Hearing Protection Upgrade

[johnjk]

I had been using a pair of my over the ear shooting earmuffs to drown out the noise of hogging. They have the capability to hook up music via a cable but the sound was not that good and I kept snagging the cable on stuff pulling them off or disconnecting the cable. In addition after a couple hours, they would always start to make my ears hurt. I'm not a big fan of the in the ear foam protectors for extended periods. They are good for going out and plinking, but for me that is about it.

I upgraded to a set of noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones, Sony XB950N1. They are over the ear and for me do a good job sealing out the outside world. I found them on sale at Best Buy a few weeks back so I picked them up to try them out.

After a couple mowing sessions wearing them, they are comfortable, with thicker ear pads and they go around my ears, not pinching or bending them. They sound great and do a good job blocking out the continuous drone of the tractor. They have a fair app that allows you to adjust the sound to what suits you (almost an EQ). No more worries about snagging a cable and flinging my phone somewhere, plus if someone calls I can stop and chat without fumbling for my phone.

 

[85Hokie]

at the time ....the reviews on these were the catzazz!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M7PV6PN/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A22QSF354ZRC0F

I love mine - they do everything you describe.....even take the call when someone INTERRUPTS my tractor-music time!

and a lot cheaper, not necessary better.....but mighty damn fine!

 

[mikester]

I had been using a pair of my over the ear shooting earmuffs to drown out the noise of hogging. They have the capability to hook up music via a cable but the sound was not that good and I kept snagging the cable on stuff pulling them off or disconnecting the cable. In addition after a couple hours, they would always start to make my ears hurt. I'm not a big fan of the in the ear foam protectors for extended periods. They are good for going out and plinking, but for me that is about it.

I upgraded to a set of noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones, Sony XB950N1. They are over the ear and for me do a good job sealing out the outside world. I found them on sale at Best Buy a few weeks back so I picked them up to try them out.

After a couple mowing sessions wearing them, they are comfortable, with thicker ear pads and they go around my ears, not pinching or bending them. They sound great and do a good job blocking out the continuous drone of the tractor. They have a fair app that allows you to adjust the sound to what suits you (almost an EQ). No more worries about snagging a cable and flinging my phone somewhere, plus if someone calls I can stop and chat without fumbling for my phone.

I used to use the Sony's, BOSE QC35 works better

 

[lordulrich]

For me I've got a set of 3M Worktunes Bluetooth heating protection. I use them for more than just tractor time but also workshop time. It also does let me answer phone calls without getting my phone from my pocket but I need to shut down so the other person can hear me over the tractor.

While the sound might not be perfect I'm just more comfortable with hearing protection that has been tested according to ANSI standards.

 

[In Utopia]

at the time ....the reviews on these were the catzazz!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M7PV6PN/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A22QSF354ZRC0F

I love mine - they do everything you describe.....even take the call when someone INTERRUPTS my tractor-music time!

and a lot cheaper, not necessary better.....but might damn fine!

For the money, these are hard to beat. They are the most comfortable brand I've worn so far, also I wouldn't feel so bad when a pair might get snagged off my head by a branch when shredding. It's happened a few times before with some less expensive ones, and none of them survived the shredder. Not saying it's not going to happen, but again if they sacrifice themselves to the shredder I won't feel quite so bad.
As far as having AM/FM radio, useless where I'm at, can't hardly get any radio reception there, so if I'm not listening to my tunes, I can get radio from Iheart radio.

 

[Firefighterontheside]

I don’t see anywhere in those ghosteks that says they have any kind of Noise reduction rating. They appear to be just headphones for listening to music.
I have some 3m ones with a radio that I like. Trouble is that I dropped them recently and now they only play one radio station and it’s not one I like.

 

[85Hokie]

I don’t see anywhere in those ghosteks that says they have any kind of Noise reduction rating. They appear to be just headphones for listening to music.
I have some 3m ones with a radio that I like. Trouble is that I dropped them recently and now they only play one radio station and it’s not one I like.

No they do not - you are correct, no NOISE cancelling at all, but the price does reflect that too.

I was given a pair of those 3M's a while back .....sound quality was poor and the "sound" ability was poor too.

Wife bought one of those "nice" BOSE noise cancelling headphones ($250) for plane rides when she flies...... YUP - I can touch them at all!

 

[FrozenInTime]

I picked up a $60 or so pair of FM/AM headphones a few years back from Home of Economy. Don't remember the brand but cheap enough. They block out most the noise and I can listen to radio all day. I like to hear a *little* sound from the equipment so I know if there's anything going on that should not be.

 

[johnjk]

I still can hear some of the noise from the tractor, with the Sony headset which is good as you say, you want to know if something is going south.

I also have a pair of the Bose QC headphones, but I do a lot of international travel for my job and keep those in my travel bag ready to go. They really drown out the outside noise, especially on an aircraft for 12+ hour trips. They are older and corded, something I did not want on the tractor. They work great and I have no plans on upgrading them until they die.