I’m always interested in this group’s opinions, both individually and collectively. I need to replace my over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones. I had a relatively inexpensive pair made by JBL. They worked fine, until they didn’t. I’ve looked at Sony and Bose and would like to spend less than $200. Any recs?
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I have a pair of Grado GW100, which I love, love, love. Two things though…1) they are open back, so they are not noise-cancelling and you hear everything else around you while you’re listening. I personally don’t mind, but if you want isolation, they are not what you want. 2) they are more than $200, coming in today at $275. And a thrid bonus drawback…unlike other Grado headphones, they are not 100% sourced and made in good old Brooklyn, America.
For under $200, you’ll likely find the usual offerings from JBL, Sony, Sennheiser, etc. I’m also a fan of Audio-Technica, though I’ve never listened to their wireless offerings. Just stay away from things like Beats. Those are absolute garbage, both in build quality and more importantly, sound quality.
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I am essentially looking for something to wear when I’m doing yard work like mowing, weed whacking, and leaf blowing. But also chain sawing or table sawing. My air buds work okay but they fall out of my ears too easily
And the over the ear style fit snugly. I didn’t want to pay too much for that amount of usage.
For your use case, if you were happy with JBL then stick with JBL, Sony, or Soundcore in the ~$100 price range. I like Audio-Technica headphones for certain uses but in the Bluetooth world they are a bad value (~2x the price, no ANC). Sennheiser kinda sucks now. Also, obligatory reminder that headphones even with ANC are not adequate hearing protection for using power tools.
This caught my attention. Why not? When I use my AirPods while I’m doing yardwork, it sharply and significantly cuts the noise. I never get sound warning notifications either.
AirPods are a little different because Apple actually does list a noise reduction rating (NRR) for AirPods, even though it’s only 10 dBA. Most manufacturers don’t. Most “hearing protection” is going to provide a 20-30 dBA NRR or more. Also, operating a lawn mower outdoors is a very different noise exposure than operating a table saw in an enclosed garage or shop.
Headphones and ANC are useful for reducing noise exposure, but using it as the only source of “hearing protection” is risky depending on what you’re doing.
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I would agree with this. If you’re just looking for something to wear while working around the house, the typical JBL or Sony models you order off of Amazon should do the trick. And I agree about Sennheiser. I used to be a real fan of them, but they’ve gone completely to shit in the last few years. They’re only slightly better than Beats. Which is pretty fucking bad.
I just bought the Sony WF-1000xm5 for $198 plus tax. I’m very happy with them. They are my first noise-canceling pair, so I don’t have experience with any other brands/models for the sake of comparison.
I enjoy music but am not a audiophile. I purchased these to be able to listen to music and podcast while using yard machines and they worked great for me.
PROHEAR 037 Bluetooth 5.3 Hearing Protection Headphones with Rechargeable 1500mAh Battery, 30dB SNR Safety Noise Reduction Ear Muffs 120H Playtime for Mowing, Workshops, Snowblowing - Black
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