I shared in an earlier article that wearing the Peltor and Seinheiser made me feel some pressure on my inner ear. It was one of the reasons that I changed from using the Seinheiser. It was so uncomfortable.
The Peltor is a minor version of that and bearable. Still I wanted to understand if there was a way to reduce that problem.
So my research said several reasons why this is happening. However the one that I think is affecting me the most is the difference in air pressure.
It turns out that when you have a highly effective seal around your ears that the air pressure is lower than the standard pressure they would be under without headphones. You would think intuitively that less pressure would be more comfortable, but it is less comfortable because it is not what you are used to and not what it was designed for.
One of the solutions was to buy a gel ear cap but the process of doing that is ridiculous and not one that I am going to do. To be honest this is such a minor thing and it is fixed by taking them off every so often. Which is probably best for my head so that the pressure against it isn’t too much either.
Overall I am wearing these Peltors for 95% of my day. When I have meetings and have to meet with clients that will be less, but overwhelmingly I am going to wear them as much as possible. It is the difference between working at a construction site and studying in a library. I can’t believe that I get all of this quiet for only $34.
Would I have bought the Sonos Ace if I had bought these first? Of course. I needed to have some active noise mic canceling because clients noticed sounds in my environment even with the teams noise suppression on. Since using them no one has complained about any noise and I mentioned that I tested them with a coworker when the firetrucks were going by and I stuck my head out the window. He said that he didn’t hear anything. That felt great and was totally worth the cost.
If you have the Apple Max headphones the Sonos are lighter and more comfortable. They are better built than the Sony/Bose, and they have been very reliable. The only real issue that I had with them is that last week in YouTube the sound sometimes would sound like it was getting quieter randomly and then louder. I did some research and other people complained that this was a problem with YouTube and issues with YouTubers inconsistent sound levels.
I fixed it by updating the firmware on the device and the problem continued. The next day the problem stopped, so I have to assume it had to do with the firmware update. Either way they were still great and a 1% random volume level dropout and resumption in YouTube wouldn’t have changed my opinion of them.
We need pressure to work physically and it helps inspire us to grow. We shouldn’t try to avoid pressure, just manage the amount we get.