulation but it would keep the dust out of the ceiling insulation. I'd try that first and see if it is sufficient to address your wife's concern.
    Scott Vroom

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  11. #11
    Noise cancelling earphones are just a short term remedy ,she will not wear them after a while (IMHO),sound proofing the shop is by far the best solution .

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Page View Post
    I have both the Bose and Logitech NC headphones. For pure noise reduction these are FAR more effective: 3M Peltor X-Series Over-the-Head Earmuffs

    I use them with my CNC Router, I have not found anything better at reducing noise.
    Agree with Bruce. I have one for my shop, and another in my range bag.
    Where did I put that tape measure...

  13. #13
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    High magnetic field MRIs (3T & above) produce an incredible amount of noise. One solution to minimize the noise be heard outside the scan room is not only insulating the walls, and ceilings but also using 2 layers of 5/8" sheet rock with staggered joints. It makes an incredible difference.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  14. #14
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    I don't know all those brands, but my Bose have been excellent for 10 years - and I can plug them into whatever - usually shop laptop - to listen to the radio or music or whatever.

    I dunno if your wife wants to just shut out the world, or listen to something in the meantime?
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by scott vroom View Post
    Unfinished basement shop? What size ceiling joists? If nominal 2 x 10 you can put R30 batts between the joists....that'll go a long ways toward muting the sound. Drywall doesn't add much noise insulation but it would keep the dust out of the ceiling insulation. I'd try that first and see if it is sufficient to address your wife's concern.
    I understand that mineral wool batts work well for noise reduction.

    http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/20...ws/reviews.htm

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