Noise and Music

Useful inventions to help cut down on noise pollution or at least get away from it.

No More Noisy Musical Instruments

Attach Silent Brass to your brass instrument and practice anywhere, any time, and never bother anyone, yet hear your own sound in full voice. Practice in 3 distinct 'rooms:' Concert Hall, Church, and Practice Room. Buy one for yourself, a practicing child, or a noisy neighbor.

Yamaha also makes silent violins, cellos, guitars and more.

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Simple Hearing Protection

The Peltor H10A Professional Earmuff Hearing Protector (NRR 30 dB) isn't some cool electronic gizmo, it's just a simple earmuff to protect your ears, but it's a pretty darn good one for the price. I own this product and it's the best of the ones I have tried over the years. There is one small problem though. Although it's not too tight, I still have to take it off after a while to give my head and ears a break. That's one reason why I have the Bose QuietComfort 2 listed below. The Bose headphones are supposed to be lightweight and comfortable, so when I have extra money I plan to buy them and see for myself if you can really leave them on longer.

Earplugs don't do anything for me and I hate having things stuck in my ears anyway, so the Peltor H10A is a good alternative if you can't afford the Bose headphones.

Visit peltor.com

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Anti-Noise Headset

The award-winning technology of the Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones electronically identifies and reduces unwanted noise so you hear more of what you want to hear and less of the tiresome sounds that can distract you. Proprietary TriPort headphone technology also helps give you quality headphone audio performance while being compact and streamlined. Unlike conventional, bulky noise reduction headphones, QuietComfort 2 headphones are lightweight and comfortable. You may forget that you have them on.

The original QuietComfort headphones were designed for airline travel, but proved effective wherever noise was a problem: buses, trains, in the office, or at home. The convenience and portability features of the QuietComfort 2 headphones make them even easier to enjoy in a variety of environments. Whether you take them on a trip or to the office, your QuietComfort 2 headphones will fold flat to store easily in a bag or briefcase.

A single detachable audio cable gives you easy access to portable players, home stereos and in-flight entertainment systems, all with less tangling than two-cable designs. That same cable can be removed so your headphones can go 'cordless' when you simply want the benefits of noise reduction.

Visit bose.com

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Soundproof Wallpaper

Boeing scientists are working on a technology called 'Fluidic Wallpaper' that uses compressed air to block outside noise. It is intended for use in things such as airplanes, but I hope they consider using it in homes, office buildings, hotels, and so on. If it really is better and cheaper than current soundproofing materials, millions of people will want to have Fluidic Wallpaper in their homes since the world is not getting any quieter.

Visit boeing.com