Earphones

[magid]

It's loud on the T, especially when the trains are moving fast in the tunnels, or when they're going around a tight curve, the rails making that high screeching that's rather unpleasant. And in general, the level of noise is almost as bad as being on a plane. I seem to be the only one it bothers, though, holding one ear (or two, if my hands are free). Which is not ideal. I worry about my hearing getting worse as it is. Earplugs would be an option, I suppose, but I'd feel strange putting them in and taking them out on T platforms, and I'd rather not walk around outside with all noise dulled. Which leads to the question of headphones. I haven't owned headphones for a couple of generations of headphone technology. Would wearing them muffle the unpleasant sounds of the T enough? Would listening to music loudly enough to dull the pain of the outside noise be too loud for comfort? Is it more likely I'd do damage to my hearing through having something so close to my ears? Does it make a difference if I use earphones or earbuds for this?

Which then leads to the question of what the earphones/earbuds would be connected to. I suppose an iPod is an obvious choice, except that I have none of my music as MP3s. This could get me to learn how to rip my CDs (assuming my ancient desktop is up to the task), but it would take time and energy in and of itself, rather than being a quick solution. A CD player makes more sense, since I already have some CDs, though not nearly the collection I'd like (somehow books seem to get acquired with amazing frequency; CDs, not so much). I wonder how fast I'd bore myself listening to the same stuff over and over. Plus there's figuring out where to carry it so I don't get tied up in the cords; a CD player is large enough that it won't fit in a (front) jacket pocket, I think. I assume a radio-something wouldn't be useful in the tunnels, though perhaps I'm wrong about that; they're not as deep as the harbor tunnels. There's probably other options I don't yet know about, too.

More thought necessary; somehow this isn't a purchase I can just do on the way home tonight.

Comments

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

There are headphones that cancel out the exterior noise by making a complementary waveform, which would let you just have quiet if you wanted. You don't even have to plug them into anything (they take batteries). They are a little pricey though. I know Bose makes a set, and there are some other ones out there as well.

[magid.livejournal.com]

How cool! Thanks for the information.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

The folks I know who have them love them, but they're not cheap. Maybe you can find some you can try before you buy.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I think earplugs would really be your best option. In my experience, they knock down the louder noises but still allow me to hear conversation and the like.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I've used disposable ones that have helped some, but not enough. Plus they're very obviously orange. Hm. I think I have a pair somewhere; I should try them tomorrow to see if they make enough of a difference. I should also look into different kinds of earplugs (a stop at the local helpful pharmacy seems indicated).

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I found the ten-pack that Nomi and I bought a year ago of Mack's SafeSound earplugs, and we only used one set. If you'd like to have a set for yourself to try out, we can give you a pair. The only question is when.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Any chance you're going to one of the craft fairs I mentioned?

Hrm. Not sure when I'll next be doing a Butcherie run, either. But yes, I'd love to try a pair, thank you.

(The ones I have at home are orange. Bluish-green sounds much nicer.)

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Why not do a Butcherie run this evening? Then we can give you the earplugs! :-)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Well, I have other errands previously scheduled, plus there are a couple of other things in the queue for tonight. I'm more likely to try an early-morning run tomorrow (plus, fewer people at the Butcherie, always a good thing). What's the earliest I could call tomorrow if I manage to wake up early enough to pop over?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Well, gnomi leaves the apartment by 6:45 usually, but the past few days I've been in bed until 8 AM, as my sleep system is out of whack. (I'm usually awake by 7 AM.) What time do you expect to be in the area?

[magid.livejournal.com]

I try to get to the Butcherie between 7 and 7:30 if I'm doing a morning run. Sounds like it might be better to figure out an after-work (or during-work: lunch, maybe?) time, especially since I'm waffling about going tomorrow in the first place.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Lunch where and when? That could work.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Milk Street Monday noon?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

We actually already have plans Milk St Monday noon, with a friend I don't think you know. I thought you were looking at tomorrow...

[magid.livejournal.com]

Hm. Tomorrow I leave work at 1:30 (assuming I don't take lunch), and hadn't planned to stay downtown much later than that, with early Shabbat, and wanting any last-minute cooking time (I'm also surprised it's Thursday already).

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Let's take this to email or phone, and figure out when to get you these yummy delicious earplugs.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Tasty earplugs! Yummm! :-)

[bitty.livejournal.com]

dip 'em in chocolate and it's a whole new rage.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Chocolate and ear wax, two things that definitely don't go together. *shudder*

[bitty.livejournal.com]

The consistency is close enough. And doesn't Bernie Botts offer those flavors anyway?

[magid.livejournal.com]

And Bernie Botts is a recommendation?

[bitty.livejournal.com]

On behalf of millions of children the world 'round, in fact.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the color is bluish-green, not orange.

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

Headphones would simply compound the problem. You wouldn't be blocking the exterior noise (unless you get one of the expensive ones rikchik mentioned, and I don't know how the complementary waves impact your eardrum and inner ear, which is the critical issue) but rather drowning it out. In addition to compounding the exterior sound waves with loud music, the headphones place the source of the music close to your ear, which isn't good. I think your best bet, both for blocking unpleasant noise and protecting against ear damage, is to get earplugs or earmuffs. I do believe they make earplugs that are easy to insert and remove discreetly; plus, there are earplugs that diminish the incoming sound without making it sound muffled. Unfortunately, I don't know of specific products I can recommend.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I don't like earmuffs; they're more to keep ears warm, which I definitely don't want on the overheated T. You and MABfan make good points for earplugs. I assume they're pretty cheap, too, so experimenting with different kinds would be feasible.

[jwg.livejournal.com]

I use my iPod in the gym and it drowns out the music? that they play. It's not as loud as the T of course, but most of the time it would work.

Ripping CDs is easy. I have a Mac and use iTunes but iTunes is available for Windows too. You put the CD in the slot and a few minutes later you eject it. When you connect the iPod with the firewire cable it updates it with the changes and it is incredibly fast. So it's one mouse click per CD to eject it. I guess on Windows you can just eject the disk by pushing the button on the drive.

[magid.livejournal.com]

'"What a ripping CD," said Bentley Minor.'
Not sure just where that came from.

Thanks for the iPod data point. And ripping CDs sounds pretty easy (though I wonder if my 5-year-old midrange desktop is somehow subtly deficient in some way for doing this). It also sounds like a fair investment. I think my first line of defense is going to be trying earplugs and seeing if they help enough.