Yes, the World Is Actually Too Loud (Encore)

A pair of blue headphones in a blue bubble on a light blue background.

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More than 100 million Americans are exposed to unhealthy levels of noise daily. To help you protect yourself and those you love, we’re re-airing this episode on how to determine if you’re at risk of hearing loss and what you can do about it.

Lauren Dragan, Wirecutter’s longtime senior writer covering headphones and audio equipment, walks us through the health issues linked to noise pollution, how to find out if you’re exposed to too much noise, and specific ways to reduce sounds at home, while commuting, or in noisier situations (like concerts or parties).

Lauren shares her favorite headphones, from noise-canceling headphones to sleep headphones. And she recommends specific ear muffs and ear plugs for adults, kids, and babies. Lauren also reveals how to use various frequencies of noise—like brown or pink noise—to block out irritating sounds that may be bothering you.

Products we recommend

Top pick

With an always-on display, two sizes to choose from, and advanced health and fitness features, the Apple Watch Series 10 is great for buyers upgrading from an older Apple Watch.

This Apple Watch offers the best combo of style, health and fitness features, app selection, battery life, and price of any smartwatch we’ve tested. We like that it will monitor the sound level of your headphones.

Budget pick

The SE offers many of the same key features as the Series 10, minus an always-on display and certain health-tracking tools, for a much lower price.

This basic Apple Watch doesn’t have as many features as the Series 10, but it meters sound effectively. Plus it costs 30% less, depending on the configuration.

This app allows you to use your phone to monitor sound levels wherever you are.

Lauren recommends this app if you don’t have an Apple Watch or other device to monitor sound. Simply install it on your phone, and hold the phone toward the offending sounds to find out your noise exposure.

Top pick

Although no universal-fit earplugs will reduce different sounds as evenly as a custom-designed set, this pair offers solid noise protection and is the most enjoyable to wear.

Lauren likes to use these earplugs, which look subtle (almost like jewelry) at concerts, spin classes, and any event that’s loud. The earplugs lower the sound around you, while still allowing you to hear.

Upgrade pick

These earplugs offer three levels of noise reduction to suit different uses. They fit comfortably, but the small dials are tricky to read and adjust.

Lauren likes the Loop Switch 2 earplugs for the same reasons as the Loop Experience 2. This model has an added feature that allows you to choose between three reduction levels, making them more versatile for more situations.

Top pick

This pair of wireless earbuds sounds fantastic and cancels noise better than any others we’ve tested. However, people with very small ears might struggle to keep them securely in place.

Lauren likes these earbuds for their noise cancellation and noise isolation. If you regularly find yourself in areas with a lot of background noise (like people talking and babies crying), these would be a great choice.

These over-ear noise-canceling headphones have been around for a while, and offer a great value for the money if you’re looking for active noise cancellation.

$379 from Walmart

May be out of stock

Wirecutter has newer recommendations for noise canceling headphones, but as long as these Bose 700s are still around, Lauren says there’s not a lot of reason to spend extra. They’re really effective and will do everything you need them to do.

The pressure-reducing design of these earmuffs make them appropriate for even newborns to wear.

Lauren recommends old-school earmuffs to help protect kids’ hearing. These baby earmuffs are specifically designed to fit a baby’s delicate head.

Top pick

Kids will love these earmuffs’ soft padding and fun designs, while adults will love the safer listening levels and lifetime build warranty.

Lauren recommends Muted’s earmuffs for kids and even teens. They’re comfortable, fold compactly for easy traveling, and the designs will suit a range of styles.

We love Loop earplugs for all ages, and these ones are specifically sized for kids. They’re discreet looking enough that even self-conscious tweens and teens will wear them.

Lauren has a pair of these Loop earplugs for her son. She keeps them in his backpack, attached to an inside pocket with a carabiner, so that he can easily pull them out to use during pep rallies and other loud events.

Top pick

These tiny wireless earbuds sound great, block noise, and can play customizable preloaded sounds or stream audio from your Bluetooth device. Cushioned wings make them comfortable for side-sleepers, too.

These are the best earbuds Lauren has tested for sleeping. She says they don’t hurt her ears when she lays on her side (a problem with most earbuds).

Top pick

This headband-style pair comes in different sizes and fabrics, and you can stream any audio to it wirelessly via Bluetooth. But it costs more than many similarly styled competitors.

Lauren recommends these sleep headphones if you like to listen to music or white noise at bedtime, but regular earbuds hurt your ears. They’re basically Bluetooth headphones encased in a soft cloth headband. They will not, however, block out the sound of snoring from a partner.

Best for...

These wireless headphones offer good sound quality, easy-to-use controls, a comfortable fit, and active noise cancellation to reduce engine noise.

These kid-sized noise-canceling headphones sound good, are well made, and look cool enough that even tweens will probably like them.

Top pick

The Bearaby blanket is stylish and well balanced. But it’s not exactly warm (which you may find to be a good thing), and it’s more cumbersome to wash and dry than our other picks.

Lauren loves this thick, woven weighted throw blanket for its texture and the fact that it’s washable.



from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/swNyMCt
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