Bought those expensive noise cancelling earbuds for $180 and they're useless on the bus

Got the hype about blocking out traffic and chatter on my commute. Tried them on the #42 bus downtown last Tuesday. All I hear is the engine grumble and some lady's phone speaker cutting through like nothing. The hiss from the noise cancelling itself is driving me nuts too. Anyone else find these things only work in quiet rooms? What cheap foam plugs actually work for city buses?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_webb10h ago

Totally disagree with you @drew_reed62, bus noise is not that big a deal lol

drew_reed6213h ago

My buddy Tom dropped 150 bucks on some name brand buds and was ready to return them after one ride on the city bus. Switched to those cheap foam ones you roll up from the corner store and said the bus engine basically disappeared, just a dull hum. Never thought something that costs two bucks could stomp a fancy pair that cost a hundred times more, right?

susan_wright3417h ago

Quit believing the hype about noise cancelling tech being magic. Those earbuds are designed to block out steady noises like an airplane engine or a fan, not sudden random sounds like a bus grumble or someone's loud phone speaker. The hiss you're hearing is normal for active noise cancelling, it's just the electronics working. For real cheap foam plugs, try the squishy kind that you roll into a little tube before putting in your ear. They block way more than the expensive stuff does on a bumpy bus ride. I use a plain old pair of foam earplugs from the drugstore and they do a better job than my $200 wireless buds ever did for city bus noise.

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