On Wed, Sep 23, 2015 at 1:34 AM, Nick Hilliard <nick@foobar.org> wrote:
What are people using for ear protection for datacenters these days?
For me, it depends on the use case. If I need to monitor for other sounds, or listen to music: Bose QuietComfort 15 - discontinued, but still at Costco.com for $240. Their closest current model is the 25: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1NEUKK, $300). On one AAA battery (I use rechargeables), they last ~30 hours of continuous active use. The sound cancelling is excellent, and voice ranges come through well. The ear cups are almost unnoticeable - I can wear them for 8 hours, with glasses on, without discomfort. They come with a semi-rigid carrying case, and detachable cords with controls for either Samsung or iPhone. Always in my daily-carry bag. If I need pure focus, but will need to take them on and off a lot: The discontinued Howard Leight Thunder 29. (The current Howard Leight equivalent appears to be the Thunder T3, NRR30.) Full muff with headband, passive, 29dB, no frills. New old stock is still available. I have three - one at home, one at the data center, and one at the office. If you enjoy having your Cow Orkers tease you about the 747 you're about to guide in, these are great. :) The ear cups are a little more rigid -- wearing for 8 hours with glasses is noticeable, but tolerable. For reusable portability: The Etymotics mentioned elsewhere in the thread. http://www.amazon.com//dp/B0044DEESS. Long-term durable; I've had them for years, but only use them on the go. If you're actively having to talk to people in the data center, these are great, but if you're going to work alone, I recommend more NRR just to keep the average down over time. Also good for mowing the lawn, so you can hear if someone is yelling at you. I don't have any SilentEar (silentear.com, NRR32), but they look promising, and I'll be trying them. Disposable / backup / utility plugs: Flents "Quiet Please" - rolling foam, NRR29. Good for handing out to friends at concerts, and good for hotel sleeping -- good NRR, and no irritating external components. They come in packs of 25 pairs. And according to my wife, they take the edge off of my snoring. :) I'm not affiliated, but I've had good luck with earplugstore.com over the years. Their site is informative, and very NRR-aware - they list NRR in product title, and let you sort search results by NRR. Royce