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

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

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.

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.

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 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).

Best solution would be not working in a sweatshop.

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'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:_...

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Here's a fun invention for ya.

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

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

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

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

Try another pair?

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

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

Walls

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