headphone ear protection

[kirk3000]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with headphones that block out sound.
I recently got a new job sandblasting and i have earplugs but i want to listen to my music at the same time to make work more enjoyable.
I was looking at these
http://www.earplugstore.com/e-a-rbuds.html

Seem to have mixed reviews.
What i want is for them to block sound well so i dont have to crank the volume to drown out the noise of large compressors and high pressure airlines.

Thoughts or opinions?

 

[4.0B2]

i've used some high dollar bose systems, testing them for a local company.. using them in a semi body shop. they work GREAT... however, i was so scared to use them in the shop lol... i didn't want to break these expensive headphones.. lol.

specifically i tested these:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Bose&#1...onType=pla:g&gclid=COXA-7uny6wCFZFb7AodgzZ2tA

and
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/...nics&cm_pla=Home Audio&cm_ite=E167754-000-000


they work great. i just aint paying that for headphones!!


the ones you showed
http://www.earplugstore.com/e-a-rbuds.html
are the ones a buddy of mine uses at UPS when he can, he likes them.. says they aint as good as the bose stuff, but for the price you can't beat them.. the only thing is, the wire at the 3.5mm plug is "thin".. i put some heatshrink on his to help "stiffen" it up some so it wouldn't break.

after reading some of the reviews on them, i'd be worried about the durability of them.. Jake's are still pretty new so idk about how long they last.

 

[Psychopete]

Musician's friend has some on sale for 6.99 for today only (reg 24.99), but haven't used them personally; but for 6.99, it would be worth trying.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid/

 

[Will]

I have a set of Audio-Technica Quiet-point model ath-anc7 noise cancellation headphones. Any sound that is constant, they take it in and play the opposite through the ear pieces which cancels out the racket. Mowing, for instance, you turn the switch on and the engine noise disappears. When I drive the bus with them, the tires and engine noise disappears and I can only hear the turbo when a grade makes it change pitch momentarily. Unfortunately, the kids fighting in the back comes through crystal clear so I don't drive with them.

They are $150, but are damn nice. They don't just muffle sound, but eliminate it. You can hear your MP3 player with much more clarity. Sandblasting, you would hear the blast (muffled because they are mufflers, just like mickey mouse ears) for a moment and then the blast noise would largely magically disappear.

Ears are important. I was in the field artillery for a number of years and had some hearing damage. We would commonly wear one earplug in the ear facing the gun and leave the other open so we could hear, but even earplugs aren't much protection from a Super 8 Red Bag. I love music and the thought of losing that makes me wear the mickeys even doing something as loud as brushing my teeth.

 

[Observer]

I think what Will is describing is headphones that let the ambient noise in, but cancel constant loud sound.. I saw those marketed for hunting so you could hear the animals but not the gunshot. I dont hunt so I was looking for a cheaper solution.

I use these for all our powerwashing/chainsawing/etc duties:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow.../PRD~0550042P/FM+Stereo+Earmuff.jsp?locale=en

Mine came with a cable for your mp3 but I usually stick with the fm radio as the cable gets in my way. Over ear is nice in the cold as well- never liked earbuds as they just fall out all the time.

 

[K.Strong]

I use Monster headphones. Used them everyday on a train to get to work and the only thing I heard was my music. I have the little jamz's and they cost about 100 bucks.

 

[kirk3000]

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations guys, the only thing is that I need the earbud style ones because of the helmet that supplies my oxygen wont allow for over ear ones.
Ill head down to future shop in the morning and see what they have.
Right now I use some custom fit earplugs made by db blocker (the kind they put the crap in your ear to get a mould. They work great but Id love some tunes. They do have a hole in them for the string they dangle from, maybe i can take the little rubber cone things off a pair of headphones and jam them into my custom plugs.