# Sound-Proof Earphones **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485 "2005-03-20T23:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/21 "2005-03-25T17:56:23Z")
Bilsom has a line of noise blocking earphones. [Link](http://www.bilsom.com/noise.html). Kind of bulky, but they come in different colors! ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/22 "2005-03-25T18:10:37Z")
I wore a set much like the L3 model in **TwoTrouts** link at my last job, though I think they were a different brand. Comfortable, and brought the noise of my nailgun down from painful to not an issue. Loud voices came through, but were still muffled a fair bit. I found I was much less tired after the day’s work than I was if I just wore earplugs. I still regret not taking them home with me when I quit. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/23 "2005-03-25T18:27:39Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Yeah, like I can afford the Metroliner. Nope, the nonreserved trains like the Keystone and the Clocker have no “quiet cars.” What about the Regional service (it used to be called Acela Regional)? I remember it being the last car on the train. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/24 "2005-03-25T18:33:36Z")
> [@TwoTrouts](#): > > Bilsom has a line of noise blocking earphones. [Link](http://www.bilsom.com/noise.html). Thanks! I think I will e-mail that company with some questions. What does “NRR” mean? The higher the “NRR” number, the more sound it blocks out? ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/25 "2005-03-25T18:37:28Z")
> [@TwoTrouts](#): > > Bilsom has a line of noise blocking earphones. [Link](http://www.bilsom.com/noise.html). Kind of bulky, but they come in different colors! In my aircraft maintenance days we were issued with the V3 type earmuffs in the above link. They were designed to reduce aircraft engine noise both high and low frequencies, however we could talk to one another at a slightly louder pitch than at normal speaking levels. When I think of how loud people seem to talk into their mobiles I wouldn’t be too optimistic that they would do the job you require of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/26 "2005-03-25T18:50:38Z")
I’ve got some of the Peltor electronic ones which cut out impulsive noise at something like 85 dB. They don’t work with continous noise like electric drills, though ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/27 "2005-03-25T19:04:23Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > What does “NRR” mean? The higher the “NRR” number, the more sound it blocks out? NRR = Noise reduction Rating. You are correct, the larger the number, the better the noise reduction. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/28 "2005-03-25T19:24:44Z")
When I was searching for noise-reducing gear, I was discouraged by the fact that the best-rated NRR I found was in the low 30’s. In contrast, here’s a list of the decibel levels of some common things, from the [American Speech-Language-Hearing Association](http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/noise.htm) > [@](#): > > Painful: > > 150 dB = rock music peak > > 140 dB = firearms, air raid siren, jet engine > > 130 dB = jackhammer > > 120 dB = jet plane take-off, amplified rock music at 4-6 ft., car stereo, > > band practice > > Extremely loud: > > 110 dB = rock music, model airplane > > 106 dB = timpani and bass drum rolls > > 100 dB = snowmobile, chain saw, pneumatic drill > > 90 dB = lawnmower, shop tools, truck traffic, subway > > Very loud: > > 80 dB = alarm clock, busy street > > 70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner > > 60 dB = conversation, dishwasher > > Moderate: > > 50 dB = moderate rainfall > > 40 dB = quiet room > > Faint: > > 30 dB = whisper, quiet library ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/29 "2005-03-25T19:39:56Z")
> [@Vetch](#): > > In my aircraft maintenance days we were issued with the V3 type earmuffs in the above link . . . I wouldn’t be too optimistic that they would do the job you require of them. _Damn_. You’d think Hammacher-Schlemmer or Sharper Image or someone would have cell-phone yapper protection! Even NJ Transit admits it’s their no. 1 complaint from riders (though they won’t actually _do anything about it_, even something minor like posting signs or making announcements). ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/30 "2005-03-25T19:45:53Z")
One of the problems with noise-blocking devices is that even if you could make your ear canals impervious to sound waves transmitted through the air, the substance blocking the ear is going to transmit them, too, as will the bones in your head. IMHO the closest you’re going to come to tranquility is the highest NRR-rated device you can find that also connects to a tape or CD player. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/31 "2005-03-25T20:02:33Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I re-read the same paragraph in my book 28 times. You were reading one of your books? Why? Don’t you already know how they all come out? ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/32 "2005-03-25T20:04:41Z")
In a recent [article](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=561589&page=1) on annoying cell phone users, there is mention of a group that distributes notes to rude talkers. … "Luckily, there are some old-fashioned, shame-based solutions for rudeness. One online group, calling itself the Society for Hand-Held Hushing — or SHHH! — is offering downloadable notes that you can fill out and hand to someone who’s speaking on the phone a little too loudly about something a little too personal. An example of such a SHHH! note reads as follows: \*Dear Cell Phone User, We are aware your ongoing conversation about YOUR HUSBAND’S VASECTOMY is very important to you, but it doesn’t interest us in the least. In fact, your babbling disregard for others is more than a little annoying. \* — SHHH! Society for Hand-Held Hushing The hushing campaign, started in jest by designer [Coudal.com](http://Coudal.com), has clearly struck a cord. Since December, the company is reporting more than 400,000 downloads of SHHH! cards. …" ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/33 "2005-03-25T20:28:45Z")
If you really want to get nasty, you could carry a cell phone jammer. It wont keep them from talking to one another, but atleast the cell phone wont be an issue around you. The downside to this is the FCC frowns on this practice with fines and jail time. They are, however, available out of Europe ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/34 "2005-03-25T20:58:06Z")
kinoons Do the ones from Europe work at US cell phone frequencies? ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/35 "2005-03-25T21:21:42Z")
a short look on the web shows that European companies build models for both the US and Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/36 "2005-03-26T01:00:02Z")
> [@TwoTrouts](#): > > In a recent [article](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=561589&page=1) on annoying cell phone users, there is mention of a group that distributes notes to rude talkers. _Notes?_ Notes are for little girls. I march right over to them, tap them on the shoulder, and say, “Excuse me, but I’m trying to read, will you please talk more quietly?” Nine times out of ten, they’ll apologize, looking abashed, and actually hush up. The tenth person, who glares at me and tells me it’s a free country and he can talk as loud as he wants, I bellow at (in a theater-trained voice which carries to the whole car), “Well, if you can’t be _quiet_, will you fer chrissakes at least try to be _interesting?!_” This always gets a laugh from the other commuters and occasionally even applause. Point is, I don’t want to spend my entire train trip being The Cell Phone Enforcer. I just want to sit quietly and read. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485/37 "2005-03-26T01:14:38Z")
**Eve** , have you ever thought of fighting fire with fire? You know, screaming things like, “How dare you give me rabies? You bastard!” Or, “The doctor says that I have some kind of medical condition where at any moment, _Bam!_ I could end up a vegetable. No, they don’t know if it’s contaigious or not.” Sooner or later, you’ll hit the _right_ combination of words and you’ll have the entire car to yourself! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-proof-earphones/295485.md?page=1)