Do these work if I just want it to be quiet? That is, do I have to be listening to music or something for them to be effective?
572481
You do not need to listen to music... they work great just to dampen sound around you. It will be much quieter. I wear them on plane trips to "white out" the sound of the airplane engine. They may not drown out the sound of screaming children, for example, but they will make such sounds seem far away.
572482
The Noise cancellation function works without music playing. However, in normal office type situations, or in crowded rooms with a fair amount of noise, you will still be able to hear people talking. That is because, at least in my understanding, the noise cancellation works by blocking out the low frequency sounds, but the higher frequencies will still be partially audible. (Side note: the mute button will mute the music as well as turn off the noise cancelling function so that you can hear your surroundings better)
572483
I use mine while traveling often without any music on. Turn on noise canceling and select a mode to eliminate aircraft noise or motel air conditioning noise without having to listen to music.
572484
Yes, the headset works without a cord as well. If listening to music the is a monitor (mute) button as well. A separate cord is included with a standard jack and airplane converter plug.
572485
Elisa, they do work without any music playing but you do hear a not more of the surrounding noise. The more expensive models I have tried do a little better job without music. But not considerably better.
638975
I would say yes. I use headphones when riding and with no music on they dampen pretty well so I would assume these would do a better job.
613595
No.. I would not recommend they be used in a room that needs to remain quiet. I bought 2 of them and both have a significant rattle and hum.
1505629
Hi, You would probably need to have them set to maximum volume, they do not by their nature aim at noise cancellation, I did manage to hold a conversation on my bike in traffic but noisy vehicles do cause problems. A noisy vehicle does not sound like an ideal use of these headphones, as the idea is to allow you notice other noise.
874622
I suppose it depends on what types of noise you are trying to not hear.. I wear them to bed and I don't hear anything but the audio book I am listening to.. I took them on my recent flight and I didn't hear the hum of the plane while in flight.. so I personally find they are pretty good at blocking out outside noises.. But I don't use them for any high end work or need to use them for any such, I am purely a casual user (over age 35), I don't have to turn the volume way up to reduce outside noise either. I hope this helped!
554929
It can block out the majority of noise in loud environments, however noise canceling headphones can end up being louder than some quiet environments. An audible hiss is apparent when it is super quiet. These can be used without a device attached, but the hiss will become noticeable. They will work with any audio device that has a headphone jack. I found the full review of these at "The Wirecutter" very helpful.
1816065
They dampen noise, but are not silencers. I can wear these on airplanes and hear people talking just fine, but the overall noise level is seriously reduced. It assists one to ignore the noise more easily. Depending upon your ability to ignore soft noises, these may or may not work for you.
1571080
They would probably do a good job softening the sound. I use them for drumming, and they soften the sounds so I can hear them, but they are not to loud.
2131723
I feel these are only good to keep very loud sounds out. They do not block voice etc, but keep sounds like machinery out.
596026
I have used them successfully to block off noise from heavy stompers living above me but they have carpets. I would think it would work because it also takes the edge off of street noise since my room faces the street which has a streetcar going by frequently. Sometimes they almost block too much noise because I can't hear my clock radio's music turn on so I pull them out of my ears slightly. They bring me peace and I can finally sleep soundly!
694619
They isolate sound pretty well, and pretty soon I will be getting replacement ear pads from beyerdynamic, which are said to feel better, and provide a bit better sound isolation. I will let you know more when I get them.
88591
I think they're pretty good at noise isolation. If I'm playing music at normal volume through my phone speaker and put the headphones on without plugging them in, I can't really hear the music at all. I do this every morning when I'm leaving for work, and I'm always surprised that it works so well.
1815394
These are not noise canceling so you can hear a little. However, I listen to music pretty much on full blast and my husband can only hear very soft, muffled sound when sitting next to me but not enough to make out what I'm listening to or disturb the pertain next to you. If you're goal is total silence then you need to pay up for the nose canceling style.
1304106
Hi, in my experience, this is very basic sound proofing. So can't expect too much. But if you stick them all over the room including ceiling, and rug on floor, it dose help reduce the volume.
763371
They reduce some of the background noise but not all of it. They are best at reducing regular noises like the hum from air conditioning or air-plane noise. I got them to try and reduce noise from people talking in my office but it didn't really help with that.
134565
No. They provide a substantial reduction in the level of the noise, but you can still hear things muffled.
564989
They block out external sound well, but do not have active noise cancelation. They don't leak sound so if you turn up the volume you won't bother those near you.