electric earmuffs

[low_delta]

Cyn gave me some electronic noise-canceling headphones for christmas. I wanted them for when I mow the lawn, as well as the occasional plane ride. I didn't have to mow until April or so, so they stayed in the package. I finally broke them out, and was all excited (especially since you can plug an mp3 player into them), only to find they didn't work. They cover most of the ears, but not completely, so when they're on, noise is muffled a bit, but not a lot. So I switch them on (battery powered) and the quality of the noise changes a bit, but not the overall volume. If I forget whether they're on, and switch the switch back and forth, the sound changes, but I can't tell which is on and which is off.

I've said before, that I like to buy local, whenever possible. These are Koss headphones. Koss is a Milwaukee company that pretty much invented stereo headphones. Quality product, from a local company, and the originator of the product. It's a win-win-win. But they don't work. So I drive them down to the outlet store. They don't ask me any questions, they just take them and say I can pick up the replacement the next day. I'm, like, "wha?" The girl says I could have called ahead, and then picked them up the next day (like I'd had a clue I could do that), so it's not even like they need to check the headphones before giving the replacement. I'm mostly annoyed because it took me weeks to get down there (they're only open afternoons on weekdays). So two weeks later, I pick them up.

They still don't work.

Does anyone have any experience with electronic noise-canceling headphones? Before I asked for them, someone told me he could easily hear someone talking while he used his saws. With my mp3 player plugged into the phones, I had to have the volume way up just to hear the music. That kinda defeats the purpose of wearing headphones. Maybe they only work with certain kinds of sounds? Maybe the gave me the same phones back without fixing the real problem? Their website says, "The QZ PRO affects those noises between 30Hz and 1400 Hz, allowing music and voice to come through loud and clear." I would think the sound of an 18 hp tractor would fall in that range.

Comments

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Their website uses both terms, canceling and reducing. "Canceling" is probably a correct term, because it cancels *some* of the noise.

How high is 1400 Hz, I wonder?

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I tested the headphones with that thing. It got the best reduction around 250 hertz. Which is to say a just noticeable difference. Of course, it replaced that amount of the tone with the sound of the ocean.

1400 is not exactly high-pitched, but it's respectable, I think.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Sure, but this is useless to me. It cost sixty or eighty bucks, and doesn't insulate 10% as well as my $20 plastic pair.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I sent an e-mail to the company. We'll see what they have to say.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

mda has noise canceling headphones, which he had me put on, without telling me what they're supposed to do.

I stood there saying, "So... what are these?" All I experienced was a slight hissing sound and as much noise canceling as I would expect from wearing big headphones that cover my ears. So I just don't know.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I sent an e-mail to Koss. We'll see what they have to say.