Noise cancelling doesn't blank out sound. Not even close. The back up beep will come though no problem. The noise cancelling primarily take care of lower frequency sounds.

 

Thanks for the info. I've never had a set of noise canceling headphones on so, I'm coming from a place of ignorance. I suspect I need to test a pair to fully understand. I'm imagining different brands will have different ranges of sounds they cancel out? I know some of them can be used to just turn sounds down. Ideally I still want to hear some of my saw, or drill as I use some of those auditory signals to hear if the saw is bogging down, or the drill battery is about to die. But, I don't need to hear the tin basher hammering his tin across the warehouse.

 

I use the ISO Pro 2.0, which has a feature that I absolutely love: the ability to adjust sound levels or turn off sound altogether for maximum blocking.

 

Unless they came out with a break through noise cancelling isn't very effective about 1KHz. I believe they came out for airline passengers who couldn't handle the low frequency tones while in an aircraft and they exploded from there. I have a somewhat cheap set I use in my shop and they work well. But they definitely won't bring sound down to zero

Enlighten me if I'm wrong.

 

1) for actually protecting my hearing and still listening to stuff, i use 3M work tunes.
2) if its not that loud, Airpods or bust

 

I use over the ear headphones. They have some noise deadening just by doing that even though they aren't ear muffs at all. In my sprayroom with the fan they work great, low frequency. Using the planer they work OK, definitely deaden sound, but ear muffs work better, more high frequency.

 

I use the IsoTunes Pro 2.0’s, so that I can pop one out if needed and I won’t lose it. I personally am only really comfortable using an OSHA approved earbud, especially on a commercial site. IsoTunes, Festool, and 3M all make OSHA approved earbuds (I believe). Active noise cancellation will probably be more distracting than passive, since it’ll be changing based on the environment, but not necessarily in the way you want. Damaging frequencies can still pass through ANC, so they’re not as effective as an actual set of hearing protection.
I’d recommend you just keep it simple, and stick with what’s working. I haven’t personally tried any of the Aware line of IsoTunes, since some reviews seemed to indicate that they don’t let sound in at the normal volume, they enhance it until it reaches a dangerous level. If there isn’t something extremely loud happening, you’ll hear all about the electrician’s fantasy hockey team. I’d just look through some of the options I listed above, and see if there’s a different color or case you’d prefer. They’re all pretty comparable to the IsoTunes Free. The Festool is more similar to the Aware, but it seems like the conversation mode can be switched off. Hope this helps!

 

All I know is actual air pods vs generic ones has a world of difference as far as performance, so with anything chosen, maybe don’t skimp for the knock off if performance is key.

 

100%, so worth it. I love how they narrate stuff while im working and I can hands free do a lot of stuff with them

but my understanding is they dont provide much protection from very loud noises and you should use real ear pro for the loud work

 

I just use the $20.00 ones from Walmart usually sold in the checkout line they work fine but I only use one at a time if I lose one no big deal