Over-ear noise defenders for music?

[ahpook]

My Alpine ear defenders arrived, and they look pretty good - sturdy but possibly not bulletproof I'd say - and very comfortable over the relatively short time I've worn them.

 

Difficult to say just how much defendering they do without using them at a practice, which will happen on Wednesday, but Mrs. Pook's loud clapping and shouting next to my head seemed to be nicely attenuated.

 

One factor I'd not accounted for us that wearing glasses does allow a bit more sound in, so ear plugs have that as an advantage, but the proof of the pounding is in the beating, so I'll report back after Wednesday's rehearsal.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2024 by ahpook

[ahpook]

Interim report: Just popped into central London to try out a bass so I thought I'd see how the Alpines got on with the Victoria Line, which is very noisy especially when the carriages are empty in the afternoon. Also my run from Seven Sisters is particularly loud coming into Finsbury Park.

 

Pretty impressive - good sound attenuation and not too hot on the ears even though the carriage had its usual sauna-like vibe. Even managed to mask the person opposite me who seemed to have missed the lesson about not chewing food with your mouth open, the sound of which I find quite nauseating, so that was a bonus.

 

Anyhow...band practice update still to come after tomorrow evening.

Edited September 10, 2024 by ahpook

[Greg Edwards69]

I know few people who use a Zoom field recorder, such as the H2n clipped to a mic stand to feed a set of IEM buds as an impromptu monitoring system in loud environments. There's no reason you couldn't use a decent pair of over-ear headphones instead

[Bolo]

15 hours ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

I know few people who use a Zoom field recorder, such as the H2n clipped to a mic stand to feed a set of IEM buds as an impromptu monitoring system in loud environments. There's no reason you couldn't use a decent pair of over-ear headphones instead

Except those have no damping rating and you'd be exposing yourself to unknown levels of sound pressure.

[Spoombung]

Interesting. I've been looking for an over-ear solution for quite some time. Following....

Edited September 11, 2024 by Spoombung
Do I have to give a reason?

[ahpook]

So, how are the Alpine ear defenders?

 

First of all they did a great job of taming the volume in the quite small room (with not much sound conditioning ) that we practice in. No ringing or wincing.

 

As for the sound I could hear (and bearing in mind that it takes a few sessions with a new set of ear protection to adjust to the sound) - very bassy. I could hear everything, but the guitar and the drummer's cymbals and hi hats were very quiet - not enough to trip me up, but still a big change from my in-ear (not custom) ACS plugs. I don't mind losing a lot of guitar 'in the mix' but it felt a bit OP. The singers' vocals came through OK though. My bass lacked a lot of top end, but the fundamentals came through great...which I think focused me on my playing a bit

 

My singing was fine - there was enough coming through my head to do backing vocals, not sure I'd manage if I were doing the main vox. Not that I'm usually trusted with that job

 

Comfort wise - they're OK, they're not gel pads so it's  a little sticky after an hour or so, but they're ony £25 so that's where some money's been saved.

 

Overall - I'll be trying them next practice, see how I get on when I know what to expect. However, if you want a 'world turned down' feel, these probrably aren't for you. My usual plugs have a flatter attenuation I feel, but these headphones might be a viable option if you don't like plugs or the whole earwax issue.

 

[Spoombung]

On 12/09/2024 at 11:26, ahpook said:

So, how are the Alpine ear defenders?

 

First of all they did a great job of taming the volume in the quite small room (with not much sound conditioning ) that we practice in. No ringing or wincing.

 

As for the sound I could hear (and bearing in mind that it takes a few sessions with a new set of ear protection to adjust to the sound) - very bassy. I could hear everything, but the guitar and the drummer's cymbals and hi hats were very quiet - not enough to trip me up, but still a big change from my in-ear (not custom) ACS plugs. I don't mind losing a lot of guitar 'in the mix' but it felt a bit OP. The singers' vocals came through OK though. My bass lacked a lot of top end, but the fundamentals came through great...which I think focused me on my playing a bit

 

My singing was fine - there was enough coming through my head to do backing vocals, not sure I'd manage if I were doing the main vox. Not that I'm usually trusted with that job

 

Comfort wise - they're OK, they're not gel pads so it's  a little sticky after an hour or so, but they're ony £25 so that's where some money's been saved.

 

Overall - I'll be trying them next practice, see how I get on when I know what to expect. However, if you want a 'world turned down' feel, these probrably aren't for you. My usual plugs have a flatter attenuation I feel, but these headphones might be a viable option if you don't like plugs or the whole earwax issue.

 

I had a very similar experience when I wore Vanderfields (£20 slim profile, over ear protectors): good reduction on the highs abd mids but not much attenuation in the bass so you get a woolly, muffled sound. Good for watching a loud band but I'm not sure it good enough for playing on stage. I'm surprised no one had made a pair of these that you can physically adjust a small opening in the ear cups, thereby adding attenuated high frequencies. That would solve the woolly problem, wouldn't it...? 

[Bolo]

30 minutes ago, Spoombung said:

That would solve the woolly problem, wouldn't it..

It would also solve the sound pressure attenuation. Making them not protect your hearing.

[ahpook]

56 minutes ago, Spoombung said:

I'm surprised no one had made a pair of these that you can physically adjust a small opening in the ear cups, thereby adding attenuated high frequencies. That would solve the woolly problem, wouldn't it...? 

 

Yes, you'd think that there'd be some straightforward solution, but it does seem somewhat elusive.

[Spoombung]

5 hours ago, Bolo said:

It would also solve the sound pressure attenuation. Making them not protect your hearing.

You can lift the cup of an ear defender and let in a little top end without it screaming at you and damaging your ear. Couldn't you have a small lever that would open up a tiny opening for this purpose?

[converse320]

Someone asked about active ear defenders experience.  I use Peltor active ear defenders for most noisy environments, and they work very well.  They are definitely not just for amplifying speech.  I've got hearing loss from a very short period of time playing a starting pistol in a samba band, and I can use the ear defenders as a hearing aid when I need to.  I think they would work fine in a rehearsal, but depending on how loud the drums were, it might sound a bit unusual - they cut dangerously loud impacts like gunshots, so you might find the snare sounds muted.  Peltor sell (expensive) gel cushions as an extra for them, which are much more comfortable than the standard foam ones.  They also let you wear glasses without the legs of the frame digging into your head under the cushions.

[SumOne]

I used the Alpine ear defenders at band practice last night and they didn't really work out for me. Seemed to make the Bass too quiet, but certain notes from the sax really boomy, wasn't an even reduction in sound like I get with the ACS PRO17.