When HN users recommended it
6 HN users recommended this between 2013 and 2025, in 6 comments.
20072026
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
6 HN users recommended this between 2013 and 2025, in 6 comments.
Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.
I recently bought a high-end pair of industrial noise reduction earmuffs [1] and a jar of cheap foam earplugs [2].
For me, the combination has been great. I work in an open-plan office that I generally like, but some fiend put a chunk of common space in the middle, and people end up doing large meetings or small parties there, right next to my desk.
The high-end earmuffs, which were only $30, are much more comfortable to wear than the earmuffs I had worn previously. Several hours is no problem. And the combined noise reduction of the plugs and the muffs is amazing.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CPCHBCQ/
[2] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4HB1C/
I swear by the the 3m X5A headphones[1] (which have 4.8, 8.1, and 12.4dB better attenuation at 125Hz, 250Hz, and 500Hz than the Leight Sync headphones in the article, according to their datasheet[2]), plus the Koss KSC75 headphones[3], with the clip removed and shoved inside, per [4].(I've since added a little wedge of foam behind each of the headphones to better keep them in place.)
The better attenuation at low frequencies makes these really good at blocking human voices, which is the thing that I find most distracting in an open office. With even a little bit of music, I can barely tell that people are having a conversation 10 feet from me.
The headphone cables can sometimes break the seal, but I find shifting them usually fixes it. Besides, the noise that sneaks in is high-frequency stuff like key clicks, not distracting voices.
The downsides are: these are extremely large cans (2.5-3" deep), the KSC75s have a pretty short cable, and if you drop your cans or yank the cable, the headphones will tend to pop out.
1. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CPCHBCQ 2. https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/845196O/3m-peltor-x-seri... 3. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006B486K 4. https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/5bwu48/homemade...
It's not going to put your life back together, but these earmuffs really changed my quality of life for the better when I was working in offices; particularly those offices where people say things like "it's just white noise".
https://amazon.com/dp/B00CPCHBCQ/
I work at home in a very quiet neighborhood with excellent sound insulation and a silent PC. My home office is very, very quiet. I consider this a great luxury of life well-lived.
Then someone bought the empty lot next door and started building a house. I ordered these 3M X5A earmuffs for $30. They are remarkably effective and proved to be a terrific investment.
https://smile.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Over-Earmuffs-X5A/dp/B00C...
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Over-Earmuffs-X5A/dp/B00CPC...
I use these exact ones and can attest to them working, keep in mind though that the size does really make them look funny. You can get smaller sizes but I’m not 100% sure how well earbuds will fit with them. If earbuds do fit main trade off would be that for silence you’d need somewhat higher wind noise but I’m sure they’re not too bad either.
Agreed, these [1] work very well in open plan offices.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPCHBCQ