Active noise reduction hearing protection?

[StorminN]

Hi guys,

Not sure if I should post this here or in Health & Safety, but I figured more people might see it here. I did a forum search so I know this has been covered a few times, but I didn't seen any recent info and I know these electronic things can change quickly...

I'm wondering what brands / models people are having good luck with as far as the newer-style active noise reduction, or "noise-canceling" headphones. I've seen Peltor and Bose brands mentioned. I've talked to people that love the Bose and Sennheiser ones, but not necessarily for sawmilling. The Sennheiser ones are rated at up to 32dB reduction, but both the Bose and Sennheiser's are $$$$$ and from the looks of them, I'm not sure they would stand up to use around the mill.

I bought this $49 pair from Lee Valley when I was up in Vancouver before Christmas (impulse buy) then brought them out to the truck and tried them out... they cut down on the sounds like regular muffs, but when I turned the electronics on, they didn't cut down on the sound of my diesel any more, they actually seemed to make it worse? In addition to that, the sound from the built-in AM/FM radio was really crappy, very tinny and not very loud... so I went back into the store and brought them back. So... is the lesson "you get what you pay for"?

Right now I wear a Stihl helmet with hearing protectors (regular ear muffs) on it while I saw. They are rated at 24dB of reduction. I've also worn plugs under the muffs at times and that helps, but I'd like to listen to music once in a while. I know some people wear the "earbuds" under their muffs, but I haven't tried that yet.

So I looked up the Peltor Worktunes headphones, they claim 19dB to 25dB of reduction, depending on the model... but they look very similar to the Lee Valley ones and at $50-$65 a pair, I'm wondering if they are crappy as well.

So... what are you guys having luck with?

-Norm.

[Dave Shepard]

The worktunes are just that, peltor muffs with a radio in them. I find it very distracting. I have used muffs that actually amplify normal sounds, but they cut out at around 85 db. They work very well. Sorry, I don't have the name. They work by picking up sounds and sending them into the muffs via a speaker in each ear, they simply shut off at the 80 db limit. I like this style, because you can wear them all day, and still be able to hear other people. BOSE may be using different technology to achieve a better result, like noise cancellation, a much different technology.


Dave

[StorminN]

Thanks for the reply, Dave...

OK, I was confused... I thought all three models on the Peltor page (in my post above) were called "Worktunes"... so now I took a closer look... the Peltor ones I'm looking at in particular are these "Alert" ones, which have the active noise-canceling electronics, as well as the AM/FM radio and jack for whatever else (iPod).

These Peltor Active one are about $115. The Lee Valley $49 ones I bought had active electronics, they just didn't work well...

Thanks,
-Norm.

[LeeB]

They bought me some at work a couple years back that were in the $200 dollar range. I wanna say they were Peltors. They had te noise attenuation. Blocked everything over 85db but you could stilll hear just fine. It was the only thing I had left. I was already too deaf for ear plugs, couldn't hear anything with them in. Now I got hearing aids that do the same thing plus a few others. Not near about as good as natural hearing but beats the heck out what i was hearing or rather wasn't.

[jpgreen]

I recently invested in these:

http://www.sportearx.com/catalog/item/2540101/2256690.htm

I had my hearing checked and it was darn near perfect. I figured I would buy these now and save my hearing instead of waiting till I needed hearing aids.

They are very nice, comfortable and I can wear them all day.  The sound quality is exceptional.  I'm a shooter also, so these fit the bill for hunting, working and shooting.

[scsmith42]

Norm, I've had a set of the Peltor Alert headsets for about 4 years.  I love 'em!

Mine have a cellphone interface, and an active noise cancelling boom mic on the headset.  I can actually carry on a cell phone conversation over the headset in incredibly loud environments, and both myself and the other party can hear just fine.

Two years back the foam pads on the ear muffs started to split (I think that one of the barn cats chewed on it), and I sent them back to Peltor for repair.  They covered everything under warranty, even though the damage was obviously beyond that.

I can't recommend them highly enough.  The radio is OK - not as good as a Bose unit but not bad either.

Scott

[StorminN]

Thanks Scott, this is exactly the sort of info I was looking for!

I'm wondering if anyone out there has used the David Clark brand stuff? They are $$$, but they are the standard in aviation headsets...

Thanks,
-Norm.

[StorminN]

Hey guys,

I've still been doing research on these active hearing protectors, and I've learned some stuff...

First off, I called Peltor... and I was surprised to learn that NONE of their headsets have true Active Noise Reduction. The tech there explained to me that all of their headsets are passive noise reducers... the normal muffs we've all used... but then some of the models (the Alert, Tactical 6, Tactical 7, etc.) have microphones on the outside that will rebroadcast the outside sounds inside the headphones, up to 82 dB or so. Above 82 dB, they clamp down and cut off the sound... so you get no noises more than 82 dB inside your headsets. What they DO NOT DO is any ANR... (they do not monitor the outside noise and then flip it 180 degrees out of phase, and rebroadcast it inside the headsets). The tech told me the only ones he knew of that did this were Bose (but I had seen that Sennheiser did also).

So I continued my research... I know this ANR stuff has been around for years, so SOMEONE must have it... well, I found out some people do. I found Sony, Audio Technica, and Panasonic noise-cancelling earbuds... the type that go in your ear canal... the specs on all of them were about 12dB active reduction at 200Hz. I tried a pair of the Sony ones on my trip back from Japan last week. They worked well on low frequency stuff... the most dramatic example was on the plane ride back from Japan... much of the rumble of the jet was gone in the phones, and I could listen to the movie and music at a lower volume than before, because of this. There was, however, a higher-pitched hiss that was present the whole time in the headsets. When I got home, I tried them outside an idling Cummins diesel Dodge, and I was a bit disappointed with how little of that sound they cut out. When I slipped a pair of standard Stihl ear muffs over them, however, they worked OK... not great, not mind-blowing, but OK. These were $80 earbuds.

Then I came across these Noisebuster headsets. They are excellent passive muffs (26dB passive), plus they offer up to 20 dB of true active noise reduction. I ordered a pair, and they should be here at the end of this week. I'll post back with a review once I get to try them out.

-Norm.

[shinnlinger]

NOrm,

You should get your own section in health and safety...NIce research. 

BUt I will stick with my "plugs on a horseshoe"(are these earbuds?) because, besides being cheaper and cooler,  I sometimes work with a guy with who has the radio muffs and he looks like an idiot singing along while timberframing.  He must have the cheap ones because It is also vitually impossible to get his attention while he is wearing those things.  I ussually have to throw things at him.

[snowman]

Last summer I bought some 40 buck radio ear muffs at Home Depot. Glad i did, beats the heck out of earplugs and I can listen to Rush all morning, music all afternoon. Makes the day go fast. My wife flies alot and has those noise cancelling Bose. She loves them but they cost way to much for this cheap SOB! :D

[StorminN]

I thought Rush was a band from Canada?? Then I remembered the talk radio guy!  :D :D

-N.

[StorminN]

Well guys,

I got the Pro-Tech Noisebuster headset in the mail today, and my first impression is WOW .

This is the fourth set of active noise-canceling headphones I've tried, (and at $150, the most expensive) but these Noisebusters are definitely the best by far, so far.

I think a big part of it is that to start with, they are a really good set of passive headphones... (they are rated at 26dB passive) they are FAR quieter than the Stihl and Peltor passive headsets that I have (which I think are rated at 24dB passive). These Noisebusters clamp to your head a bit stronger, that may be part of it.

When I first put the Noisebusters on, even without the electronics turned on, they were quiet... but then when I turned the electronics on, they got even quieter. They definitely seem to block more low-level ("rumble") noise than anything else.. which is good... that's what they're supposed to do.

These headsets also have an input for an iPod or such... and the sound quality is pretty good. At my desk job, I usually listen to a pair of Sony studio reference headphones (MDR-7506 or MDR-V600) and these Noisebusters don't sound as good as those, but the Sony's are $100 headphones, no sound canceling or anything, so it's an apple to oranges comparison. The Noisebusters' sound quality is at least as good or better as most normal headphones or iPod earbuds.

I wore them around the shop for a little bit today and the electronic active noise canceling part really seemed to cut the noise down from our dust collectors and such (these are bigger, 10hp to 40hp units). The electronic part didn't seem to cut down on the high-pitched stuff so much, but just wearing the headsets even with the electronics turned off cut down on the high-pitched stuff quite a bit... more than I'm used to. With this headset on, I could also still hear people talking... it was pretty cool. I can't wait to try them out around the mill, and see how they cut down on the sound of that 50hp VW motor!

-Norm.

[Warren]

Hey Norm,

I am looking forward to hear how the new ANR muffs do on the mill.  I've got 50-60% loss in both ears.  Need to do something before I loose  the rest....

Warren

[Ironwood]

StorminN,

Thanks for all the feed back. Dangerous Dan has a really $$ set he got from ebay, quite sophisticated and cool,my first experiencew/ noise cancellation set.


Ironwood