If you're the sort of person who thrives in a quiet atmosphere or is really sensitive to sound, I can't recommend Bose QC-15 noise canceling headphones enough. They've totally transformed my life and I still lament for the days of productivity I lost while living in ignorance of their existence.
Even when I'm not listening to music, they take the edge off of the all the sound and noise around me so that even conversations happening within earshot aren't distracting, even though I could tune in and understand what people are saying if I wanted to. It's pretty amazing.
If you find comfort in silence, like I do, I highly recommend the Bose QC25 headphones. There are no words to express the unique feeling of blocking the environmental noise, which is mostly a high volume, low-end, obnoxious hum, especially in a city, in the bus or in a plane. Mostly all sound disappears and the relaxing effect is immediate.
Perhaps I'm too sensitive to sound because I'd been doing audio engineering so I've trained myself to hear details in depth, but they've changed my life in a way I could not imagine. I now consider them essential to my well-being and take them everywhere. I call the little power switch, the 'shut up' switch. Put them on - click - and the world shuts up.
Moreover, the audio quality is /amazing/. You can be city center and listen to low volume classical, crisp and clear. You literally put your ears in a /studio/ while the rest of you is somewhere else. Just magic. They use a battery(but it lasts for weeks on occasional use) and the cord is detachable, so you can use them just to block sound and walk around. Be careful though not to be stepped over by a car because you don't hear them coming. There's a tiny mid-high window still passing through so you can still speak and hear what people say, even clearer than before, since the rest of the environmental noise doesn't mask their voice, which is mostly in those frequencies. Highly recommended.
As someone also rather sensitive to sound, I highly recommend Bose noise canceling headphones. It is the perfect socially frictionless solution to loud office environments.
Good quality noise cancelling headphones can change your life - with no music but just for the sound of silence. The bose qc ones are the ones that did it for me :)
Noise canceling headphones combined with low key music have greatly increased my happiness and productivity. I've got the big Bose ones that are very obviously anti-social.
Completely agree, noise cancelling headphones can be a great improvement to ones life. I got a pair last year and strongly recommend to people who don't have one.
Noise cancelling headphones: I didn’t know about them, they’re a game changer in so many situations (office, home when there’s noise around or construction, airplane). I got the qc35 and it’s great.
The company I'm currently working at bought everyone some top-of-the-line Bose noise-canceling headphones for the same reason, as we have an open plan office and coworkers can be chatty sometimes. And while the noise canceling is far from being perfect, it really makes it much easier to stay focused when working. I even wear them on my commute now as they are very good at filtering out constant amplitude white noise (such as engine hums), which helps me to focus on my reading. Unfortunately I sometimes miss my stops now :D
Not literature, but the Bose QC15 noise cancelling headphones work wonders for my productivity. Also, completely clearing my desk is surprisingly helpful.
> Easily distracted by noise (hypersensitive to external sounds like birds, cars, construction, etc.)
I suffer from misophonia in a way that is similar to this. There are certain high, mid-high sounds that cause a painfully disorienting "touch" sensation for me, along with the usual suspects like chewing. I hear sonic animal repellents that most people out of their teen years don't.
> Noise cancellation headphones to eliminate distracting sounds
I was skeptical about these in the past. I received a pair as a Christmas present and they've been literally life-changing, especially in COVID World with the kids at home. They're Bose and probably cost more than I would spend on myself, but they are priceless to me now.
I had the same issue with noise-cancelling headphones (the bose qc 20 in-ears) where I couldn't wear them without sound pumping through them, so I ended up buying a pair of custom-molded in ear monitors (IEM is the search keyword to learn more). For a little cheaper than the price of the bose headphones, I had an audiologist take molds of my inner ear and then sent them to a guy in Poland (http://thecustomart.com/music_art-custom.php), who made me the best pair of headphones I've ever used. Noise cancelling is on-par or better than the Bose headphones, but all passive, and they sound fucking amazing. Highly recommend looking into this or another custom IEM solution -- it's made me a lot happier and more productive and less worried about hearing loss.
One question that the audiologist answered that you might want to know -- the noise-cancelling hiss has no impact on your hearing in a short-term or long-term way, so it is totally safe to use them without music or with low music all the time.
Me too. I own some Bose QuietComfort 15 which have made my work life much better because of the active noise cancelling, and they have made my flights more comfortable.
But with that said, I would not wear them in public. Apart from walking around in traffic with noise-cancelling, which is dangerous, the headphones looks a bit big on your head, so I use the headphones that came with my iPhone.
Have you tried noise cancelling headphones? I know several people with sensory overload problems and they tell me noise cancelling headphones are transformative.
Depends on the model. QC20's from bose (in-ear noise canceling) are basically magic in that regard - turn them on, add relatively quiet music, and I might as well be deaf to everything, including conversation.
That does lead the the annoying problem that I have to have something stuck in my ear (vs on, which isn't quite as annoying) for 6ish hours a day. Also, they're expensive af, and require frequent charging since I never remember to turn off the noise cancelling when I'm done with them.
> constant interruption i.e. low-quality conversation and low-quality work
Yup. Now I wear Bose headphones (the kind which seal around your ear, but no noise cancellation). Incredible productivity listening to jazz all day, feels like a vacation.
I've got the QC-35s. They're actually pretty good at lowering speaking voices to the below intelligible level, IMO. This was also my first pair of noise cancelling headphones ever, and holy shit what a difference they make on an airplane; I'd never really appreciated how loud it was until now.
I also find that I listen to music at lower absolute volume now as a result of the noise cancelling; I'm fairly certain I did some damage to my ears over the years, and at least I'm not continuing it at the same rate now.
Even when I'm not listening to music, they take the edge off of the all the sound and noise around me so that even conversations happening within earshot aren't distracting, even though I could tune in and understand what people are saying if I wanted to. It's pretty amazing.
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