Flying with Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

I have a girlfriend in Australia while I live live in the UK.

For those who are wary of flying here is what I did (p.s I suffered from acoustic noise injury, still have sound sensitivity).

I flew 22 hours. During that time I gave my ears some time to get used to cruising in flight for an hour or so.

During take off, I wore earplugs .

I would use silicone earplugs together with headphones when in flight and pretend I would listen to music but really I was just protecting my ears for "insurance" .

During flights Unread booksz played on iPad e.t.c.

For 22 hours I flew and 22 hours later , guess what , I was fine.

So if you are looking for something full proof , use your common sense, give your ears a break every now and then in-flight and protect when you feel you need it

 

I use the peltors 5XA and 4XA depending on situation, and they are usually recommended here. I have QC35 as well, but prefer the 5XA in most situations with low frequency (I don't care too about looks anymore...).

I'm wondering if somebody has tried these: http://www.noisebuster.net/product/PA4000.html

I have not seen them mentioned, and in theory they might be better than 5XA for low frequency noise, e.g. aircraft or a car. Any thoughts?

 

According to
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...n-data-for-3m-hearing-protection-products.pdf
X5A provide 23.9 dB mean attenuation for the lowest frequency being reported (125 Hz).

According to http://www.noisebuster.net/mm5/graphics/00000001/NB_PA4000_DataSheet.pdf
Additional active noise reduction attenuation below 800 Hz is "up to 20 dB"

According to Figures 13-16 on
http://143.224.185.48/archives/2012/papers/AIR-04.pdf
most noise inside of airplanes is in fact below 800 Hz.

For 125 Hz, X5A provides noise reduction of 23.9 dB. Noise buster muffs provide 16.6 dB passive noise reduction plus whatever "up to 20 dB" means. I guess it is up to 36.6 dB, but of course it could also be well below 23.9 dB... I wish they were to tell us the lowest or guaranteed active noise reduction, instead of providing us with the maximum possible noise reduction.

In any case, I am seriously considering getting a pair of these noise buster muffs. Thank you for making a post about these muffs!

 

In fig 14, should it be interpreted as dB level of ~100 for 8Hz?

I am much more sensitive to high frequencies. So questions is if one should focus on them (--> choose Peltor X5A) or the lower frequencies that have a higher dB (--> choose Noisebuster)

A bit negative here, but the Noisebuster model seems to be quite old. Probably not the most modern NC-technology

Me too! Not too expensive given the potentiel benefits. An added upside would be that they are less clunky than the X5As.

 

I am not sure what to make of the product reviews on
https://www.amazon.ca/Noisebuster-E...uster+noise+cancelling+pa4200#customerReviews

One person wrote "In fact, if you use ear plugs inside this piece, the "active" noise cancellation seems pointless and does not add an extra reduction." Then the same person also wrote "Note that it mostly eliminates lower frequency noises. I'd call them "heavy noises" ie: metal hitting metal (from experience)."

Several people had complained of some shrieking feedback noises that stop after using these muffs for several months.

I hope someone who owns X5A or Bose 25 NC headphones buys these, uses them inside of a plane, and lets us know what they think. I might be that person, I haven't made my decision yet.

 

https://store.davidclark.com/hearing-protectors/enc-hearing-protector-40752g-01

These would be the dream. But I think we need to buy bulk of 50....

 

Why do you think they are not durable?

They seem to be better than Noisebuster muffs in ever respect (provide the minimum active noise reduction, have higher passive NRR).

 

However, take a look at these: http://www.davidclarkcompany.com/files/literature/DC ONE-X Data Sheet.pdf

They are very expensive (800$) but have a Electronic NC 30dB attenuation at 150hz. Can't find the passive attenuation though. (Maybe its included in the 30dB...?)

Going to google more on this.

 

I was wondering why I couldn't find it on Amazon...

I wonder whether
https://www.amazon.com/Bose-Aviation-Headset-Standard-5-Pin/dp/B010FUIH0E
are significantly better than Bose 25...

One of the customer reviews for
https://www.amazon.com/David-Clark-H10-13-4-Aviation-Headset/dp/B0011Z9PM2
stated
"Any wise pilot should want to be able to hear what their engine(s), or their overall plane for that matter, is doing. When wearing Bose good luck knowing if their is something going on that some annunciators do not catch."

 

I think so. They seem to be the gold standard for aviation headsets. They have the best Active NC, however, instead of increasing the total NRR Bose has made them lighter and more comfortable than the competition (so their passive is not the best).

Bose has not posted any ratings, but here is an independent test:
https://www.researchgate.net/profil...lation-headsets.pdf?origin=publication_detail

Bose A20 is shown on slide 15. But I can't figure out what it means in terms of actual NRR....

Good guide: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/headset-buyers-guide-2015/#.W4b8yOgzY2w

If they are significantly better than Peltors I would consider buying them, but 1000$ is alot if it turns out they are as good. An added bonus is that walking around in these probably wouldn't draw much attention, with the Bose logo they almost look like they could be the next version of Quiet Comfort.


Edit: http://www.pilot-usa.com/pa-1779t.html
25 passive NRR
+ 22 dB active NC @ 100 hz
475$

Edit#2: A friend's friend is a pilot, and he has Bose A20. Will see if I can give them a try...

 

It appears that NRR is given on the Y-axis. I thought that the X-axis was in Hz, but it is not. So I am not really sure how to interpret that figure.

 

Unfortunately, active noise cancelling doesn't work too well with higher frequencies. The speaker would have to be very close to your eardrum for it to work, and the technology just isn't out there. I too find higher frequencies more bothersome than low ones.

 

If I buy these they would be for use within a car or an airplane. I can handle low frequency better, but not sure how my ears will react to a 3 to 10 hour flight of non-stop low frequency noise. You can't really escape if you realise the noise is too loud....

In any case, they noisebuster model don't seem to be the best option. I friend who is a pilot has the Bose A20 and he says they are actually not much better than the QC35 for ANR. I am planning to try them out soon though.

The PA 1779 seems to have good mix of passive and active NC, so in theory is a good option for a plane or car.

 

Please let us know what you think about it. I would be very thankful and grateful.

 

The Bose A20 are over $1k (USD)? The QC35 plus earplugs work for me on larger jets, but I still avoid the CRJ and turboprops (and some of the Boeing wide bodies).

 

I finally got to try them today. I tested them in my car and compared vs X5A:
* The A20 did reduce the low frequenc engine noise/road noise better than the X5A. It's difficult to say exactly how much though...
* The X5A are significantly better at the higher frequency wind noise
* The A20 are more comfortable than X5As. They felt more like QC35s.

Other comments:
* The ANC in A20 produces a white noise (i did not hear it when wearing earplugs though)
* The A20 is better than QC35
* Passive A20 are not much use
* You cannot just remove the cable from the A20, as the control for the ANC is attached..

I am not buying A20s just yet... there is a difference, but I'm not ready to throw 1000$ for a pair. I would like to compare them on a flight. The A20s ANC is supposedly optimized for those frequencies.

Something like this is probably better for Noise Cancelling (high passive SNR and ANC): http://www.pilot-usa.com/pa-1779t.html

 

My wife took some dB measurements while on a 5 hour flight with Airbus A320.

Take off was 89 dB for 10 minutes, cruising was 83 dB constant.

 

@Tony Phylactou I got lucky and didn’t feel a thing on the plane. I guess my hyperacusis isn’t as severe, but it still bugs me. I have noticed that it’s getting better with time..

I believe I read that your hyperacusis went away, correct?

 

No unfortunately mine is still there I just mention a story of how someone else got rid of it.I wish it was mine.How long did it take for yours to go away,and how did you manage to reduce it or was it just time?

 

@Tony Phylactou I believe my T and H is stress and anxiety related. When I get stressed out I tend to Clench my jaw when I sleep and even when I’m awake. By me overworking my jaw muscles, causes my H to get bad, and I also get headaches and facial pain when this happens. When I’m not stressed out, I’m completely fine. My T is always low. I can easily mask my T with a fan

 

Thanks for the info. I am so happy for you, because you know how to control it... Actually I get stressed out a lot, may be I should look into it more my wife reckons it is stress related too.

 

@Tony Phylactou thank you! And yes look into it man, and I hope you find relief as well brother!

 

I just took another 4hr flight from Chicago to Puerto Rico, there and back last week... No change in my T or H