Bose X as just noise-reduction?

G-Man

G-Man

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AirmanG
I've got a Bose X headset I enjoy flying with. I'm going to do a long solo road trip in a fairly loud car and wondering how I can avoid the ambient cabin noise.

If I put the Bose X headset on and turn it on, but it isn't plugged into anything and I'm not talking on it, will the Active Noise Reduction work?

Other options include 'nothing - suck it up,' earplugs, or shooting muffs. Anything else?

What's most effective in a car with road and engine noise?
Thanks.
 
The ANR should work without being plugged into anything - but I can imagine you'd get a few looks from passers-by while wearing an aviation headset while driving!
 
Well, it needs to be powered. You can get a battery powered adapter to use it with normal headset jacks, but it doesn't have to be plugged in to the jacks.

Also, you might attract the attention of LEO if you have both ears covered while driving.
 
Personally, I like using ANR earbuds when I'm a passenger. I also use them when I'm flying the T-Craft.
 
Are headphones while driving still illegal? I know they used to be when Walkman still used cassette tapes, but it's been a while.

Anyway, throw on that headset and put the mic up along the headband and probably nobody will notice. Just make sure you go too fast in the left lane AND too slow in the right lane and you'll blend right in. :)
 
rolivi said:
Are headphones while driving still illegal? I know they used to be when Walkman still used cassette tapes, but it's been a while.
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I'm fairly certain the here in OK, at least, it's still illegal to drive with headphones on.
 
Thanks! It's got its own batteries, so power is set.
Yes, might be illegal. I would only do it in rural areas.
 
turned on a Pair of david clark H10-13X in a machine shop. They seem to only cancel out the low frequency noises - so worthless for that application. I bet they wont cancel out the road noise, just engine.

AG
 
I have a pair of Bose ANR earbuds designed for use by passengers on airliners. They seem to cancel out all noise equally. In fact it's hard to hear the PA or the FA asking if I want something to drink. Does anyone know if pilot headsets are designed to cancel certain frequencies and not others? Are they different from headsets designed for passengers on airliners? I have never owned an aviation ANR headset and have only used a borrowed one a few times so I can't compare.
 
Everskyward said:
I have a pair of Bose ANR earbuds designed for use by passengers on airliners. They seem to cancel out all noise equally. In fact it's hard to hear the PA or the FA asking if I want something to drink. Does anyone know if pilot headsets are designed to cancel certain frequencies and not others? Are they different from headsets designed for passengers on airliners? I have never owned an aviation ANR headset and have only used a borrowed one a few times so I can't compare.
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Yours may be faulty. I believe those headsets are programmed to let through at least the phrases "Gin and Tonic" and "Upgrade to First Class".

Mine do a good job of cancelling evenly. Although most of the high frequencies seem to be taken out mechanically and the ANR more effective on the low frequencies.
 
Ear plugs would likely be far more comfortable and just as effective than driving down the road in an aviation headset.


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My own Bose headset is comfortable enough, but I would also still probably opt for earplugs. I do wear earplugs when I ride a motorcycle.
 
Buy a GMC with noise canceling built in. Problem solved.
 
G-Man said:
I've got a Bose X headset I enjoy flying with. I'm going to do a long solo road trip in a fairly loud car and wondering how I can avoid the ambient cabin noise.

If I put the Bose X headset on and turn it on, but it isn't plugged into anything and I'm not talking on it, will the Active Noise Reduction work?

Other options include 'nothing - suck it up,' earplugs, or shooting muffs. Anything else?

What's most effective in a car with road and engine noise?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

The auto shutoff feature will kick in unless you disable it. Personally I think earplugs work better.
 
Back in my youth I drove vehicles with highly modified engines. I would stick cotton in my ears otherwise I would have a nagging headache after a night of red light to red light racing....er, I mean slowly and safely cruising the strip....

I was on a first name basis with most of the cops in town..... during our roadside friendly chats they would always ask me if I still had that ear infection.... because while it wasn't really a violation to wear a headset, it could be a violation to not be able to hear other traffic warnings, like the horn, or someone challenging me by revving their engine....


aahhh... to be young and stupid again....:)
 
I have used BoseA20s (the version after X) on 6 hr road trips but they have an autoshutoff feature - when it detects no input from the jacks, it shuts the ANC off. So you are constantly resetting it. Otherwise they are awesome - much more rested after the long drives.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I have used BoseA20s (the version after X) on 6 hr road trips but they have an autoshutoff feature - when it detects no input from the jacks, it shuts the ANC off. So you are constantly resetting it. Otherwise they are awesome - much more rested after the long drives.
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I believe you can disable the auto shutoff with a switch in the battery box. LOL!
You didn't read the manual did you?
 
Everskyward said:
I have a pair of Bose ANR earbuds designed for use by passengers on airliners. They seem to cancel out all noise equally. In fact it's hard to hear the PA or the FA asking if I want something to drink. Does anyone know if pilot headsets are designed to cancel certain frequencies and not others? Are they different from headsets designed for passengers on airliners? I have never owned an aviation ANR headset and have only used a borrowed one a few times so I can't compare.
Click to expand...

My ANR sets pretty much dampened much of the lower frequencies... like engine/prop noise.... but not the higher frequencies of human chatter.

Kind of like sitting in my truck with the radio blaring, and then I cut the power to the subwoofer...
 
G-Man said:
I've got a Bose X headset I enjoy flying with. I'm going to do a long solo road trip in a fairly loud car and wondering how I can avoid the ambient cabin noise.

If I put the Bose X headset on and turn it on, but it isn't plugged into anything and I'm not talking on it, will the Active Noise Reduction work?

Other options include 'nothing - suck it up,' earplugs, or shooting muffs. Anything else?

What's most effective in a car with road and engine noise?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Just a dumb question here. You have the Bose headset and have a car. Why not just put the headset on, hop in the car and try it???
 
Try the Bose QC35... Much lighter and more comfy than the X. Plus they are wireless and will stream music Bluetooth. Bose has a 30 day trial period on all their stuff.
 
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G-Man said:
I've got a Bose X headset I enjoy flying with. I'm going to do a long solo road trip in a fairly loud car and wondering how I can avoid the ambient cabin noise.

If I put the Bose X headset on and turn it on, but it isn't plugged into anything and I'm not talking on it, will the Active Noise Reduction work?

Other options include 'nothing - suck it up,' earplugs, or shooting muffs. Anything else?

What's most effective in a car with road and engine noise?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Just out of curiosity, what kind of vehicle are you driving that is loud enough to want a noise cancelling headset?
 
It's a 2002 Mazda Protege5. Stock, five-speed, Sumitomo summer tires, four-cylinder 2.0liter 16-valve. At 75mph (legal limit here), it turns ~3,400 rpm.

Analyzing the noises, I hear:
1. Wind noise - high-pitched.
2. Engine/transmission noise - medium-pitched.
3. Road noise, especially bad due to the terrible, horrible grooved* concrete pavement they've been installing. Low-pitched.

It combines to make it a pretty tiring car for long distances and I may have a 2,000 mile road trip through very rural areas coming up. (Separately, I'm getting a new car in a few months.)

I did do some testing (thanks, PigpenRacing!).
No noise abatement - uncomfortably loud though there are many far worse.
Shooting muffs - lots of noise reduction but road noise rumble remains. Definite loss of situational awareness. Shooting muffs uncomfortable.
Bose X with no ANR - like the shooting muffs, but less effective.
Bose X with ANR - Great! Significant reduction in all ranges of noise. Car radio easily audible and clear. Headset not super-comfortable and very visible. Very effective. Good preservation of situational awareness.

Also tried a set of Audio-Technica ATH-ANC23 noise-canceling earbuds - $50 from Amazon. Impressive so far. Quite comfortable due to small weight and size, no head-squashing. Does not work as well as the Bose X, of course. Might be the best option to use these as noise-redction, not connected to any music.

(*It routinely gets well below freezing here. Why groove the pavement? Just seems like a great way for ice to form and crack the concrete, requiring more road repairs.)
 
Yes. The foam earplugs are the best noise reduction, but they cost a lot of situational awareness. Everything gets muffled and fuzzy. Ideal for a passenger, not so much for the driver. (Forgot to add that earlier.)
 
I've never had great luck with foam earplugs. They work okay, but correctly fitting silicon rubber earplugs work much better.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I've never had great luck with foam earplugs. They work okay, but correctly fitting silicon rubber earplugs work much better.
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Yup. As for situational awareness, I never thought it was an issue while in marching band. We (in the drumline) wore them both as protection and as a mechanism to allow us to synchronize our attacks a lot better. We were still able to have normal conversations and avoid hazards while wearing them. Definitely get some of the silicone ones from a Hardware store nearby just to try out, they are much more comfortable than the expanding foam anyway.
 
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