Head phone ear protection

[bdhsfz6]

Noise cancelling headphones reduce the amount of noise that I hear, but do they protect my hearing?
Anyone know?

They provide protection for steady noise, like the drone of a tractor engine, or on a plane, but not for sudden loud sounds, like a gunshot.

For loud variable noise environments, you're better off with muffs.

 

[rScotty]

For a constant sound like a tractor engine, the noise canceling headphones work by creating a pressure wave of noise in the headphones that counters the pressure wave from the outside noise. Together, the two waves sum to zero in the sensory part of your brain.....& you don't register hearing a noise.

But the pressure waves are both still there right next to a person's eardrum. In fact the energy from that pressure is now doubled, being the sum of the noise the headphones generated plus the incoming noise.

So is damage to a person's hearing caused by the pressure of the sound wave against the ear drum? Or by the perception of sound in the mind?

rScotty

 

[Jims1025R]

I like my 3M Work Tunes. You can bend the wires a little if you need to.

For glasses wearers, try David Clark "Stop Gaps"

Amazon.com

 

[bdhsfz6]

For a constant sound like a tractor engine, the noise canceling headphones work by creating a pressure wave of noise in the headphones that counters the pressure wave from the outside noise. Together, the two waves sum to zero in the sensory part of your brain.....& you don't register hearing a noise.

But the pressure waves are both still there right next to a person's eardrum. In fact the energy from that pressure is now doubled, being the sum of the noise the headphones generated plus the incoming noise.

So is damage to a person's hearing caused by the pressure of the sound wave against the ear drum? Or by the perception of sound in the mind?

rScotty

I suppose it depends on the condition of your hearing. Most age related high frequency hearing loss is caused by damage to the nerve endings inside the cochlea, not the ear drum itself.

There are many causes of hearing loss though, and everyone is different. The best approach would be to consult an Audiologist for a hearing evaluation. The one I see said noise cancelling technology won't damage your ears, but he does not recommend it for hearing protection in noisy varied sound environments. It is effective though for constant frequency sound like the drone of an airplane.

I particularly like the noise cancelling earbuds in the tractor cab. They deaden the steady engine noise but allow me to hear other sudden sounds, like a failing implement.

 

[3Ts]

They provide protection for steady noise, like the drone of a tractor engine, or on a plane, but not for sudden loud sounds, like a gunshot.

For loud variable noise environments, you're better off with muffs.

I wear the noise cancelling ear muffs the entire time I'm at the range and they work better than regular muffs. I'm at the range every month for 2 to 3 hours at a time and comfortability is very important. I've found the deeper muffs are more comfortable than the thin ones. I've also been told that gel cushions work better than foam, I've recently received a set of the gel cushions that I'm going to try out. I also wear glasses and I'm expecting the gell cushions to seal better and be more comfortable based on reports from others at the range.

For a constant sound like a tractor engine, the noise canceling headphones work by creating a pressure wave of noise in the headphones that counters the pressure wave from the outside noise. Together, the two waves sum to zero in the sensory part of your brain.....& you don't register hearing a noise.

But the pressure waves are both still there right next to a person's eardrum. In fact the energy from that pressure is now doubled, being the sum of the noise the headphones generated plus the incoming noise.

So is damage to a person's hearing caused by the pressure of the sound wave against the ear drum? Or by the perception of sound in the mind?

rScotty

That's not my understanding of the physics involved. Yes, the electronics in the muffs create a counter pressure wave, and it's almost 180 degrees out of phase with the incoming noise. Because it is out of phase the resulting amplitude is reduced significantly and it is the combined result that reaches your eardrum - It not combined in your brain, it's combined in the air space inside the ear muffs before reaching your ear drum. You can see the same effect on a wave table, or in a still pool of water, or an oscilloscope.

 

[rScotty]

That's not my understanding of the physics involved. Yes, the electronics in the muffs create a counter pressure wave, and it's almost 180 degrees out of phase with the incoming noise. Because it is out of phase the resulting amplitude is reduced significantly and it is the combined result that reaches your eardrum - It not combined in your brain, it's combined in the air space inside the ear muffs before reaching your ear drum. You can see the same effect on a wave table, or in a still pool of water, or an oscilloscope.

I think our understanding of the physics is close enough for this..

The oscilloscope doesn't count; we know that the depictions of waves it is displayng are not pressure waves, and that electromagnetic waves sum entirely differently from pressure waves in air. Movement of electromagnetic fields vs movement of mass are two different worlds.

A still pool of water is a little better. It shows a standing wave on the surface due to a vibration. A vibration in a fluid or solid is still not the same thing as a pressure wave in air. But it does involves mass, and seems to have enough similarities to use for an analogy.

But if we do use a wave in a still pool of water as an analogy, I think you will see that when waves going in opposite direcctions meet, the result is a higher amplitude wave. Not a reduction, but an increase.
And that's my concern.
rScotty

 

[etpm]

For a constant sound like a tractor engine, the noise canceling headphones work by creating a pressure wave of noise in the headphones that counters the pressure wave from the outside noise. Together, the two waves sum to zero in the sensory part of your brain.....& you don't register hearing a noise.

But the pressure waves are both still there right next to a person's eardrum. In fact the energy from that pressure is now doubled, being the sum of the noise the headphones generated plus the incoming noise.

So is damage to a person's hearing caused by the pressure of the sound wave against the ear drum? Or by the perception of sound in the mind?

rScotty

I believe what happens is that the sound energy is turned into heat energy.
Eric

 

[2manyrocks]

There is another type of ear protection which combines a standard ear muff that has an external microphone circuit so that it muffs really loud sound but you can still near normal conversation levels.

But for hours and hours of wearing, the soft 3m muffs seem the most comfortable to me out of all the ones I've used.

 

[etpm]

I think our understanding of the physics is close enough for this..

The oscilloscope doesn't count; we know that the depictions of waves it is displayng are not pressure waves, and that electromagnetic waves sum entirely differently from pressure waves in air. Movement of electromagnetic fields vs movement of mass are two different worlds.

A still pool of water is a little better. It shows a standing wave on the surface due to a vibration. A vibration in a fluid or solid is still not the same thing as a pressure wave in air. But it does involves mass, and seems to have enough similarities to use for an analogy.

But if we do use a wave in a still pool of water as an analogy, I think you will see that when waves going in opposite direcctions meet, the result is a higher amplitude wave. Not a reduction, but an increase.
And that's my concern.
rScotty

When the peaks coinside the peaks get higher. When peaks and troughs coinside the peaks get lower. When the amplitude of the waves are identical then exact coincidence will either double the peak height or make the peak zero.
Eric

 

[AirOpsMgr]

I use various types of hearing protection depending on the situation (I too have a big melon). The simplest and cheapest option would be soft foam ear plugs inserted correctly (Howard leight, etc), which are nice when it's hot out.

But if your preference is ear muffs, I have experience with several sets of Bose noise cancelling over the ear headphones as well as noise cancelling earbuds that I use on the ZRT or when using gas tools, but not a fan of over the ear when it's hot out & not a fan of earbuds for more than 2 hrs at a time. I wear glasses with my over the ear headphones without any issues.

When at an indoor range, I double up with foam plugs and electronic impact muffs, when shooting outdoors, just electronic muffs.

If $ isn't an issue, for overall comfort, I prefer the newer Bose Ultra noise canceling over the ear headphones, their newest offering has larger cups and more adjustment, 3 levels of noise canceling adjustment, but are pricey at close to 4 bills. They are hands down the most comfortable over the ear headphones I've ever used.