Noise cancelling headphones...???

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I can't stand near absolute silence. I start to hear my thoughts.

Normally you don't have thoughts? xD

Ha! Sometimes I wish I didn't. They're nasty.

They certainly can be. Screaming thoughts are x2 the nasty.

Noise cancelling headphones are SUPPOSED to be bulky, at least the seveal ones I have had are. They're supposed to go around your entire ear so that you don't catch any outside noise where you can just hear your music.

Besides, bulky headphones are rather fun, wherever I go, I tend to wear them, no one ever looks at me weird, unless I've got the headphones on and I'm talking to Mother at the same time or something.

And for those who think noise-cancelling headphones are for silence, at least the ones I have, they don't cancel noise unless you have somehting playing, like music.

All the same, the bulkier ones work far better, trust me there, and if you wear them right, they can be quite fashionable.

i can't do the utter silence thing... i am so used to knowing where everyone is around me and what they are doing, that when i try earplugs/noise cancelling stuff, i freak. Paranoia at it's best. of course it doesn't help that one of my roommates is still trying to creep up behind me and scare me (i hear him coming)

but the suggestion of the ear protectors made for shooting is actually really good, no white-noise, just sound-proofing. and usually pretty cheap.

ARGH! I've been looking for these everywhere ever since I used a pair that worked very well in Florida (it was on an airboat... the noise of the motor was so loud that everyone had to wear them), but I've checked Radio Shack, Home Depot, Best Buy, and basically every electonics store you can imagine, with no luck. I've seriously wanted a pair of these since I was five- they'd be great for places like crowded shopping malls or big cities (though my sister has told me more than once that she will not be seen with me in public if I'm wearing huge, noticeable headphones).

Oh, that's a good idea... I think I'll try that.

Lil' lady, lemme explain something very simple to you: you have AS, and you're concerned about being looked at weird? To quote a classic line from Naked Gun 33 1/3:

[Frank Drebin has gone on stage, at the Academy Awards to stop a bomb from blowing up, in place of Phil Donahue, and is completely screwing up the show]

"LAPD- we're here to prevent a major disaster from happening"

Academy Awards Director( drinking his Pepto Bismol): "You're too late for that".

I don't mean to sound like a prick, but the fact is we with AS draw attention to ourselves like bees are drawn to honey; it's just the way it is.

I know- you're thinking "well, I'd like to draw LESS attention to myself". I'm still trying to figure out exactly how possible that is with AS...

I have finally settled on my new v-moda in-canal earphones.

I bought my pair new off the 'net for $84, and the work really well, but the do go inside the ear canal.
They physically block out surrounding noise to a certain degree and the result is that I can play my iPod at much lower volume with a better sound than with other headphones.

Another option besides the standard earplugs for in-ear noise blocking, you can get custom molded ear plugs.
I have them for shooting, but I also use them for other things.
The technician places a foam plug deep into your ear canal, then pours in a molding solution to take a mold of your inner and out ear.
The company then uses this rough mold to create your own custom earplugs.
You can get a plain variety, or some places will offer different color variations.
These can range around $100 or more, but you may find them for less.
Local audiologists can either do this for you or recommend a place that does.

You can go the professional musician route and get the same sort of custom molded plugs with audio monitors built in.
Peter Townsend started promoting these many years ago since he started going deaf without protection.
You can see them in the ears of many musicians today. They not only offer hearing protection, but pipe in their monitor so the musician can keep track of their sound amidst the noise onstage.
These will start around $300 and go up considerable depending on the company you go with, and grade of monitor inbedded.

Ear muffs (the cups which go around your ears) come in differing varieties also.

You have the general noise-blocking type that most folks associate with shooting firearms, or working on construction sites.
You can find these in different colors, different size cups, over-the-head bands or behind-the-head bands, and with or without electronics.

The kind with electronics come in two basic packages...

AM/FM radios or a port to plug in a radio or other device

Active noise amplification/passive blocking
- these have electronics usually built into one cup that works to 'cancel' certain noises.
Some will 'clip' the noise at a certain decibel level, effectively shutting off any amplification of sounds leaving you with a muffled sound from the outside until the unit resets and turns back on.
Others will just 'tone' down the noise below ear-damaging decibels, but allow you to continue to hear conversations or other low-level sounds just fine.


There are also the headsets generally associated with pilots (the green ear cups of the Davis brand which are more often seen than the other brands), which offer the noise-cancellation of the type you all are talking about.


I can't offer you a suggestion for an 'under $50' pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Everything I have seen and used that works to block outside sound and perhaps offer the ability to listen to an mp3 player, run from close to $100 on up.

And I have seen that there is not one universal brand which everyone agrees works best.
Some folks swear by their BOSE, or Sony, or Sennheisers, while other people have found different brands/models that work best for them.
Sorry I cannot help you more with that.

For myself, I wear earmuffs when vacuuming, grinding coffee, and other noisy endeavors like those in addition to the normal usages like shooting firearms or using loud tools.

I'm sure you are quite aware of this, but I will say that when using any of these devices out in public, you should really be more concerned with personal safety than looks.
Not hearing a warning being emitted by a device or called out by someone from behind you, or not hearing that mugger or purse-snatcher coming at you is the bad side of wearing anything that blocks out the noise from the world around us.

As far as driving...

I find I am less distracted wearing headphones or earplugs while driving.
They do not block out all noise so I have been able to hear emergency sirens (I'm also 'tuned' to these sounds having driving emergency vehicles for many years), just fine.
I have less distraction from the noise of my vehicle and I constantly scan my mirrors and windows anyway, so I know who/what's behind me, to the side and to the front of me.

For regular or electronic earmuffs try Cabela's online, or shooting outfits.
There are many brands out there and if you want, I can list several good manufacturers.
I have electronic ones as well as plain passive ones so I can tell you my personal experiences with particular brands.

What brand were they? I desperately need silence, especially at night. $35 seems fair to me.

I have Beats By Dre and they cost a lot but they're the best headphones I've ever had. When I'm wearing them and music is playing, I can't hear anything in the world around me and they're also very effective even when they're not turned on. I have no idea if they're noise cancelling or not but they do go around your entire ear and have a soft, padded connector between them, plus the wire unplugs from the headphones so you don't need to have that dangling around if you're not listening to music.

I can tell you there isn't a lot of difference between the noise-cancelling performance of Bose versus any other brand of noise-cancelling headphone. shop around.

Bose headphones work great. I wear them nonstop. I'd avoid beats - the construction is flimsy in my experience. I'm not too sure on other headphone brands.

Did noise cancelling headphones even exist when this thread was started?

they have existed before wrong planet was founded. bose was one of the early creators so that is where their pricey rep comes from.

I have the same problem, and I would suggest giving swimming ear plugs a try. Some of those are really soft and comfortable.

I like these: https://www.amazon.com/Natuworld-Silico ... B07BJBVJV9

And also these: https://www.amazon.com/Putty-Buddies-Or ... B01B8B8L46