Industrial Noise Cancelling Machine

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A white noise machine can help, but in the end it's still electronic noise, and unless you can afford a fancy sound system, the noise often sounds unnatural. A noise cancelation and isolation. Silentium has developed unique Active Noise Control (ANC) technology and an entire disruptive sound management solution, with superior technological development we are able to take unwanted noise, reduce it and shape it so it sounds better to the ear. Active Noise Control is an innovative and exceptionally efficient technology that in various applications is an excellent alternative to traditional solutions to industrial noise, such as walls and housings. Anti-noise derives its operation from the knowledge that sound vibrations can cancel themselves out. Active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation, or active noise reduction (ANR), is a method for reducing unwanted sound by the addition of a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. Noise cancelling machines have grown increasingly popular over the last number of years. With the rise of noise cancelling headphones, people have begun to look for similar offerings in speakers. But do they actually work? Do noise cancelling machines actually cancel out noise from the surrounding environment? The simple answer is - no.

In typically loud work environments, noise controls equipment and tools can have a very practical and serious application, reducing the risk of long-term hearing loss suffered by workers enduring full work shifts amid the noise. For these and any other noise control needs, Grainger has you covered.

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  1. Stainless
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    Anyone tried noise canceling earmuffs?

    Has anyone had experience with electronic noise cancelling earmuffs? I assume they work on steady state noise (grinder, sander, mower, etc), but how well do they work on impact noise (pneumatic hammer, trip hammer, gunshot, etc.)?
    Here is an example: Electronic Hearing Protection, Active Noise Canceling Headphones, Industrial Safety Earmuffs | Pro Tech NoiseBuster (They do give examples of numerous noise sources, but predominately they are steady state.)
    I have seen them priced from about $20 to $150. Can anyone recommend a brand/model that works in most shop environments, but doesn't break the bank?
  2. Aluminum
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    I haven't tried a set as good as those, but I use a cheaper set of stereo headphones when running my mill. I have an older Lagun CNC with a very annoying high pitch whine from the servos. The noise cancelling function does help to minimize the sound. They were about $35.
    J.
  3. Cast Iron
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    I have a set of Pro Ears.
    They were above your price bracket, but have worked well in lots
    of conditions.
    I've never run a jackhammer but spend a fair amount of time
    shooting magnum handguns indoors and some time at local
    tracks with some sprint cars and they have worked well for
    both.
    Check their website they make a bunch of models.
    Mine are rated for 33db reduction and I paid close to $300
    for them. I still have really good hearing and would like
    to keep it.
    Dave
  4. Jason H
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    Originally Posted by David J.
    I have a set of Pro Ears.
    They were above your price bracket, but have worked well in lots
    of conditions.
    I've never run a jackhammer but spend a fair amount of time
    shooting magnum handguns indoors and some time at local
    tracks with some sprint cars and they have worked well for
    both.
    Check their website they make a bunch of models.
    Mine are rated for 33db reduction and I paid close to $300
    for them. I still have really good hearing and would like
    to keep it.
    Dave
    I have become a fanatic lately for hearing protection as I also do the gun thing, hand gun, trap, and skeet in addition to being in a factory and machine shop. For factory situations I use the Moldex rockets ( moldex ) and if serious I double up with muffs.
    Would love to hear what is the best out there. For this, price is no issue. My hearing is at around 85% and I want to keep it.
    Jason
  5. Stainless
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    George,
    I bought a set to use while mowing(Peltor), my hearing is diminished and the noise cancelling headphones are not loud enough to hear music while I mow.
    I have a set of Bose and they are much better in sound and fit quality but are a lot more!
    If you want just the noise cancelling they do work.
    My 2 cents.
    Kevin.
  6. Diamond
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    There are both passive (lots of padding) and active noise cancellation strategies. I don't have experience with grinders and such, but my experience is that the active cancellation works best with low frequencies.
    I have a pair of Koss Quiet Zone 2000 active headphones. Old design, but they work great to reduce the rumble and allow music listening on planes and such. You also can hear people talk to you, as they have no passive noise dampening. The expensive Bose Quietcomfort headphones have both active and passive dampening.
    I think that for stuff like grinders and such, you'd want a lot of passive dampening in addition to the active.
  7. Hot Rolled
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    I have the Bose (latest generation is much better than 1st gen. I had both) and I also have the cheap non-electronic shooters ear muffs.
    Bose are good for low frequency noise removal, (Rumble, fans, air handler noise, etc) they fit like a dream and sound pretty good too. (For $350 they damn well better!)
    However, they do not have the capability/ability to cut back loud noises very well, say like a 15 yr old Murray riding mower, like the shooters muffs do.
    The shooters muffs hurt like hell after 10 mins but, man, do they cut back the noise!
    Is there a reason you want to go electronic vs passive?
    Walt
  8. Plastic
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    Bilsom Impact, here. About $110. They're not noise cancelling, but peak noise limiting. Stereo pickups so you can still have a sense of direction regarding where sound is coming from.
    I have the Bose $300 noise cancelling 'phones for when I fly and they work fine, but they're too delicate to use in the shop.
  9. Hot Rolled
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    Originally Posted by Jason H
    I have become a fanatic lately for hearing protection as I also do the gun thing, hand gun, trap, and skeet in addition to being in a factory and machine shop. For factory situations I use the Moldex rockets ( moldex ) and if serious I double up with muffs.
    Would love to hear what is the best out there. For this, price is no issue. My hearing is at around 85% and I want to keep it.
    Jason
    Here ya go:
    Aegisound - Products - Product Detail
    Made for aircraft carrier flight deck personnel and others in extreme noise (140db) environments. You did say price is no issue...
  10. Stainless
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    Wv2asj wrote, 'Is there a reason you want to go electronic vs passive? ' I have passive already and was wondering is the active earmuffs were that much better generally, or maybe better in certain noisy environments.
  11. Dimitri
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    Active ear muffs are nice as they will drop down their protection depending on the noise level.
    So you can go say, hunting, and hear your buddy beside you talk but without losing your hearing when you finally see that deer and shoot it cause you left the ear muffs off.
    Dimitri
  12. Stainless
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    I have used Bose active noise cancelling headsets while piloting helicopters. They work very well. Regards, Clark
  13. HuFlungDung
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    If money is no concern , try a set of Peltor Alert M2RX7AWS4. I have a set of these at the shop, and they are a2dp bluetooth compatible, and you can connect wirelessly to your bluetooth mp3 player or smart phone. You can also receive and send phone calls with it, which is not a particular feature I was after. I wanted the bluetooth, to get rid of a cord between my smartphone and the headset.
    There is also a cheaper model on Amazon, with the requirement for a cord, which is commonly not sold with the unit for some reason:
    Amazon.com: Peltor M2RX7A Alert AM/FM Radio Headset: Home Improvement
    I got a set of the latter first, and they work good even in a noisy lawn mowing environment, you can listen to radio or stuff you might have on an mp3 player or smartphone. The cord is a hassle if you must take the headset off frequently. Also, I had problems with the 2 prong cord connector making intermittent contact. I had to take the female socket apart on the earpiece (not easy to remove at all) and recrimp the contacts just a wee bit and that fixed it. But, it is frustrating to pay that much and not have a good experience from the get go.
    The former set, with the bluetooth is pretty well hassle free. List price is quite high, but I contacted an IBM dealer and they provided the set at $385.00
    The 'alert' feature is actually a pair of forward facing microphones, one in each earpiece. At the turn of a knob, you can adjust the threshold level at which it will pass ambient sounds through, or cut them off. For example, you could adjust the alert setting so someone could talk to you and you could hear them comfortably (or even turn it up and amplify faint sounds) and then they could fire off a shotgun 3 feet away, and it would cut that off.
    It is not actual noise cancelling, I think the total attenuation reduction is due to the heavy padding. But quite a bit of clamp pressure is applied to keep the ear pads pressed firmly against your head. However, wearing glasses does not seem to affect them too much, I guess, so long as you keep the pads in good condition and replace them when they start to get hard with age.
  14. Titanium
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    I have the bose, I am happy. Oh, I like my headphones too!ha?
    Gw
  15. Titanium
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    Originally Posted by Jason H

    Would love to hear what is the best out there. For this, price is no issue. My hearing is at around 85% and I want to keep it.
    Jason
    I don't think there's a single best, because there are different circumstances and situations. For example, if you need something you can take off quickly and frequently, the options are different than if otherwise.
    However, if you need them for long periods, comfort is really important and you may also want music, books on tape, or just radio. Under these circumstances, if money not a big concern, custom molded 'in-ear monitors' can't be beat. I have these:
    2X-S | Sensaphonics
    Noise reduction in the 35 dB range. I can operate very loud machines and have a radio at whisper volume. If I am doing something extremely loud, I put ear muffs on top. For all practical purposes, this blocks all sound.
    It's actually a little dangerous being that isolated. You lose all auditory clues, like the table saw is on, or the fire alarm. You can't hear someone screaming at the top of their lungs two feet away.
  16. Titanium
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    Bosley,
    This supports your observation about the low frequency attenuation of active earmuffs:
    The Noise Manual - Google Books
    I use earplugs and muffs if I'm shooting a lot of .357. It's so quiet I can't hear myself think.
  17. Titanium
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    I have a pair of Impact Sports by Howard Leight that cost about $55.00 as I recall. I use them for shooting at the range because while it is outdoors, it has a pitched roof that bounces sound back to the shooters. They have a sound level control and make normal conversation possible for my somewhat damaged hearing, but reduce shooting noise. They also have a stereo jack, so I can listen to my radio when operating the riding mower.
    Noise reduction is about 23db, which is sufficient for me.
  18. Stainless
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    We use these small foam ear plugs that cost .25 a pair,they block out the sound of machine noise,crane and fork lift coming from behind you with loads that could hit you in the head and all those annoying noises like that,but any kinda of ear phone that plays your favorite tune or talk show is much to dangerous in our shop
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If you’re the sort that needs peace and quiet to get anything done, escaping the noise pollution of every day life — regardless of where you’re located — is no easy task. A white noise machine can help, but in the end it’s still electronic noise, and unless you can afford a fancy sound system, the noise often sounds unnatural. A new device that sticks onto your window, Sono, will not only cancel real-world noise, but isolate the noises you’d prefer to hear, if any.

You live in a corner apartment, and your one, meager window faces a beautiful, serene park. However, in front of that park is a major metropolitan road, host to loud traffic throughout the day. If not for the constant stream of cars and barking dogs, the soothing sounds of chirping birds and the wind rustling through trees would make its way across the street and into your bedroom. You could put on some noise-canceling headphones, but then you’ll have a huge pair of headphones tying you down; music doesn’t do the job white noise does, either. With Sono, you can stick the device right on your window, and fiddle with some settings to either cancel out noise entirely, or cancel out the specific noises that are drowning out the peaceful ones.

Machine Sound Dampening

As you may have guessed, Sono does sound too good to be true within the realm of modern day technology, and it isn’t a product you can go out and purchase at the moment. Rather, it’s a concept created by Austrian industrial designer Rudolf Stefanich. Sono works by vibrating a window in a pattern counter to the vibrations caused by the ambient noise, essentially turning the surface into a noise-canceling speaker. During prototype testing, Sono’s transducer used active noise canceling to successfully lower the audio signal by 12 decibels — which would probably do a good job of blocking out quieter sounds in the 30-80 dB range, but you’d still definitely hear traffic and other loud sounds.

Industrial Noise Cancelling Systems

Machines

The device employs concentric broadband antenna rings, and can be charged through WiFi signals or the standard electric outlet, so your noise shield won’t unceremoniously lower in the middle of the night.

The strength of Sono is not that it can cancel out obnoxious ambient noises, but can still filter pleasant ambient noises through. So, not only can you still get the chirping birds and rustling leaves from that park across the street, but the sounds are natural — not some recreation on your phone that sounds very digital. Though Stefanich’s device is more of a concept than a tangible item, the theory behind the device was successfully tested with that aforementioned prototype. Sono is a finalist for the James Dyson Award, so it’s also getting a fair amount of recognition. Until Stefanich’s device can get production funding — and more testing, considering it sounds like it employs a dark magic to achieve the noise-filtering result — we’ll have to stick to our tinny-sounding white noise smartphone apps.

Now read: Twin beams of noise-canceling laser light achieve fastest, farthest data transfer record