Thread: Hearing protection for low frequencies - what is there?

We have more than one trashy neighbour who believe everyone within 1 km of their household parties must endure loud thumping base low frequency "music" from 9pm to 3am. Police are uninterested and ineffective so I figure I'll just stop the noise at my end by using something to cover my ears.
Unfortunately my workshop and chain sawing ear muffs only seem to address the higher frequencies.

I've not yet found any ear plugs or ear muffs that address low frequency noise around 40 to 50Hz - and that's what is needed.
Any suggestions from forum readers ?

Hi Harry,

I can sympathise with your problem ! Unfortunately the lower frequencies tend to produce more physical vibration, carrying higher power levels, so they tend to carry further and become more disturbing. I'm guessing you are like me predominately hard of hearing in the higher frequency range so the lower frequencies contribute more.

I use headphones if I need/want to listen to music or TV programs. That tends to drown out unwanted sound, but other than that it is a difficult problem to solve. Like you I've found that ear plugs and the like don't help much.

Ear Muffs that attenuate around 40dB at say 1kHz can only attenuate about 20 dB at 50 Hz. This is because you body acts acts as a microphone picking up the vibrations and transmitting them to you ear via the skeleton to your ear so short of suspending yourself in a vacuum or surrounding yourself in a lead lined concrete bunker you have no chance of attenuation low frequency sound.

I suggest getting yourself a Sound pressure level (SPL) App for your mobile phone and keep a log of the times and SPLs and send them to your council on a regular basis.

Some further research has given a couple of options so for the benefit of readers who may have similar issues:
- these ear muffs, according to a couple of reviews, may be better than others for low frequency noise... 3M XA007707954 (X5A) PELTOR X Series Premium Headband Ear Muffs (sydneytools.com.au)
- inserting ear plugs (like foam plugs for example) are good but they must be inserted correctly; that is, deeply within the ear canal.

Still keen to hear from other forum members on their experience. (I've also started the same topic in the woodworkers forum).

A colleague had a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones, that was about 16 years ago. He would wear them to use purely for attenuation of noise at times. I tried them and it really knocked the low end rumble off. Quite surprisingly so.

I fixed the noisy neighbor problem in my shed

Shedboombox.jpg

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It can be very frustrating to deal with noisy neighbors, especially when it's impacting your quality of life. You're right that most ear muffs and earplugs are designed to block out higher frequencies, rather than low-frequency noise.


One option you could consider is investing in noise-canceling headphones or earbuds that are specifically designed to cancel out low-frequency noise. These types of headphones use active noise cancellation technology to block out unwanted sounds. They work by emitting a sound wave that is the exact opposite of the incoming noise, effectively canceling it out.


Another option is to look for earplugs or ear muffs that are specifically designed for industrial or construction workers. These types of ear protection devices are often designed to block out a wide range of frequencies, including low-frequency noise.

You could trigger your car or house alarm and let it rip for as long as required.

Originally Posted by Marc

You could trigger your car or house alarm and let it rip for as long as required.

Hi Guys,

There is actually a legal requirement about how long a car or house alarm can sound before it has to turn off. This is why you hear the alarm stop for a short while before it restarts.

Originally Posted by harry wall

We have more than one trashy neighbour who believe everyone within 1 km of their household parties must endure loud thumping base low frequency "music" from 9pm to 3am. Police are uninterested and ineffective so I figure I'll just stop the noise at my end by using something to cover my ears.
Unfortunately my workshop and chain sawing ear muffs only seem to address the higher frequencies.

I've not yet found any ear plugs or ear muffs that address low frequency noise around 40 to 50Hz - and that's what is needed.
Any suggestions from forum readers ?

You don't say which state you are in so it's impossible to give specific information I speak from personal experience in Victoria you will be able to stop it you just need to be reasonable and persistent in calling the coppers. I know the laws in Victoria are extremely forceful when applied. Other states I don't know but they should have something. If not do what was done over 30 years ago call the local member of parliament at the time it's happening asking to change the law. If it's happening to them it's amazing how quickly they act.

I second the noise cancelling headphones. I had a reasonably cheap set that used to scare me because I couldn't hear the engine in my plane any more - AT ALL. I took to humming, which it cancelled because of the proximity and allowed engine noise to be audible again.....
Took a lot of time to get used to the deathly quiet, but eventually I trusted the gauges more.
It also totally cancelled the low frequency noise of our house central heating fan very effectively.

A good solution is noise canceling headphones. These devices use active noise canceling technology to block out unwanted sounds. They work by emitting a sound wave that is the exact opposite of the incoming noise, effectively suppressing it.
This is probably the most effective way to block out low frequency noise. There are many different brands and models available, so you should be able to find a pair that fits your budget and needs. For example from the expensive ones:
Sony WH-1000XM5
Bose QuietComfort 45
From the cheap ones:
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
JBL Live 660NC