Back in September, I asked about noise canceling headphones. I finally got around to getting some. They are not the fancy-schmancy super-expensive ones, but some basic JVC ones I found at Fry’s. The ear cups are nice and big, which by themselves block out a good chunk of sound (“passive” noise canceling.) They are also a lot more soft and comfortable than the $20 Radio Shack Optimus headphones I had been using. With these new JVC headphones, you can activate the noise canceling circuit, which blocks some more noise, but it does not work so well for me. I think it is mainly aimed at low frequency sounds (like airplane engines–which, actually, I find kind of soothing) and everything I have to deal with at work is higher frequency fans. Plus, after a while, it gives me a feeling somewhere between stuffed up ears and vertigo. Overall, I am happy with them and their comfort and noise isolation, even without the canceling circuit.
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I’ve come to the conclusion that he noise canceling headphones are worse canceling noise then a really well fitting pair of earbuds (something like the etymotics or sure) I have the Bose quietcomfort 1s for air travel and it does n OK job replacing the plane noise with hiss, but mostly I like them because it’s a huge sign that says “talking to me is fruitless.”
I know a bunch of people swear by those earbuds that fit inside the ear canal, but those just don’t sit right with me. They feel great for about 30 minutes, and then they start to hurt. I can wear the regular iPod earpieces for a few hours longer, but they too begin to hurt. I’m just happy to have comfortable headphones that block out sound on their own without fancy electronic phase-reversal magic.
I wonder if they could drown out the sound of my boss at meetings?