I currently work in a noisy office (shouting, explosive sneezing, etc.).
I find this very distracting when I'm trying to do work that requires
concentration, which is most of the time. Raising the issue with
management is unlikely to help. I currently wear Sennheiser HD 202
closed back headphones, which have good sound quality, but don't block
external noise much, and are uncomfortable to wear all day.

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

Would active noise-cancelling headphones help? The reviews I've read
suggest that they are more effective with fairly constant noises, rather
than the sudden unpredictable noise in an office. I would prefer a model
that I could adapt to be powered from a USB port.

Ideally the headphones should not be too garish either.

Are you saying you want to block the noise, or that you want to listen
to something else, in peace (e.g. music)?

I often use cheap sponge earplugs to block out noise, e.g. while I'm
trying to read the paper when the Significant Other has the radio on --
which means we're keeping company, but we're each doing our own thing.

I buy them at my local chainsaw suppliers:
http://www.chainsaw-shop.co.uk/silve...ugs-4421-86337

I shove them *right* into my ears and have to extract them with the tips
of my fingernails. They expand after insertion, and create total silence
(though if the S.O. speaks directly to me, I can hear her).

Mind you: probably not a good idea to wear them all day long, so this is
probably a waste of your time.

John

On 15/02/2012 18:13, RustyCrampon wrote:
I currently work in a noisy office (shouting, explosive sneezing, etc.).
I find this very distracting when I'm trying to do work that requires
concentration, which is most of the time. Raising the issue with
management is unlikely to help. I currently wear Sennheiser HD 202
closed back headphones, which have good sound quality, but don't block
external noise much, and are uncomfortable to wear all day.

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

Would active noise-cancelling headphones help? The reviews I've read
suggest that they are more effective with fairly constant noises, rather
than the sudden unpredictable noise in an office. I would prefer a model
that I could adapt to be powered from a USB port.

Ideally the headphones should not be too garish either.

I tried some noise cancelling ones.

They cut out all the whoosh of the aircon and computers, leaving the
voices more obvious

My cans are reserved for the really bad days.

Andy

On 15/02/2012 19:20, Another John wrote:
Are you saying you want to block the noise, or that you want to listen
to something else, in peace (e.g. music)?

I often use cheap sponge earplugs to block out noise, e.g. while I'm
trying to read the paper when the Significant Other has the radio on --
which means we're keeping company, but we're each doing our own thing.

I buy them at my local chainsaw suppliers:
http://www.chainsaw-shop.co.uk/silve...ugs-4421-86337

I shove them *right* into my ears and have to extract them with the tips
of my fingernails. They expand after insertion, and create total silence
(though if the S.O. speaks directly to me, I can hear her).

Mind you: probably not a good idea to wear them all day long, so this is
probably a waste of your time.

John
I should have said that I've already tried in-ear headphones, and find
them very uncomfortable, so I don't think I could tolerate ear-plugs for
any length of time.

The closed-back over-ear HD202 headphones I have are comfortable enough
for an hour or two, but don't block out external sounds sufficiently
unless I play quite loud music through them, which is not tolerable for
long periods.

I'm really looking for headphones that:
- Almost completely block external sounds, without the need for
excessively loud music.
- Are comforable enough to wear all day.
- If they are active, can be modified to work on USB power.
- Don't make me look too weird in an office environment.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:13:47 +0000, RustyCrampon wrote:

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

They do give good isolation, some people complain that they squeeze
but can't say I've noticed but then the longest I'd normally wear 'em
for would be a couple of hours. They do sit on your ears rather than
around them, cotton covers for the muffs might be a good idea.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"RustyCrampon" wrote in message
. com...
I currently work in a noisy office (shouting, explosive sneezing, etc.). I
find this very distracting when I'm trying to do work that requires
concentration, which is most of the time. Raising the issue with management
is unlikely to help. I currently wear Sennheiser HD 202 closed back
headphones, which have good sound quality, but don't block external noise
much, and are uncomfortable to wear all day.

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?


I have a pair of relatively old HD-25 SP headphones - they have the larger
jack so I use a mini-jack adapter.
The give really good sound, are light, and block out most external noise.
I use them with the PC and with an old HD iPod.
No problems wearing them for an extended period.

However as they say in the financial adds past performance is no guarantee
of future performance so I don't know if the latest ones are more or less
the same as my pair.

Damn fine set of headphones, though.
Allegedly used a lot by sound engineers.

Cheers

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

In article ,
lid says...

On 15/02/2012 19:20, Another John wrote:
Are you saying you want to block the noise, or that you want to listen
to something else, in peace (e.g. music)?

I often use cheap sponge earplugs to block out noise, e.g. while I'm
trying to read the paper when the Significant Other has the radio on --
which means we're keeping company, but we're each doing our own thing.

I buy them at my local chainsaw suppliers:
http://www.chainsaw-shop.co.uk/silve...ugs-4421-86337

I shove them *right* into my ears and have to extract them with the tips
of my fingernails. They expand after insertion, and create total silence
(though if the S.O. speaks directly to me, I can hear her).

Mind you: probably not a good idea to wear them all day long, so this is
probably a waste of your time.

John
I should have said that I've already tried in-ear headphones, and find
them very uncomfortable, so I don't think I could tolerate ear-plugs for
any length of time.

I have finally found some in-ear 'phones that I can tolerate for 30 - 40
minutes but that's my limit.

The closed-cell sponge earplugs, on the other hand, I can tolerate for a
much longer period. You roll them between your fingertips to squash
them down before insertion, & they slowly expand to conform to the shape
of your ear. They're very light, soft & don't create any pressure
points which in-ear phones tend to do.
Also they don't have any attached wires so minor head movements etc.
don't result in vibration being transmitted to the ear.

They don't cost much so it would be worth trying.

Maybe you could ring the changes between these & some over-ear
headphones so that any irritation doesn't build up too much.


--
Sam

On 15/02/2012 20:21, RustyCrampon wrote:
On 15/02/2012 19:20, Another John wrote:
Are you saying you want to block the noise, or that you want to listen
to something else, in peace (e.g. music)?

I often use cheap sponge earplugs to block out noise, e.g. while I'm
trying to read the paper when the Significant Other has the radio on --
which means we're keeping company, but we're each doing our own thing.

I buy them at my local chainsaw suppliers:
http://www.chainsaw-shop.co.uk/silve...ugs-4421-86337

I shove them *right* into my ears and have to extract them with the tips
of my fingernails. They expand after insertion, and create total silence
(though if the S.O. speaks directly to me, I can hear her).

Mind you: probably not a good idea to wear them all day long, so this is
probably a waste of your time.

John
I should have said that I've already tried in-ear headphones, and find
them very uncomfortable, so I don't think I could tolerate ear-plugs for
any length of time.


Try some comply foam tips for your earphones. They're made of the same
stuff that my earplugs are made from, memory foam sort of stuff. They're
great. They improve the sound quality no end, and have the added benefit
of noise isolation.

Not associated, just a happy user.

in 1106741 20120215 181347 RustyCrampon wrote:
I currently work in a noisy office (shouting, explosive sneezing, etc.).
I find this very distracting when I'm trying to do work that requires
concentration, which is most of the time. Raising the issue with
management is unlikely to help. I currently wear Sennheiser HD 202
closed back headphones, which have good sound quality, but don't block
external noise much, and are uncomfortable to wear all day.

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

Would active noise-cancelling headphones help? The reviews I've read
suggest that they are more effective with fairly constant noises, rather
than the sudden unpredictable noise in an office. I would prefer a model
that I could adapt to be powered from a USB port.

Ideally the headphones should not be too garish either.

I use the Koss spark-plug earphones. I can wear them for hours.

On 15/02/2012 18:13, RustyCrampon wrote:

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

They did some reviews on the gadget show not long ago.
http://fwd.channel5.com/gadget-show/...end-headphones
unfortunately the best ones are "custom moulded" and are about £600
:¬)
http://www.acscustom.com/uk/
might be worth a look...

--
http://www.GymRatZ.co.uk - Fitness+Gym Equipment.
http://www.bodysolid-gym-equipment.co.uk
http://www.trade-price-supplements.co.uk
http://www.water-rower.co.uk

On Feb 15, 6:13*pm, RustyCrampon wrote:
I currently work in a noisy office (shouting, explosive sneezing, etc.).
I find this very distracting when I'm trying to do work that requires
concentration, which is most of the time. Raising the issue with
management is unlikely to help. I currently wear Sennheiser HD 202
closed back headphones, which have good sound quality, but don't block
external noise much, and are uncomfortable to wear all day.

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

The reviews for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones suggest they are good at
blocking out noise but squeeze the head very hard?

Would active noise-cancelling headphones help? The reviews I've read
suggest that they are more effective with fairly constant noises, rather
than the sudden unpredictable noise in an office. I would prefer a model
that I could adapt to be powered from a USB port.

Ideally the headphones should not be too garish either.

I have used the Sony noise cancelling head phones. They actively take
out 10 dB of low frequency noise below about 1kHz which is very
noticeable. Higher frequencies are passsively reduced just like
ordinary headphones.

rusty

On 15/02/12 20:21, RustyCrampon wrote:
On 15/02/2012 19:20, Another John wrote:

I buy them at my local chainsaw suppliers:
http://www.chainsaw-shop.co.uk/silve...ugs-4421-86337

I shove them *right* into my ears and have to extract them with the tips
of my fingernails. They expand after insertion, and create total silence
(though if the S.O. speaks directly to me, I can hear her).

Mind you: probably not a good idea to wear them all day long, so this is
probably a waste of your time.

John
I should have said that I've already tried in-ear headphones, and find them
very uncomfortable, so I don't think I could tolerate ear-plugs for any
length of time.

?!

They are completely different products and feel entirely different in your
ears. Its almost impossible to tell if you've got decent earplugs in, apart
from the silence...

RustyCrampon wrote:

Can anyone recommend a better noise-blocking solution? I don't mind
spending a few hundred pounds if necessary.

Etymotics in-ear phones with custom earpieces moulded to your ears.
Etymotics used to sell a pack of the earphones with a voucher to take to a
hearing aid specialist to get the ear inserts moulded. Very comfortable and
extremely good sound.

I use mine on aeroplanes to block out engine noise.

On Feb 15, 7:20*pm, Another John wrote:
Are you saying you want to block the noise, or that you want to listen
to something else, in peace (e.g. music)?

I often use cheap sponge earplugs to block out noise, e.g. while I'm
trying to read the paper when the Significant Other has the radio on --
which means we're keeping company, but we're each doing our own thing.


I use more expensive in-ear sponge plugs they give about 22-30dB
rection and they make a huge difference. A John said, you need to
roll them up tight and push right in and let them expand inside the
ear-canal. As they expand it's just as if someone turns the volume of
the world right down.

Something else: I find it useful to block ONE ear only. That makes
the sound much less distracting, probably because it is no longer in
stereo. But you can still talk to people, if need be, without having
to grovel about in your ears pulling out the plugs.

Robert