Noise-Cancelling Earphones

[Gentile]

I've been meaning to give these a go for a while. Over the next few months or so I'll be working in an office where they've mentioned they play music in the development area. Music (most specifically other people's taste in it) short-circuits my brain in a way that makes it impossible for me to concentrate, but I want to allow for the fact that I'm a guest in their environment too. So, I thought now might be a good time to try noise-cancelling earphones out (headphones no good for me - I find them annoying to use as my hair gets in the way).

Ideally, I'd like ones that allow you to sit in silence and block out all the environmental noise when you want to, and play your own music or YouTube tutorial videos and the like when you need to without disturbing others. Does such an item exist?, or do they at best do no more than earplugs would (i.e., block out some, but not all, of the ambient noise?)

I'm looking at these cheapy ones with lots of reviews and mostly-positive ratings, compared to this more-expensive option. There are lots of good reviews on Amazon, but since some of you will have tried to use them in the actual context I'm asking about, I figured you might have the best insight into how well they work in that environment.

[northernladuk]

Probably doesn't help your context but I have the Sennheiser CX300's and they are pretty bloody good. Bass is far better than any of may mates. Don't tend to buy expensive earphones so can't comment against the better ones.

Problem is they don't do ambient... at all... so probably no good for your need but Sennheiser have my vote. I would trust that they did what they say the do... if that helps at all...

[Gentile]

Probably doesn't help your context but I have the Sennheiser CX300's and they are pretty bloody good. Bass is far better than any of may mates. Don't tend to buy expensive earphones so can't comment against the better ones.

Problem is they don't do ambient... at all... so probably no good for your need but Sennheiser have my vote. I would trust that they did what they say the do... if that helps at all...

Ta for that. When you say they don't do ambient noise, does that mean they don't cut out hubble bubble and office noise, but do cut out 'competing' music? Or that they're rubbish at both? Tbh, I don't mind work noise and am quite good at tuning it out, but other people's music is like an off switch for that part of my brain that deals with technical stuff! There's something very insistent about it that demands your attention be divided - like a baby crying, or a car horn sounding.

[Notascooby]

They are great at blocking out a constant hummmmm such as aircraft engine noise or when driving but they actually accentuate some noises, such as phones etc.

I find the easiest thing to do is just get some earplugs from boots and stick them in my ears. Works a treat.

[northernladuk]

Sorry, I mean I can't hear much else that is going on when I have them in, particularly cause the bass is great on them.

[Gentile]

They are great at blocking out a constant hummmmm such as aircraft engine noise or when driving but they actually accentuate some noises, such as phones etc.

I find the easiest thing to do is just get some earplugs from boots and stick them in my ears. Works a treat.

Ta for the info. I suspected they may only work for specific frequencies that I don't find distracting anyway (such as traffic noise, etc), but not for more insistent noise pollution like background music.

Ear plugs might be an option.

[Gentile]

Sorry, I mean I can't hear much else that is going on when I have them in, particularly cause the bass is great on them.

I've tried drowning out other people's music with my own before. I find it doubly-distracting, tbh. Usually, although I sit with earphones in most of the day, I'm mostly not listening to anything. It's just my way of communicating that I'm busy. And even when I am listening to music, there are always quiet bits and I find it pretty annoying to have flashes of someone else's taste in music inflicted on me during those intervals.

I find it hard to believe that some development environments still haven't cottoned on to the fact that ambient noise is bad for business. It's certainly been documented well enough. But still, as a contractor you're constantly a guest in other people's environments, and all that goes with that.

[fckvwls]

Have tried loads of earphones, never found one that was satisfactory in the noise cancelling department although a pair of Shure ( I forget which specific model ) came closest. What about a pair of smallish headphones such as these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/JVC-HA-NC250...=IN0VFFK9NY5E1

[doodab]

Working in a noisy environment drives me mad.

I've tried various active noise cancelling headphones but none of them worked that well. In the end I bought a pair of Sennheisser HD280 headphones that are designed to block out noise, and they do about as good a job as a decent pair of earplugs.

The only solution I have found that comes close to completely eliminating background noise is to use a combination of high attenuation earplugs with the headphones over the top. It works a treat, but you will look slightly eccentric, and if you want to actually listen to stuff you'll need to crank it up.

In an office environment earplugs (these are about the best I've found) or some passive noise attenuating earbuds are probably a better bet (e.g. Shure SE215). If you really want to push the boat out you can get some custom moulded ones of the types some musicians wear on stage. They aren't cheap though. You could try the "comply" foam earbud tips as well, they improve the isolation slightly although TBH not that much.

[Moscow Mule]

Peltor Optime 2 Ear Defenders 31dB SNR | Screwfix.com