Noise Reducing Headphones/Earmuffs

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
rednote

rednote

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Messages
104
Reaction score
93
Hello everyone!

I was wondering if any of you have recommendation for a noise reducing headphone/earmuffs. I prefer to just study in silence so I am looking for noise reduction as opposed to noise cancelling w/ white noise or music. I've been using ear plugs but they are uncomfortable after while. I would prefer something that just reduces surrounding sound and is comfortable to wear longtime. I don't care about sound quality or anything as I won't be playing music on it.

Thanks in advance.

*BTW I was legitimately considering something like ear protection they wear at the gun ranges but I think I need something I can wear at library and coffee shops and not look like a total tool.*
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
Walter Lance said:
Shure products are amazing. I wear mine all the time without listening to anything just like you described. Downside is they're a bit pricey, but I'm a ***** for audio quality.
Click to expand...

Ditto on Shure. I love my SE215s and IMO they're the best earphones in the market that are <$100. However, they're earbuds. Yet they do a great job sealing my ears enough so that I can hardly hear any of the outside world.
 
I prefer the same earphones used for the gun range. They are cheap and effective (mine were <$10 at Walmart), and you can slip your earbuds underneath them for music.

Warning: Don't buy the electronic gun range earphones. They are designed to cancel out the high-decibel sounds of gunfire but preserve low-decibel sounds like talking, which would make them not cancel out voices. Just get the cheap non-electronic ones.
 
Spend the money and invest in Bose. I appropriated my husband's while studying for the MCAT and there's no way he gets them back. They're great, and you can use them as headphones to listen to music or white noise apps if that helps you.
 
backside_attack said:
Spend the money and invest in Bose. I appropriated my husband's while studying for the MCAT and there's no way he gets them back. They're great, and you can use them as headphones to listen to music or white noise apps if that helps you.
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, BOSE to audiophiles stands for buy other sound equipment. I tried on some of my friends noise cancelling headphones to compare to audio-technica ath-m50s. The Bose don't stand their ground, at all. I say this after owning both. For around $150 extra, the noise canceling Bose headphones have nothing on the AT. The pros to the Bose is they will definitely give you comfort for long term listening. I use their earbuds daily, but they just don't match up to what other companies are producing for sound quality.
 
Last edited:
This is going to sound really geeky, I'm sure... but I have a pair of Turtle Beach Elite 800s for gaming. They're bluetooth also, so I can use them as headphones. Super noise cancelling -- not sure how they stack up next to Bose or Vmodas, but they're multifunctional for me.
 
Vic Firth Stereo Isolation Headphones.

BOSE is overrated. Check this one out. Cheaper and reliable.
 
Last edited:
backside_attack said:
Spend the money and invest in Bose. I appropriated my husband's while studying for the MCAT and there's no way he gets them back. They're great, and you can use them as headphones to listen to music or white noise apps if that helps you.
Click to expand...
t5Nitro said:
For what it's worth, BOSE to audiophiles stands for buy other sound equipment. I tried on some of my friends noise cancelling headphones to compare to audio-technica ath-m50s. The Bose don't stand their ground, at all. I say this after owning both. For around $150 extra, the noise canceling Bose headphones have nothing on the AT. The pros to the Bose is they will definitely give you comfort for long term listening. I use their earbuds daily, but they just don't match up to what other companies are producing for sound quality.
Click to expand...

BOSE, Monster, and Beats by Dre are pure crap. Stay as far away as possible for your ears and wallets sake.
 
t5Nitro said:
For what it's worth, BOSE to audiophiles stands for buy other sound equipment... They just don't match up to what other companies are producing for sound quality.
Click to expand...

Speaking as an audiophile I can tell you right now that in terms of sound quality BOSE headphones are poor quality, over-priced, and sloppy. They are muddy and mildly tinny. But this is because subjectively the public prefers this type of sound signature (just like they will pick a pair of skull candies over Shure se535)

However, I cannot hate on BOSE for the sole purpose of what the OP asked for. Bose is unmatched in quality when it comes to noise cancelling. They have this mastered down to a tee. True it isn't going to cancel every normally audible sound, but it will eliminate a majority of the low to mid frequency sounds (you can use these in conjunction with ear plugs to block out some of the high frequency sounds as well).

BUT you don't have to spend $300+ (Bose) to get the same quality. There is a huge market for noise canceling. The above post mentions Audio Technica which has decent audio quality and decent noise cancelling. But there are a lot of brands out there that offer noise cancelling headphones. Sennheiser, Sony, Bose, Audio Technica, and AKG.

Good luck on your journey. Personally I use just ear plugs a majority of the time because it is cheap.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I have really sensitive hearing and need silence to study. I'm in the same predicament.

I bought Macks ear plugs on Amazon and usually wear a pair of over the ear closed headphones over that.

The Macks soft ear plugs don't irritate my ears as much as other brands.
 
BOSE have the best noise cancelling headphones. I have owned a whole range of headphones/earphones and their QC line is the best. However, noise cancelling is different from noise reduction, and therefore would recommend against BOSE.

It really is amazing on the subway etc tho. It cancels noise you never knew existed.
 
Bose QC 25

If headphones wanted for noise cancelling, not best audio quality, BOSE are the best. Pricey but worth it!!

For music, love the Grado SR80e, will blow you away for under $100
 
If the OP just wants to shut out the world for studying then Bose are great. If you're an audiophile my vote goes to Sennheiser.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Bose just came out with a wireless version of their QC25 --> QC35 @ $350

Pricey...
 
If you're thinking of buying yourself noise canceling headphones, one of the first things that you need to consider are the built in features. Since a pair can easily set you back more than a couple of hundred dollars, you need to choose a brand that can give you features that you'll be able to out to good use. You should also look for a pair of headphones that fits your head perfectly so that they will be comfortable to wear, no matter how long you've been wearing them. Lastly, don't forget to scour the Internet for deals on noise canceling headphones so that you can get the best deals. There are a lot of online stores that can give you quality headphones at an affordable price.
 
Haven't tried out the Shure earbuds some people spoke about above, but I am of the mindset that earbuds are the way to go if you are open to it. Not the fancy ones with all the ergonomic oddly-shaped rubber tips, but a decent pair of plain ol' earbuds. The big headphones -- I have $300 Beats (do NOT recommend) -- always tend to make my ears hurt after 2 hours tops. Good for music, bad for studying. But maybe I just have funny ears.

If you go for earbuds, think about getting a wireless set. If you do, you won't have anything to get tangled up in. I personally use the Skullcandy Ink'd wireless earbuds. Might sound weird, but I invested in two sets so I don't have to switch to wired if one dies on me (wireless buds don't have an epic battery life, but with my current ones I find myself usually getting about two 10+ hour days of studying before I have to switch out.) Also, they have decent quality if you are planning on using them for music. If you want to block out all sound, but don't use music while studying, they are pretty good, but also adding some white noise can make for a really non-distracting session if you are in a coffee shop or other noisy place. The website I use is SimplyNoise. It is free, and they have multiple types of background noise (white, brown, pink.) Also, they have an alternate site called SimplyRain, which simulates rain showers and, if you want, thunderstorms (actually quite good for studying I thought.)

Back on the earbud topic, though, getting two wireless Skullcandy sets will put you back about $80. If you need a cheaper alternative, I've actually gotten wireless ones on Amazon for $20. They broke after a few months, but while they were up and running they blocked out noise just as well as the Skullcandy buds. Just be warned their battery life is less.

If you decide on earbuds, again remember no fancy shapes. You need simple buds with rubber ear tips (every pair I've ordered from different companies give a few different sizes.) The ergonomic fancy shapes of some other ones (I have wireless Beats earbuds and wired Bose) keep the buds resting more shallowly and let external noise in really easily.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions!

PS: In reading my post over, I realized I sound like a rich kid with all these headphones. I'm just an audiophile and used to DJ so have gone through my fair share over the years. Would be happy to discuss how to track down the cheaper alternatives! (Which, as mentioned, work better anyway.)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Giovanotto said:
which one? I'm in the market.
Click to expand...
If you have never had in ear monitors the starting level will do , memory foam tips are Miles ahead of any rubber for fit. 215s are good 315 and 515 are obviously great as well but might not be a price point you are thinking of. Head-fi . Org has lots of reviews for headphones . Avoid all beats, skull candy, Bose, monster( these are fashion statements).
 
libertyyne said:
If you have never had in ear monitors the starting level will do , memory foam tips are Miles ahead of any rubber for fit. 215s are good 315 and 515 are obviously great as well but might not be a price point you are thinking of. Head-fi . Org has lots of reviews for headphones . Avoid all beats, skull candy, Bose, monster( these are fashion statements).
Click to expand...
I was looking at them for a while, but the reviews on amazon are rather disappointing. You'd still recommend them despite that?
 
Amazon has a lot to offer. Electronic earmuffs? Disposable earplugs are cheaper and work well.
 
To be MD said:
Yeah, you can buy a 200 pack off Amazon for ~15 dollars.

I rocked these in college and will continue to use foam earplugs in school =).


-- Example: Howard Leight Earplugs 200 pack
Click to expand...

Those Howard Leights are what my school provides in the testing center for our exams, and I use them every single time. They are some of the most comfortable and effective ear plugs I have ever used.
 
Giovanotto said:
which one? I'm in the market.
Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread but I LOVE in-ear headphones and have been through a number of mid-range units... Etymotic HF-5, Shure SE215, Sony XBAH1 and most recently (my current go-to headphone) the 1More Quad Driver (1MORE QUAD DRIVER IN-EAR HEADPHONES)

If you're in the market for a good set of in-ear headphones give 1MORE a look, either the Triple Driver or Quad driver. The triple driver I think go for $99 and are an incredible value. At the time I got the Quads for $150 and they are terrific. Obviously a lot of this is personal preference depending on if you prefer completely sterile/flat response, bass head, dynamic vs BA driver, etc.... I enjoy a fairly flat accurate response which the BA's are good for with just a little bump in the bass (which the dynamic drivers are good at) so the hybrid headphones I've had I've really enjoyed (the 1MORE and Sony ones). Etymotic was incredibly detailed/accurate/clear, just a little too sterile, tad too little bass and not as "fun". The lower end Shure was just a little too muddy though the higher end Shures are nice if you want to spend the $$$.
 
To the OP.... if it's just pure sound isolation you want it's hard to beat those cheap in-ear plugs you roll up and let expand in the ear canal. It may take finding one that's comfortable for you but honestly I find wearing over the ear noise cancelling headphones like the traditional Bose uncomfortable after a little while.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Over-ear headphones for interviews?
Replies
11
Views
4K
Styrene
Styrene
P
Wireless headphones
Replies
20
Views
4K
H.E. Pennypacker
H.E. Pennypacker
H
Reducing nervousness and filler words during SP encounters?
Replies
10
Views
2K
deleted915325
D
P
Headphone recommendations (for step studying)
Replies
31
Views
4K
operaman
O
Ho0v-man
AAMC Endorses Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021
2
Replies
83
Views
7K
Lawpy
Lawpy
Top