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Noise canceling earphones for sleeping


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I am thinking of investing in a pair of noise canceling earphones. I have looked at different brands and different types. I wanted to know if anyone can recommend one that is inexpensive and that can plug into an IPhone. Thanks.

 

What kind of noises are you trying to cancel out? (I'm a light sleeper so I know a lot of tricks.)

 

Can you tolerate white noise? If so, you can run a free app on your phone called 'simplynoise'. The brown noise function will drown out almost anything, including low frequency/bass. At that point it's just a matter of finding a pair of earbuds that are comfortable enough to sleep with, and no need to pay a lot of money for 'noise cancellation'.

 

I also own a pair of 'sleep headphones' which is basically a headband with speakers sewn into it. It's a little much, and it's hard to get the speakers in position.

 

Since I really can't sleep with plastic earbuds in, what I usually do on cruise ships is wear a set of foam earplugs, but also have white noise going in the background (usually from the SimplyNoise app or website playing on a device, bluetooth speaker, etc nearby).

 

The above solution works great for me during travel.

 

If I was more concerned about the environment (for example, if knew my stateroom was going to be below the gym or something), I'd bring my (heavy) $100 white noise machine.

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Once used my Bose noise canceling headphone used for travel when we stayed in cabin above a lounge. Worked well on the noise but uncomfortable when lying down. Just had to contend with a pillow. So I guess a small size model will work.

 

 

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Just my opinion based on my experience, but in over 26 years of cruising we never have experienced any noise in our staterooms that required ear plugs or any other type of noise canceling device. If you don't use them at home I doubt you'll need them on a ship. Besides, I couldn't sleep comfortably with headphones on my head!

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I am thinking of investing in a pair of noise canceling earphones. I have looked at different brands and different types. I wanted to know if anyone can recommend one that is inexpensive and that can plug into an IPhone. Thanks.

I would go with Bose. Not inexpensive, but the best I've experienced.

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I am thinking of investing in a pair of noise canceling earphones. I have looked at different brands and different types. I wanted to know if anyone can recommend one that is inexpensive and that can plug into an IPhone. Thanks.

We own 2 pairs of Bose over the ear noise canceling earphones. They are great for flying, even when you aren't listening to music.

 

Sent from my SM-T713 using Forums mobile app

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Just my opinion based on my experience, but in over 26 years of cruising we never have experienced any noise in our staterooms that required ear plugs or any other type of noise canceling device. If you don't use them at home I doubt you'll need them on a ship. Besides, I couldn't sleep comfortably with headphones on my head!

 

Got to agree with that....sure, there are odd noises now and again, but that's true at home! Go with the flow....Cannot imagine sleeping with headphones on....or plugs in my ears!

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Do you guys really think you can pep-talk people into sleeping the same way you do? Different people have different hearing acuity and it's fine. It doesn't mean they're doing cruising, or life, incorrectly.

 

On my cruises, I've heard everything from industrial ice machines (right next to my cabin) to crew chatter to kids screaming to the neighbor's television to the *incredibly loud* sounds of docking. If some people are oblivious to those noises, or simply can't hear them, great, but we don't all share a single experience.

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Do you guys really think you can pep-talk people into sleeping the same way you do? Different people have different hearing acuity and it's fine. It doesn't mean they're doing cruising, or life, incorrectly.

 

On my cruises, I've heard everything from industrial ice machines (right next to my cabin) to crew chatter to kids screaming to the neighbor's television to the *incredibly loud* sounds of docking. If some people are oblivious to those noises, or simply can't hear them, great, but we don't all share a single experience.

 

I am with you on that. To assume that it can't be possible for people to be sensitive to noises is insulting. Due to a childhood illness, I am very sensitive to sounds. I hear everything, sleeping or awake. It helps with alertness during the day, but is a problem when sleeping. I have been wearing earplugs for decades when sleeping. If I don't, I will be certain to be woken several times per night from my wife's snoring, to sounds outside on our street, to planes flying overhead. My hearing is so acute that I scored the highest level they had ever seen on their hearing tests when I went to the navy recruitment office to enlist in my early twenties. I qualified for sonar technician on nuke subs. Unfortunately, my color blind issues prevented me from serving.

 

If someone, such as my wife, can sleep even in noisy environments, good for them. But don't belittle those of us who for one reason or another have sensitive hearing.

 

Having tried noise cancelling headphones while sleeping, I found them extremely uncomfortable, especially when sleeping on my side. I now use foam earplugs I buy in bulk from HomeDepot. They are 3M branded, and orange in color. They work quite well, and are comfortable when sleeping. I never travel without some.

 

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Edited by SantaFeFan
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I am with you on that. To assume that it can't be possible for people to be sensitive to noises is insulting. Due to a childhood illness, I am very sensitive to sounds. I hear everything, sleeping or awake. It helps with alertness during the day, but is a problem when sleeping. I have been wearing earplugs for decades when sleeping. If I don't, I will be certain to be woken several times per night from my wife's snoring, to sounds outside on our street, to planes flying overhead. My hearing is so acute that I scored the highest level they had ever seen on their hearing tests when I went to the navy recruitment office to enlist in my early twenties. I qualified for sonar technician on nuke subs. Unfortunately, my color blind issues prevented me from serving.

 

If someone, such as my wife, can sleep even in noisy environments, good for them. But don't belittle those of us who for one reason or another have sensitive hearing.

 

Having tried noise cancelling headphones while sleeping, I found them extremely uncomfortable, especially when sleeping on my side. I now use foam earplugs I buy in bulk from HomeDepot. They are 3M branded, and orange in color. They work quite well, and are comfortable when sleeping. I never travel without some.

 

 

I've bought those bulk 3M ones once, but I think my ear canals are too small--I do have to go with the silly pink ones (smaller, for women).

 

And I'm sympathetic to the hearing sensitivity. I know very well what it's like to be the one in the room saying "can you hear that?" and everyone looking at me like I'm crazy, until I open the door and *then* they can hear the kid screaming outside. Plus overhearing a lot of conversations I really don't want to hear (and that I expect people don't realize I can hear).

 

It's useful for some things, but sleeping isn't one of them. :)

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I would honestly buy some foam ear plugs at your local pharmacy and see how they work. You want some that block as many decibels as possible. Usually the highest you can find is around 32. They might work for you and if so you can buy a huge box of over 300 pairs for about $20. A lot less expensive than noise canceling head phones. To get any decent noise canceling head phones you are going to probably spend north of $100

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Noise cancelling earphones are great for steady noise, like the engine noise on a plane. I wouldn't do a long haul flight without them. They're not effective on other types of noise. For that matter, I can usually hear voices more clearly with the noise cancelling turned on than without them. So, if you're expecting them to help with scraping chairs or noise from a music venue you're likely to be disappointed.

 

I can't see using them while laying down because they're so bulky and I sleep on my side. Maybe they would work if you sleep on your back. Even on a plane I struggle with them.

 

I have ones from Monoprice. I'm sure the Bose or other more expensive ones work better. I just can't justify the price.

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I can tell you from personal experience that you will have to try them out.

 

Try going to a store where you can look at them in person and some will let you try them.

 

I say this because our ears are not all the same and while one might work for me it won't work for someone else.

 

Keith

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I would be concerned about not hearing emergency anouncements. We were called to muster stations at 6:00 am on the SS Norway.

 

Sent from my B3-A30 using Forums mobile app

 

Noise cancelling headphones and ear plugs will not drown out all noise. They will deaden much of it to a sound level low enough not to be distracting. However, announcements over the PA will always be heard, regardless of the device used. I wear my professional quality Bose sound cancelling headphones on planes, and I always hear the announcements. What I don't hear are the background noises that aren't meant to get our attention. Besides, an emergency announcement would be preceded by the emergency alert tones, which are designed to be very noticeable, even to people sleeping.

 

Keep in mind that the use of headphones and ear plugs when sleeping give us a similar level of undisturbed sleep to what a sound sleeper would experience. If we can't hear an announcement wearing such devices, then sound sleepers won't hear it either.

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Do you guys really think you can pep-talk people into sleeping the same way you do? Different people have different hearing acuity and it's fine. It doesn't mean they're doing cruising, or life, incorrectly.

 

On my cruises, I've heard everything from industrial ice machines (right next to my cabin) to crew chatter to kids screaming to the neighbor's television to the *incredibly loud* sounds of docking. If some people are oblivious to those noises, or simply can't hear them, great, but we don't all share a single experience.

 

Yes, they do. Constantly posting in threads completely disregarding the question or saying some version of "I don't have this problem so I'm sure you'll be fine" is what Cruise Critic is all about.

 

To the OP my suggestion would be to search thewirecutter (dot com) for "headphones". They have many guides, budget, corded, etc, and you may be able to gather some of their opinions about noise cancellation and sleeping by reading their articles. Out of the lot of stuff I've purchased after reading review their site and sister site (TheSweetHome) some of it is stuff they tested and didn't recommend because I read the article and deal breakers for them were fine for me.

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Just my opinion based on my experience, but in over 26 years of cruising we never have experienced any noise in our staterooms that required ear plugs or any other type of noise canceling device. If you don't use them at home I doubt you'll need them on a ship. Besides, I couldn't sleep comfortably with headphones on my head!

 

I can kick my husband out of the room at home, but on the cruise I have to put up with him.

 

I just invested in a pair of earphones called bed phones. They're made for sleeping on.

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Noise canceling headphones mainly cancel continuous noise, like wind or engine noise. They do not do as well as against things like conversation and moving chairs. The newer and higher end, the better they work against intermittent noise.

 

With the older Bose, I found when flying, they actually made the screaming baby seem louder.

 

Plus, as people have pointed out, they can be uncomfortable when sleeping.

 

Best are the foam ear plugs. Look at the NRR (Noise Reduction Rating), the higher the better.

 

Look online for instructions on how to properly insert them. If you do not insert them properly, you can lose half or more of the NRR.

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