ANR Bluetooth wireless earbuds

[vavet]

I’ve been a good boy this year and the big guy in the red suit is coming soon. I also have a birthday between now and then so I’m trying to make a list.

I have a pair of true wireless earbuds that I really like, but they are not ANR. I wear them under the earmuffs while working in the shop, but I have to decide if I want a hat, hearing protection, or entertainment while mowing the grass. I figure a pair of the anc or ANR earbuds would solve that problem.

I’m an iPhone guy and the AirPods Pro now has ANR. I wonder how it compares to other brands, isotunes, etc.


Also, is ANR the same as ANC? I think it is. I’m not an audiophile, so deep bass is not a big concern for me. I mostly listen to podcasts.

Do you use these? Thoughts? Recommendations on brands?

 

[hossross961]

I have had both the IsoTunes and AirPods Pro. I gave the IsoTunes to my dad and kept the AirPods. The AirPods did better on the lawnmower and in the shop with things like a table saw and air compressor noise, I also liked the fit better. Mine were a gift, so you'll have to figure out if the fairly substantial price difference is worth it to you.

 

[bushmechanic]

All active noise reduction will work the same way, but will be implemented with various levels of technology, quality, and/or expertise.

If noise "A" is a problem, disrupt that waveform. This can be done by playing the inverse waveform at the same time, adding white noise actively, or using physical interference with screens/perforation/baffles.

That said...

Reduction and cancellation are two different things on paper. Cancellation is actually canceling a wave by inverting an identical wave and running them together.

To keep things simple, that makes it go away.

Reduction would technically be preventing the noise from entering the system in the first place, which involves more of how it isolates your ear from the outside environment; such as large, around-ear (circumnaural) headphones.

To keep things simple, that's putting a wall between you and the noise.

You can't completely seal a randomly chosen human's ear without that person being used to it. Equilibrium can be lost, nausea can happen, and in general stuff gets weird for nearly anyone.

You don't really need to know any of that, but there's a reason I typed it:

If you're after noise reduction, it's a good idea to go for the company you believe has proven they've dumped enough money and enough time into the feature to make it worth a damn.

Anyone who has patented processes, in that regard, will defend them until the ends of the Earth, and won't let a soul touch them; because you can no longer patent certain active waveform analysis technology, which happens to be the basis of how all this works.

So, as much as I hate to say it... When it comes to electronic noise isolation/rejection/cancellation/whatever... You're going to want to stick with the big names. Whatever favorite boutique loudspeaker manufacturer I may have is not relevant.

Someone like Bose can stomp the snot out of them in an instant when it comes to this.

 

[RTM]

You can't completely seal a randomly chosen human's ear without that person being used to it. Equilibrium can be lost, nausea can happen, and in general stuff gets weird for nearly anyone.

I have a pair of active noise cancelling, and as bushmechanic said, it can be quite disconcerting. I would never wear them outside of a very controlled environment, as I don't like the effects. The "quiet" is odd, as its quite loud, I do feel an equilibrium problem. I also don't like white noise, gives me a headache, but that's a different problem.

I would never use them around power tools, as I am quite attuned to the noises they should and should not make. I wear David Clark's 10A for most outdoor stuff.

¢¢

 

[Citation]

Most of the noise reduction comes from blocking vs active reduction. If you get earbuds that seal into your ears that will help a lot. My old, dumb Skull Candy wired earbuds did quite a decent job with passive noise control. Also, active noise cancelling works best with a noise that is unchanging (jet engine rushing noise). The noise cancelling system has to literally guess what the noise is going to sound like. So a continuous drone is easier that random noise.

My first set of noise cancelling wired earbuds (Sony) did find on airplanes but not as well in the car. If the road texture changed or wasn't constant enough the system couldn't adapt fast enough and it was like the noise cancelling was being cycled on and off (not pleasant). My later Harman Kardons did better. Mt current Plantronics over the ear headset has noise cancelling but limited passive noise control. Better than nothing but not as good as my Skull Candy cheepies.