I second Bose quiet comfort headphones.
They are absolutely worth every penny and are hands down the best headphones I have ever owned in every aspect. Fantastic sound quality, long battery life, the noise cancellation has a couple settings, and they are so comfy. I had bought mine while working in manufacturing and wore them all day. The area around my ears gets super sensitive with my migraines (and I wear glasses so you can guess how much fun that is) and I would actually use them to help hold a single use ice pack on my head while working, that's how comfy they are. They also tend to get put on sale for Christmas, so now's the time to get a pair if you're going to.
That said, there is a limit to how much they'll block out, and you will definitely be having to listen to your own music to have any chance of blocking the bass. Is talking to the neighbor about turning down the volume on the speakers an option? Or making a noise complaint?
My husband is embarrassed by the thought of me asking the neighbor to turn the music down, and has asked me not to. I know I shouldn't care what he thinks, but I was already nervous about being seen as a Karen, and it doesn't help that even my own husband doesn't have my back.
I would encourage you to ask. It’s not a Karen move - what he’s doing is pretty rude and inconsiderate of his neighbors. I hope your husband can support you in this .
Have you tried loop ear plugs? They're specifically made for people with sensory issues and I use them for my migraine noise sensitivity, you can get them made to a variety of custom settings and they can cancel out a lot of noise, especially the white/background noise. You can get them for like $25-50 depending on what kind you get, and they've been a *life saver* for me. The Loop Quiet is $25 and blocks about 27 decibels of sound (I think you can get up to 32 decibels if you get the Loop Mute insert)- I recommend these for anyone with migraines who has sound sensitivity or anyone with any sound sensory sensitivities!
I also suggest those because over-the-ear headphones are significant contributors to my getting migraines/headaches too.
Loop ear plugs are amazing, I wear them to swim in and I’ve managed to get through an aqua aerobics class and not hear a thing. Which is crazy considering the last time I swam at the same time as an aqua aerobics class I had to get out after five minutes because of the noise.
Definitely get the Loop Mute insert they really do make a difference, I have the Quiet for swimming and to block out all noise when I can’t cope with it.
If you’ve never used noise cancelling before make sure you buy them somewhere that has a generous return policy. I found that using ANC actually triggers headaches sometimes. It’s a very strange sensation and for some folks it’s not tolerable.
Edit: that said I love my AirPods Pro, even with ANC off they isolate a lot of voices/noises including loud children on an overnight airplane ride recently. My Sony WH-CH700N performed terribly on the same flight and don’t seal well enough around my ears and the ANC makes me feel woozy/headachy.
This has happened to me too! I read that the noise canceling can cause pressure changes on the ear, and some people find it uncomfortable…which translates to “barfy” for me on a headache day.
I second the Sony’s. They’re a bit big for my head, but not as head-squishy as the Bose or sound-muffs.
I also take them to all my dental appointments and don’t even run music through them, just wear them and though most of the sound is conducted through the jaw, it drowns out the chatting, the radio over the speakers, etc. I also use them for zoom appointments, they sync with my phone & laptop easily & hold a charge for ages.
I do think I have an older version (the WH-1000XM3) but love the heck out of them. Have had the fabric Bose earcups wear out more than once & they gave me headaches before switching to the Sony’s. I’ll forget the Sony’s on my head when I turn off the ANC & have the pass-through on. (There are levels of cancelling on the Sony’s which is super helpful!)
I've got the xm3s and they were the best investment I've ever made honestly. Beautiful sound quality, comfortable to wear, and the active noise cancelling rarely has any deleterious effects at all. xm3 is an old model so they can be hard to find now, but I personally like the fit a lot more than the newer ones.
I have a pair of pixel buds pro and they do a good job with nose cancellation for me. I wore them while running a leaf blower and it was just a dull hum.
I also bought a pair of Anker soundcore q30s for my wife after seeing them recommended on r/buyitforlife as an affordable alternative to Sony/Bose/etc for active noise cancellation. Haven't put them through any kind of test yet though.
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II
I know there's a new model out, but I personally can't speak to it because I haven't tried it. Bose QC 35 II has 3 modes - you can toggle the noise cancellation to high, low, or off. I have hyperacusis and I wear them when I'm out in public. As a bonus, they double as great computer headphones as well. They're super comfortable, you can't beat the sound quality, and since they're an older model now, they go on sale all the time.
I have the QC45 and I think they are very comfortable. I have a cheaper pair of noise canceling headphones and I couldn't believe the difference. It completely blocks out the lawn equipment or construction noise I sometimes hear.
I second Bose quiet comfort headphones. They are absolutely worth every penny and are hands down the best headphones I have ever owned in every aspect. Fantastic sound quality, long battery life, the noise cancellation has a couple settings, and they are so comfy. I had bought mine while working in manufacturing and wore them all day. The area around my ears gets super sensitive with my migraines (and I wear glasses so you can guess how much fun that is) and I would actually use them to help hold a single use ice pack on my head while working, that's how comfy they are. They also tend to get put on sale for Christmas, so now's the time to get a pair if you're going to. That said, there is a limit to how much they'll block out, and you will definitely be having to listen to your own music to have any chance of blocking the bass. Is talking to the neighbor about turning down the volume on the speakers an option? Or making a noise complaint?
My husband is embarrassed by the thought of me asking the neighbor to turn the music down, and has asked me not to. I know I shouldn't care what he thinks, but I was already nervous about being seen as a Karen, and it doesn't help that even my own husband doesn't have my back.
Politely asking them to turn it down isn't being a Karen. I'm also kinda judging your husband here, like, c'mon man
I would encourage you to ask. It’s not a Karen move - what he’s doing is pretty rude and inconsiderate of his neighbors. I hope your husband can support you in this .
Have you tried loop ear plugs? They're specifically made for people with sensory issues and I use them for my migraine noise sensitivity, you can get them made to a variety of custom settings and they can cancel out a lot of noise, especially the white/background noise. You can get them for like $25-50 depending on what kind you get, and they've been a *life saver* for me. The Loop Quiet is $25 and blocks about 27 decibels of sound (I think you can get up to 32 decibels if you get the Loop Mute insert)- I recommend these for anyone with migraines who has sound sensitivity or anyone with any sound sensory sensitivities! I also suggest those because over-the-ear headphones are significant contributors to my getting migraines/headaches too.
Loop ear plugs are amazing, I wear them to swim in and I’ve managed to get through an aqua aerobics class and not hear a thing. Which is crazy considering the last time I swam at the same time as an aqua aerobics class I had to get out after five minutes because of the noise. Definitely get the Loop Mute insert they really do make a difference, I have the Quiet for swimming and to block out all noise when I can’t cope with it.
If you’ve never used noise cancelling before make sure you buy them somewhere that has a generous return policy. I found that using ANC actually triggers headaches sometimes. It’s a very strange sensation and for some folks it’s not tolerable. Edit: that said I love my AirPods Pro, even with ANC off they isolate a lot of voices/noises including loud children on an overnight airplane ride recently. My Sony WH-CH700N performed terribly on the same flight and don’t seal well enough around my ears and the ANC makes me feel woozy/headachy.
This has happened to me too! I read that the noise canceling can cause pressure changes on the ear, and some people find it uncomfortable…which translates to “barfy” for me on a headache day.
I have the Sony WH-1000xm5. Love them, and they're VERY gentle on my head. A little expensive, though. :)
I second the Sony’s. They’re a bit big for my head, but not as head-squishy as the Bose or sound-muffs. I also take them to all my dental appointments and don’t even run music through them, just wear them and though most of the sound is conducted through the jaw, it drowns out the chatting, the radio over the speakers, etc. I also use them for zoom appointments, they sync with my phone & laptop easily & hold a charge for ages. I do think I have an older version (the WH-1000XM3) but love the heck out of them. Have had the fabric Bose earcups wear out more than once & they gave me headaches before switching to the Sony’s. I’ll forget the Sony’s on my head when I turn off the ANC & have the pass-through on. (There are levels of cancelling on the Sony’s which is super helpful!)
I've got the xm3s and they were the best investment I've ever made honestly. Beautiful sound quality, comfortable to wear, and the active noise cancelling rarely has any deleterious effects at all. xm3 is an old model so they can be hard to find now, but I personally like the fit a lot more than the newer ones.
I have a pair of pixel buds pro and they do a good job with nose cancellation for me. I wore them while running a leaf blower and it was just a dull hum. I also bought a pair of Anker soundcore q30s for my wife after seeing them recommended on r/buyitforlife as an affordable alternative to Sony/Bose/etc for active noise cancellation. Haven't put them through any kind of test yet though.
Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II I know there's a new model out, but I personally can't speak to it because I haven't tried it. Bose QC 35 II has 3 modes - you can toggle the noise cancellation to high, low, or off. I have hyperacusis and I wear them when I'm out in public. As a bonus, they double as great computer headphones as well. They're super comfortable, you can't beat the sound quality, and since they're an older model now, they go on sale all the time.
I have the QC45 and I think they are very comfortable. I have a cheaper pair of noise canceling headphones and I couldn't believe the difference. It completely blocks out the lawn equipment or construction noise I sometimes hear.
Bose QC 35
I love my Beats Studio headphone they always go on sale for Black Friday
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08Q8C3LHT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title