Active noise reducing hearing protection

[tim walker]

I had a great pair of active noise canceling earmuffs that could be used passive or had an electronic noise canceling function for really loud work like router use. I allowed the electronic part to corrode from the battery and it no longer works.

What are your go to brands? Only interested in over the ear muffs. Would like Bluetooth capabilities as well. Thx all

[Edward Weber]

I like the Peltor Sport, they're not cheap but have everything you inquired about.

[Robert Hayward]

What model do you use Ed? I see them priced from $25 to $150.

[Aaron Inami]

There isn't actually "noise cancelling" hearing protection that is available to us at our price level. The only "true" noise cancelling system is used by military aircraft carriers (Aegisound DANR) and costs around $5k per headset.

What you can get is something that I call "active noise leveling" ear muffs. It uses the earmuff itself as a noise barrier which is typically somewhere between 25-32 db reduction in sound. Then has an active microphone/headphone system that allows sound through at a "capped" level. Some of these will amplify all the frequencies and then apply a compressor/limitor function to level out the volume. It is very interesting. It allows you to hear someone talking at standard voice level right next to you at the same time a table saw and dust collection system is screaming. Without this active "amplify/compress", you wouldn't be able to hear the guy talk at all (even without earmuffs).

The best and most comfortable system I found are the Pro Ears Pro Mag Gold:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RMWO9A/

The Pro Mag Gold use a larger earmuff which has a higher reduction of 30 decibles (compare to about 25 db on the thinner earmuffs). Soft leather surround that is very comfortable and actually breathes -- so that you don't have a vacuum effect which pushes pressure against your eardrums. The active part is very effective. At max amplification, you can hear someone whispering about 20-30 feet away in a quiet environment.

The Pelter earmuffs are very effective and actually somewhat comfortable, but they have too much of a seal against your head which creates the "vacuum pressure" against your eardrums. Some people may not be as sensitive to this, but I don't like it at all.

[David Walser]

Tim -- I have the LINK AWARE earmuffs from Isotunes. However, I hardly ever use them. They are fine. The 'aware' function allows me to still hear what I'm doing without the noise level being so high it damages my hearing.

However, I found that I prefer to use my Beats Fit Pro earbuds. For most things I do in my shop, the Beats active noise canceling is more than adequate. They, too, have an aware setting. The reason I prefer them over my Isotunes earmuffs is my earbuds do not interfere with wearing a face shield or a respirator. I can wear the Isotunes earmuffs with a face shield and/or a respirator, but it is a hassle. If something I'm doing is too loud for my earbuds, I simply wear a cheap pair of earmuffs over them. It works great.

[John Ziebron]

Over the years I've purchased several active noise cancelling headphones and 4 years ago I finally got a pair that really worked for me. I don't use them in the shop because of intermittent use and so I just use standard muffs there. I purchased this set primarily for cutting grass on my zero turn which takes 2+ hours. They are bluetooth enabled so I listen to playlists on my phone. I would say I have a med-large head but one of the issues I had with other muffs is a small cavity for your ears. I don't have that problem with these and they are very comfortable. https://www.cowinaudio.com/products/...ing-headphones

[Alan Lightstone]

I typically use a good pair of non-electronic earmuffs with 30dB noise reduction. For flying I own a pair of Bose and a pair of Sony. I've used the Sony in the shop, and it does work very effectively.

How is this technology different from the $5K Aegisound DANRs?

[Edward Weber]

What model do you use Ed? I see them priced from $25 to $150.

I had the Tactical 300, they don't have Bluetooth.

[Keegan Shields]

Not active noise canceling but very comfortable gel cups and 23 dB reduction. Bluetooth functionality and battery life is excellent. 3M products are a good bet in my experience.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Edward Weber]

Thanks for the link Keegan

[Andrew More]

I'm also keen to learn how there is no true "ANC" headphones. The ones that I have used, in the ~$100 range, will actively cancel a number of repetitive sounds that are the common target of noise cancellation. These include things like shop vacs, HVAC systems, and other background rumbles. They do so far better when switch on, than off, even with the headphones over the ears. This is with no other sound input, (music, tv, etc) just the ANC active. So I have to conclude they are performing some level of ANC.

[Aaron Inami]

Interesting.

Andrew - what specific models have you used for these active-noise-cancelling headphones?

[Bert McMahan]

My Samsung earbuds ($50 for a refurb pair) do a great job and have a "passthrough" mode and a "quiet" mode that you can toggle by tapping them on the side. I'll never go back to earmuff style protection again since these work so well. Then again, they may not be quite enough for a router which I haven't tried with these yet.

Tim I know you didn't want this style, but figured I'd throw out my experience in case others were looking for "earbud" style headphones.

[Keith Outten]

I use Bose earbuds that have noise cancellation. They work well in my shop, on the diesel tractor, lawnmower and my UTV.

[Andrew More]

Andrew - what specific models have you used for these active-noise-cancelling headphones?

I've got these headphones (which btw do not seal around my ears).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've also got the Google Pixel Bud Pros.
https://store.google.com/product/pix...s_pro?hl=en-US

Both cut out all the background noise quite dramatically.