Hearing Protection
42 episodes
#6258: How Loop Filters Noise for Focus and Conversation
Loop Engage 2 carries an SNR of 16 decibels but an NRR of just 8 decibels, showing how regional testing standards diverge.
#6122: Explaining Misophonia to the People You Love
18.4% of adults meet the threshold for misophonia. Only 13.6% have ever heard the word. Here's how to bridge that gap.
#6121: Hearing Speech in Noise: What Actually Works
Over-the-counter hearing aids, AirPods Conversation Boost, and neural speech separation — what works when your audiogram is normal but the café isn't.
#6120: What Actually Helps When Sound Is Too Much
Misophonia and hyperacusis treatments are thin but not empty — and the ADHD sound-sensitivity gap is more interesting than it looks.
#6118: What NRR Actually Means for Your Ears
That 34 dB rating on the box? Real-world protection is closer to 13. Here's how to actually pick hearing protection.
#6117: Earmuffs, Earplugs, and the Café Speech Problem
Why noise-cancelling headphones kill the espresso machine but leave the wedding planning next to you perfectly audible.
#6116: Why Noise Makes You Snap at Your Kid
The drill stops, but the anger doesn't. What Glass and Singer found about noise, control, and the tantrum two hours later.
#5854: Why Quiet Weekends Make the Jackhammer Worse
Daniel's Jerusalem construction site goes silent on Saturdays — and that's exactly why Sunday's jackhammer hits so hard. The neuroscience of habitu...
#5678: Why Voices Are Harder to Design For Than Music
Every word arrives clearly on a phone speaker — so why is it exhausting? The science of listening effort, and how to design audio that isn't.
#5633: Is Construction Noise Actually Inevitable?
What if the jackhammer isn't the problem? A look at how deep garages, tall towers, and concrete make cities loud.
#5128: The 120 Hz Problem: Why Your Window Can't Stop That Jackhammer
A bedroom-shattering 120 Hz tone reveals why low-frequency noise ignores windows, mocks active noise cancellation, and demands real physics.
#5120: Why Ground Rumble Ignores Your Acoustic Windows
Acoustic windows can't stop low-frequency rumble traveling through soil. Can wave barriers or base isolation actually work between city buildings?
#5106: Why a Jackhammer Still Wins Against Acoustic Windows
A quiet room isn't quiet when the noise travels through the building itself. We break down why acoustic windows fail against low-frequency percussion.
#5099: Surviving Construction Noise When Your Brain Can't Filter It
Chronic jackhammer noise, ADHD, and the psychology of feeling trapped in a Jerusalem rental. How to cope when you can't move and can't escape the s...
#4464: Building a $120 Porch Monitor for Construction Noise
Daniel built a weatherproof sensor system to track construction noise and dust while he's away for the summer.
#4389: The $120 Noise Sensor That Could Change Cities
One Jerusalem resident wants to track construction noise from his balcony. Here’s why that’s harder than it should be.
#4012: How Rock Breakers Beat Your Windows
Why standard double-glazing fails against construction noise and what actually works.
#4011: What Intermittent Jackhammer Noise Does to Your Brain
Unpredictable construction noise isn't just annoying—it triggers your threat-detection system in ways your brain can't adapt to.
#3827: The Earplug Paradox: ADHD vs Autism
Same earplugs, completely different brain. Why ADHD and autism look alike on the surface but feel worlds apart.
#3823: How Cities Can Enforce Construction Noise with Real-Time Data
Can cities actually enforce noise limits with real-time sound data? We explore the tech, the gaps, and who's doing it right.
#3403: Why Clip-On Speakers Beat Headphones for Parents and Workers
Clip-on speakers solve problems headphones can't. Who uses them, what they clip onto, and which ones are actually good.
#3353: How a 30-Story Tower Sounds Next Door
A stage-by-stage breakdown of high-rise construction noise, from pile driving to topping out — and what actually works to quiet it down.
#2905: How Your Brain Filters Noise (And Why It Fails)
Four layers of neural sound filtering — and why they break differently in ADHD, autism, and APD.
#2886: How Acoustic Cameras Catch Honking Drivers
Can an acoustic camera pinpoint one honk in a traffic jam? The tech is real, and fines are being issued.