Ask HN: Best way to block the sound of human voices in an open office?

I have the same problem. You know I have tried 3 different types of noise canceling headphones and you and still hear the conversations. The other problem is when it's a particularly hard problem, I need no music to be playing.

I just don't go into the office at all anymore. I stay home and I just outperform people's expectations and that allowed me to negotiate to stay at home.

Open office spaces just do not allow me to get that deep focus to solve the challenging problems, also the constant tapping on the shoulders and the quick "How's it going" conversations take me out of flow. I don't think businesses understand how annoying the random noise is too introverted engineers. It's more productive for salespeople and PMs but I doubt it increases engineers ability to get features built. I think it severely hinders them.

"It's more productive for salespeople and PMs"

The main job of a Product Manager is to make the product successful. This is in part by driving prioritisation and ensuring that colleagues (e.g. engineers) are not blocked.

If I were a PM in team where engineers' productivity were being hindered through excessive noise or distractions, I would see it as part of my job to find ways to solve that.

And if I were the source of that noise/distraction, I would definitely not see that as my being more productive, even if it meant I could write PRDs faster or whatever.

Any closed back headphones with music. (I use the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro)

Without music get construction or gun range safe ear pro (if you can still hear anything through that it’s quite likely that it’s coming trough your desk or floor, and no I’m not kidding).

I wouldn’t recommend ANC headphones for day long usage at least from my personal experience I did find them to cause some issues with my hearing over a long period of time.

I’ve been using Bose QC for 10+ years they work well but I limit their use to the tube and flights only these days after about a year of permanent 8h a day use I’ve noticed some hearing loss most of it returned after a few months of not using them but ANC isn’t magic it does put quite a bit of sound pressure on your ears.

I have a similar issue where I need less noise to focus. At the same time I find music distracting... it is a pain.

Have you tried earmuffs made for shooters?

Example:

http://a.co/hHvMr8e

That's kind of thing I use. If people are close (one cube away with no walls) you can still hear them but they are very muffled. Distant voices (three cubes away with no walls) and noises you can't hear at all.

I have tried Ear Defenders for a while, but found that the pressure they put on my head gave me a headache.

I wear Etymotic Noise-Isolating Earphones in my ears (they are real earplugs with a small hole in the middle through which sound is piped), then I put Bose noise cancelling headphones over my ears, and then I play a rainfall noise through the Nose-Isolating Earphones. This multi-layer approach this works very well for me. The rainfall noise is not distracting to me the way music can be.

I have excellent hearing, and it's impossible for me to solve this problem with a completely passive or noise cancelling approach. Ears will increase their sensitivity until they are able to hear something.

Etymotic Noise-Isolating Earphones: https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Noise-Isolating-Ear...

The noise app that I use: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mynoise/id813099896?mt=8

I’ve used the Etymotic, but tend to go back to my Shures. On top of that, I’ll run the active noise cancelling headphones - a pair of Sony’s which function without audio. Depending on my mood, it’s white noise (actually a custom pink noise created in an iPhone app), or music. With the Pink noise, even without the active noise cancellation, I’m oblivious to the world.

looking at those earbuds, it seems like they are long enough that they would protrude out of my ear canal and bump up against the Bose headphones. This would mean they are actively pushed into my ear-holes and be highly uncomfortable.

Am I misinterpreting how long it is from the tip of the earbud to the "butt" of the earbud? It looks like it would be about 1.5 cm. How long is it?

hmm...It sounds like a very challenging problem to solve with the "passive" approaches you have tried, and others have suggested.

I think maybe moving onto an "active" strategy might be the way to go. You can easily devise a device using an Arduino, a mic, and an air horn. Anytime people are being loud and annoying, and the decibels exceed a certain threshold, you automate the system to sound the airhorn.

I guarantee within a week everyone in the office will be trained to keep quiet. Either that, or you won't be allowed in the building. In any case, you won't need to deal with the loud office environment anymore!

I use a pair of Sony MDR7506 headphones. They’re meant to be used in a studio setting, but they block out enough noise if I have music or white noise going and they are relatively comfortable. Plus they sound pretty good music-wise. They’re also relatively cheap (normally around $100 but I got mine for around $80 on sale).

I'm also on the Sony MDR7506 plan. It feels about as good as a Bose QC in an office setting but is far less expensive. I had to give up on Bose QC after going through two of them in about five years - the plastic started to flake off and they were falling apart. Active noise cancelation is good for aircraft, but they are tuned to NOT block out human voice, which the opposite of what is needed.

Seconding the MDR 7506. They're optimized pretty hard for sound isolation, fidelity, and cost. The only kind of awkward thing about them is that they have a 9.8 foot coiled-up cord that's designed to give you a good chunk of slack between your head and what you're plugged into. Office listening doesn't really need this slack and it can get in the way or get tangled up sometimes.

IMHO they're the best headphones at their price point. You can get better headphones, but you have to pay a lot for very small improvements. Cheaper headphones tend to be significantly worse.

This thread is so sad. Companies pay 6 figure salaries but somehow when it comes to the office environment they treat the same people as if they are chickens.

I found the Sony wh-1000xm2 (prev gen also) to be quieter than the Bose 35s. I just listen to silence 90% of the time. There are some white noise playlists on Spotify to avoid needing Youtube. Also rain, storms, rivers etc. If doing sound or music, I almost always use a single song loop, or a playlist with only a few songs looping to avoid interrupting thought. Music is just a couple of soundtracks/songs I've added to a playlist. Few examples:

  Clint Mansell (random ost, fountain ost)
  M83 Oblivion (Starwaves/ title track)
  Random Hans Zimmer
  Interstellar ost
  Only God forgives ost

Adderall helps also, makes most visual distractions/sounds have less affect, if any. (have prescription)

Phone in airplane/do not disturb helps also.

All good suggestions except Adderall. Don't start using drugs to get by in your career lest you make it a short one.

Side note, probably not applicable, but keep in mind wearing a baseball cap or having certain hair styles works against the noise cancelling seal.

Shooting earmuffs + 33db foam earplugs will block a lot. Though, it’s painful to wear this all day. Fun fact, dbs don’t add up if you layer up like that. It’s about an additional 5db on top of 33db. Best advise would be to search for another job in a much quieter place.

Yes, I ordered a moving van and started working from home again… the only way to win is not to play.

Besides audible noise there is visual noise too. And you can’t exactly demand that people leave you alone, not unless if you are jwz [1]

[1] see tent-of-doom

Don't click on the link. Copy and paste it directly to the browser.

Here's a fun invention for ya.

https://hochurayu.com/product_design/helmfon/

I wear 3M Peltor X5A earmuffs, rated at -37 dB (European version). It seems to be the highest rated earmuff on Earth in 2018. It's not particularly heavy, but if you have a big head, it might create a bit of a pressure over time. It doesn't completely block the voices, but it "muffs" them down to something that disappears eventually if you don't actively listen for it.

I'm surprised noone mentioned Gucci Mane yet... while he was incarcerated he released a new album every month!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gucci_Mane#2014%E2%80%932016:_...

I believe was meant for another thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17642751

I use this websiite to drown out background noise with the sound of rain/thunderstorm, it can be combined with music as well, find it good when I need to focus on something

http://www.rainymood.com/

I use that when I go to sleep, so I wouldn't want to use it for working, but in general, it is a good suggestion.

I recommend noise-cancelling headphones and ambient music. Ambient music is non-intrusive by design so it doesn't interfere with your workflow as much as more 'active' music.

I second this. Carefully curating your playlist can have a huge impact on your workflow and productivity [0] -- I could observe an uptick in my efficiency after I started using white noise sites (like this one [1], for example) to generate ambient white noise of my choice.

[0] https://qz.com/820464/to-be-more-productive-get-scientific-a... [1] https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/whiteNoiseGenerator.php

If you're into video game music, there's a really good set of Skyrim background music + environment noise videos on YT.

Problem is finding a headphone that:

1. Sits just outside your ear; maybe softly hugging my ears but preferably not touching at all.

2. Doesn't at all press against the ears.

3. Doesn't press too hard against your head either

4. Doesn't feel heavy or slide down

5. Kinda affordable.

For me, the Bose QC35s are the only headphones I've found to check all of those boxes. Not as inexpensive as I would like, but IMO worth the money.

Acoustic isolation/damping is unlikely to work on its own, the human auditory system is complex. Masking noise needs to be added to the acoustic environment to make conversations relatively quieter. In the design of open plan offices, the traditional source of masking noise is the HVAC system.

Alternatives to music might include ambient nature recordings and white noise.

I use background white noise cancelling / rains / water tracks mostly for cancelling the office noise around.Helped me lot to focus.

e. g. https://www.youtube.com/user/RelaxingWhiteNoise

Play white noise through your headphones. Or pink, brown, etc, depending on which sounds better to you.

I can confirm this works, I have been using brown noise for years in crowded open offices as well as in busesand trains and I find it a more predictable help to focus than ambient or classical music.

An effective principle: It does not block sounds, but rather help the brain to ignore them. Individual sounds lose their specifics in an ocean of randomness, and after a few minutes you don't hear them anymore. Privacy through obscurity.

On the other hand, I find white noise exhausting. Not sure if this is a neurological difference between people.

I find white noise harsh as well. Brown noise works perfectly for me.

This white noise generator on the web on the "speech blocker" setting works pretty well for me:

https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/whiteNoiseGenerator.php

I did a combination of earplugs and headphones playing white noise which worked pretty well. But I still had visual disturbances and had to yank the earbuds out when someone tapped on my shoulder, which was weird for both of us. Now I work remotely and love it.

Can't speak for QC35 but my QC35 II do ANC without anything playing.

Construction earmuffs plus ear plugs usually are effective enough to kill almost all normal sounds.

I use the QC35 every day and it can do ANC without anything playing as well, in fact it is impossible to have the power on without ANC active, just like the QC35 II. IIRC the only difference between the I and the II is the Google assistant button.

There's a marked but subtle difference between having the headphones on and off, which can be confirmed by having the headphones on and turning the power on and off without removing them. The difference is not huge, and the headphones will block noise much better if you play music or white noise to cover up ambient noise.

The headphones take forever to power up and down because of the voice prompts, and this will be faster if you turn off voice prompts and use beep mode instead. The comparison is easier this way.

You can compensate for distractions by completely mastering your tools so that less focus is needed. That's a technique that you have control over.

True, but this takes time and tools change. Any suggestions on how to do this faster?

Mentioned already, but let me repeat: mynoise.net. Huge range of excellent noise blocking sounds.

I have the same Bose QC35 and mine don't require playing music to enable cancelling.

Try another pair?

I suggest you create a culture where if a quick chat turns into a discussion people know to move into a conference room or office ... take this up with management and once in agreement get this announced to the entire floor ... this approach does work once folks realize this helps everyone

I listen to white noise, or recordings of rain/thunder/waves.

Best solution would be not working in a sweatshop.

Yeah but most people need to earn a $, and most places offering a $ or two are open plan.

you should try listening to long tracks of the Chinese Pipa, for me at least the music disappears after about 4 minutes of listening

white noise youtube vid with my Beats (by Dr Dre) over ear hadphones...

Walls

If you ball up a sock, and stuff it into the offending mouth, that tends to cut the sound level quite abruptly. Your mileage may vary on how ridiculous this will make you and how much money it will cost.