# Do any of you use Bose noise-cancelling headphones?



## Peter5 (Sep 22, 2010)

I've been wanting to figure out a way to listen to music and/or the radio while I run my planer/drum sander/table saw etc. and I thought of the Bose noise-canceling headphones. I've heard they completely block out everything, but is that true even with heavy machinery? Does anyone wear these while they work in their shop? They're about $300 so I don't want to make the investment unless I can be pretty confident. I'd love to hear your experiences.


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## Bagtown (Mar 9, 2008)

$300. buys quite a few decent hand tools; handplane, scrapers, hand saws, chisels, etc.
And then you wont have to buy the headphones.



Mike


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

ive got a pair of Impact Sport ear muffs with an aux jack in them that work great for listening to music while keeping loud noises out. Think i got em at Cabela's .. $50. If youve got the dough bose stuff cant be beat but id save my cash personally.

When i was working in the contruction field runnign things like a bobcat skid steer i had used Shure earphones T2 i think … you could still hear the diesel engine over them unless you cranked em up real loud and that would defeat the purpose of having ear protection in my book.

My suggestion is a pair of muffs with an aux jack in them.


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## iozl (Dec 30, 2007)

I had been thinking a bit about this as I changed my shop routine recently: in the past whenever I used machinery I wore earplugs, and when I was using my router table (with vac) I would put ear muffs over the earplugs for extra protection.

Recently I purchased new IEM's (in ear microphones) - I did a lot of research and purchased a pair that were expensive, but not $300 expensive. Now, I'm finding that if I'm listening with my IEM's and using ear muffs, I get almost the same dB reduction as with the earplugs, PLUS I can enjoy music or listen to the audio edition of the Economist.

& BTW - if you are interested in browsing IEM reviews, check out the link below. I found it incredibly useful for comparing the various options out there, and they range from $5 pairs all the way up to +$1,000 gear:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-231-iems-compared-velodyne-vpulse-tfta-1v-added-03-18-12


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I use in-the-ear earbuds sometimes. They seal out external noise about
as well as earplugs and you can listen to music or the radio too.

I think the noise-canceling headphones are designed to cancel-out
the sound of jet engines, which is fatiguing.


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## Rostasteve (Mar 19, 2012)

When you buy Bose, you're paying for accurate music reproduction (as well as the Bose name), which is a waste if you're only going to use them in the shop. You should look into shooting range ear protection-they seal out noise, have active noise cancelling, and an aux jack for your music source. Howard Leight and Peltor make some decent models.


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I have a pair of Bose that I use for flights but it never occurred to me to use them in the shop. I've no idea what the decibel rating is on them but I doubt it's high. I can still hear people talking to me when they are on, but it's muffled. (If I am playing music I will have to take them off to hear the person but if I'm just using the cancellation I can still understand them.) Really they excel at taking a background droning noise and canceling it out, not at shielding you from loud noise.


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## Doss (Mar 14, 2012)

Okay, not to be contrary to others' opinions, but Bose is just "okay" when it comes to quality audio. They aren't high-end by any true sense of the word. They are at the top end of average consumer audio for most people though.

But, about the Bose headphones, there are several styles to choose from (over ear is probably the most comfortable and convenient in this case). None of them fully block the noise. You're still going to hear it no matter what you use. It works a lot better on constant noise than on sudden or intense noises in my experience.

If I were you, I'd get a set of earbuds and a good set of ear protection to wear over them. I do that myself since the wires are so thin no noise really gets past my ear protection's pads (I have a few sets from -20 dB to -30 dB) and my earbuds fill the ear canal so it's just one more level of protection. When using machinery though, I usually do like the option of just hearing the tool running with ear protection and no music to see if I can detect any odd noises. I had a miter saw start producing this awful whine once that I didn't notice until I made a quick cut with no protection. Since then, I make sure my tools sound okay every now and again before I drown them out with music.

One thing to make sure about though, do not let your headphone wires dangle in front of you. Think about that and what would happen around a circular or tablesaw or any spinning tool. I usually put my MP3 player in my back pocket and run the wire under my shirt and up my back.

Also, if you have someone in the shop with you, it's best not to play music so you can hear them if there's an emergency or alert.

I hope that helps.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

I bought a pair when I was traveling two or three times a week. Now that I'm retired I use them in the workshop. They work great, especially around the dw735 planer. However, if I hadn't had them already I would not have spent that kind of money for just shop use.


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## Peter5 (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks everyone, you've given me some great feedback. I'm going to try my ear buds under my cheap Harbor Freight ear muffs today to get an idea of how that works. I definitely think I'll save the $300.


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

I'd be afraid of ruining those expensive headphones with all the dust and paint in my shop. I use the same foam earplugs I use when I visit a paper mill. If it can reduce that noise it can reduce my workshop noise. They're ony a few cents a pair and if you're really cheap they're washable.


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## pauljp (Jan 10, 2011)

I have a pair of Bose over ear noise cancelling headphones that I bought when I traveled extensively.
Although I never used them in the shop, I decided to try it because you were asking.
I plugged them into my ipod and played "An Act of War" by Elton John at a bit louder than comfortable volume.
I went into the shop and turned on the air filter, I couldn't hear it.
I started the table saw, I could barely hear it.
I started the shop vac, I could hear it easily but it was a smoother sound and definitely would not bother me listening to the music.
Then I turned on the thickness planer, it was the loudest of all machines and I would not operate it long without replacing the headphones with my regular ear protection.
Still, most of the tools running either alone or all together would not affect my enjoyment of the music.
Although, I would be worried a bit that the music would drown out the noise of the tablesaw and perhaps make you forget that it was on.
I respect the tablesaw too much to let the enjoyment of music lower the level of safety in the shop.
If you were strictly on the scroll saw or band saw for a period of time, then the music would be enjoyable.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2005488/16255/zem-hearing-protection.aspx

Affordable as well, 21.00 plus shipping. You can hear music and work too.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Aug 31, 2007)

Got my wife a set. She runs a scroll saw all day in the corner of the shop where I'm running everything else. She's had them for about 5 years and hasn't had any problems with them. She has them on all day listening to her bluegrass and books on tapes. She wouldn't be happy without them.


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## HamS (Nov 10, 2011)

I have ell cheapos that cost $35 at wallmart. They work great. I wear them in the shop with the radio and mowing and sometimes even when I am LJin- and want people to leave me alone. I think the brand is Maxwell.


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## OnlyJustME (Nov 22, 2011)

how about a pair of these? http://www.amazon.com/Bilsom-1015543-Stereo-Hi-Vis-Earmuff/dp/B0027DIHZS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332204541&sr=8-2


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## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

I don't like anything that blocks the noise of my machines. The sound of a machine is a valuable safety device IMHO. It lets you hear if the saw is working harder and starting to bind, if the planer is bogging down for some reason, the stories that can be told just by the sound of a machine are endless. From bearings going, to belts slipping, it can tell you a lot more than I'd care to miss out on!

I agree with music in the shop, but nothing that completely blocks the sounds of a powertool. I'll deal with the noise to know how they're running.

Me,I'd rather listen to them when they first start to get angry, rather than find out once they're really pissed off with me and dump a bunch of parts on the floor.

I'll listen to the radio when it's hand-tool time and I can relax a little and let my guard down.


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

A friend told me that his wife gave him a set of noise cancelling headsets. He was wearing them in his home office one recent day when his wife fell. He could not hear her yelling for help.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

I use Bose A20 set w/ bluetooth in the cockpit and they work well. Bose invented noise cancellation, but music sucks to my ears; too much lobeing, In the shop I use Koss Pro4 AA. Finest acoustic performance in the world. Comfortable, most outside noise satisfactorialy attenuated. They just won't keep up with a Wright R - 2600 on each wing.

Steve


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## MoshupTrail (Aug 11, 2011)

What you DON'T want to do is to turn up the volume in order to hear the music. If you are doing that, you're probably doing as much damage as listening to your equipment without headphones. I have the Bose, and I find that I have to turn down the volume or the music is too loud. They cancel out higher frequencies better so what Paul says makes sense - the table saw probably makes the highest pitch and the thickness planer (not helical head) makes the lowest pitch and would be least canceled. I don't use noise cancellation in the shop. In the shop it's about business and safety. I use a nice set of -30db AEARO ear muffs. Generally around $30.


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

I have been around high end car audio since high school. I've worked for a couple different shops now. Bose product honestly is not bad, IMHO it's product that designed to sound as good as possible with the cheapest speakers they can build. Cheapest being their materals cost. The best thing you can do is find a place that you can demo them. They have bose stores in some malls, ask them to run their vacuum right next to your head while listening. You might just make sure you can return them free and try a set. I just started a new gig building displays for a representative of some audio manufacturers who offer head phones. In meetings we have descussed building a display to demonstrate all the new head phones. When I get a chance to review them, expect a forum post coming at you.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

If you want wear the "foam earplugs " they cut out high pitched noise, allowing you to hear radio in background. 
Personally I would NOT wear anything with cord dangling around any power tools. Some of the above mentioned safety concerns…THEY ARE RIGHT.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I'll stay with my Peltors.
Bill


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

I have the *'Koss'* noise-canceling headphones, and though I have never used any others to compare with, I'm quite impressed with what these do. Yes, you might still hear a bit of ambient sounds from very loud sources, which I believe is due to noise getting past the headset. I think I paid about $65 for them, pricewise a good alternative to the Bose unit. My wife took mine, she likes to block out office chatter at work.


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## lizardhead (Aug 15, 2010)

I don't get it if you are trying to protect yourself from noise, why the %&$^you want to cram some other noise louder yet into you ear canals. Not being disrespectful, it just sounds like you don't like getting punched in the face by someone so you get someone else to punch you in the face


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Lizardhead,

Noise cancelling headphones sample ambient noise outside the headset and use the same noise but reverses the polarity of the noise signal. The two cancel each other out and all you hear is the music you are playing. It's really simple and effective according to the laws of physics, but possible only through high tech electronics.

Steve


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## bestwoodrouterman (Feb 26, 2012)

I don't have a pair, but a friend of mine let me borrow his, and I was very impressed. Worked like a charm, but I'm not sure if they are worth the cost or their is a lower cost alternative.

bestwoodrouterman, wood router


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

The poor man's version of noise canceling headphones is ear plugs with simple wireless headphones over em. Works great!


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

I too have the Bose over the ear NC headphones as I spend many days a month traveling back and forth to SE Asia. They really work well in eliminating the hull noise as well as reasonably good sound quality.

Agree with Canadianchip on having dangling cords around equipment. Tried iPod with ear buds but could not keep the cord from being in the way, distracting, and a safety hazard.

I have seen several wireless headsets on the market that use a base unit that plugs into a TV, stereo, iPad, iPod and battery powered headsets.


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