Noise cancelling headphones

[767driver]

Hey guys,

Does anyone have any experience using a noise cancelling headset in our loud old cars? I usually just wear foam earplugs but have been wondering if the headset will do a better job while allowing bluetooth connectivity for both music and phone calls. I am particularly interested in how they deal with loud exausts and wind noise with the windows down. These seem to get good reviews...

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-wh...?skuId=6408356

Anyone care to comment?

[Scott A]

I can hardly go 30 min without fatigue in my head and ears.

For 30 miles, I put foam in my ears.

For a long haul I use sound cancelled ear buds. But they aren't a blue tooth deal.
(blue tooth to the phone would be really nice, as that would make nicer sound)
(i use my single stock dash speaker, which is plugged into the phone, but the sound is like i remember it in the 1900s, which is more nostalgic for me)

i also use to use these on airplanes...since i could plug them in.



i hold my phone in the ashtray.

[frederik]

Same here, I use Alpine Motosafe earplugs which are very comfortable. I wonder how well the Apple AirPods Pro would work though, and if they also protect your hearing the way earplugs do.

[RSTarga]

I've been using this site for advice on electronics for a while:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...ng-headphones/

[911+1]

Although I’m not a fan of Bose audio products, they are the best at noise canceling technology. Make sure you’re not breaking any motor vehicle laws driving with headphones on.

[NorthernThrux]

I don’t use anything in the car. I don’t find my S that loud. But as someone who flies a 100,000 miles a year, I use either Bose active cancelling ear buds or headphones on all flights, even when not listening to music or watching a movie. I wouldn’t buy anything else from Bose (home audio is Mission, Rega, Cambridge Audio etc), but these work great and last as long as 20 hours on a single charge. Basically one way from home to Seoul or Shanghai. They work well on turboprops and jets, so they should work well in our cars.

If only using them for active noise cancellation, they don’t violate any laws on the road.

Ravi

[Orval_F]

I have reservations about them. A number of friends/neighbors were professional pilots and used them and died of brain cancer. Since the RF radiation dosage is proportional to 1/R**2, and R (Distance to brain) is very small, the backscatter radiation may cause a problem.

Just a warning flag.

ORF

[NorthernThrux]

I have reservations about them. A number of friends/neighbors were professional pilots and used them and died of brain cancer. Since the RF radiation dosage is proportional to 1/R**2, and R (Distance to brain) is very small, the backscatter radiation may cause a problem.

Just a warning flag.



ORF

The active cancelling headsets don’t use RF unless you are talking about the bluetooth ones. And those use milliwatts, far below the 3W/kg that the FDA allows (which is the limit for both cell phones and MRI scanners), which in turn is about 100 times below any oncogenic threshold. The heat will get you before the cancer does.

Sorry, I call BS on this. I make my living RF engineering in MRI systems and know exactly what the limits are and these commercial devices are orders of magnitude away from any hazard level.

This is not to say that there isn’t a slightly increased incidence of cancers in pilots. But that appears to be related to the additional cosmic ray radiation you get flying at altitude for decades. Decades. And that increased risk is about equal to drinking one beer a week for 5 decades. It’s small.

[62S-R-S]

Phones are best for air travel, but in a car or shop these are outstanding. Cut the string if desired, or leave 1/2". Silicone breaks down after a year or so.

[swcarroll]

Hey guys, Does anyone have any experience using a noise cancelling headset in our loud old cars? I usually just wear foam earplugs but have been wondering if the headset will do a better job while allowing bluetooth connectivity for both music and phone calls. I am particularly interested in how they deal with loud exausts and wind noise with the windows down. Anyone care to comment?

Lee, sometime in your flying career you must have opened the window in a Cessna while wearing a NC headset. Makes the NC function go a bit bonkers. Very unpleasant sensation. I assume the same would happen with the window down in your S.