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Anyone use a white noise generator?

Platypus

Platypus

Lifer
So my place has really nice thick walls but the ceilings are made out of paper apparently and I need to mask the sound of the beached whale of a woman living above me pounding her hambeast feet around her condo as well as playing the goddamn TV at all hours of the night. It isn't that she's being outlandishly loud, it's just that I can hear everything she does perfectly no matter what volume it's at.

Typically when my central air kicks in, the noise is just enough to distract the sounds of her walrus moans.. but I do not want to constantly run my air/heat, especially because my unit is a power hog and it's expensive as fuck.

I am looking for a nice white noise generator that makes a good amount of noise (like more than air whooshing from a vent) but not enough to be a jet engine.. I do typically like it on the louder side though. The caveat is that it needs to be extremely conservative on power consumption as I will run it for about 7 hours a night. Something that takes up less power to run than my furnace, like if I were to just leave a computer plugged in all night.

Thanks.
 
I've been considering this one on Amazon for a while -- the reviews are great and there are lots of them, but it's expensive and ugly. Why couldn't they at least make it black?? WTF

Anyway, I have been using a box fan for a year or two in the meantime and the noise is great, and I like the airflow. My wife hates it though...
 
Originally posted by: Platypus
So my place has really nice thick walls but the ceilings are made out of paper apparently and I need to mask the sound of the beached whale of a woman living above me pounding her hambeast feet around her condo as well as playing the goddamn TV at all hours of the night. It isn't that she's being outlandishly loud, it's just that I can hear everything she does perfectly no matter what volume it's at.
Click to expand...

Man them.

Serious contribution: box fans are cheap and wonderful. You get the airflow as a bonus.
 
A box fan isn't going to be loud enough unless I crank that fucker up to high and it's already cold enough in Chicago for that kind of airflow.

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Someone needs to smother that orcha.
 
I would also just get a stand alone fan. Put it on the highest setting and i think that should help.
 
Originally posted by: Leros
I like airflow moving around the room. I'd just get a fan and aim it at the ceiling.
Click to expand...

This is what I do. Although it has the unfortunate side effect of making it hard for me to sleep anywhere that doesn't have a fan.
 
Originally posted by: BillGates
I've been considering this one on Amazon for a while -- the reviews are great and there are lots of them, but it's expensive and ugly. Why couldn't they at least make it black?? WTF

Anyway, I have been using a box fan for a year or two in the meantime and the noise is great, and I like the airflow. My wife hates it though...
Click to expand...

I have one of these, not sure if its the exact model, but i've been using it for about a year. I use it mostly in the winter as I use a fan in the summer. It works great, but it can onyl block out so much. Big thumps and bass are still going to get through. I think the reason they are so expensive is that they must have very good parts. These things are expected to last many years without vibrating or making annoying sounds.

Oh and the tone and volume are adjustable. I leave mine on low and it is still pretty loud.
 
Originally posted by: Riverhound777
Originally posted by: BillGates
I've been considering this one on Amazon for a while -- the reviews are great and there are lots of them, but it's expensive and ugly. Why couldn't they at least make it black?? WTF

Anyway, I have been using a box fan for a year or two in the meantime and the noise is great, and I like the airflow. My wife hates it though...
Click to expand...

I have one of these, not sure if its the exact model, but i've been using it for about a year. I use it mostly in the winter as I use a fan in the summer. It works great, but it can onyl block out so much. Big thumps and bass are still going to get through. I think the reason they are so expensive is that they must have very good parts. These things are expected to last many years without vibrating or making annoying sounds.

Oh and the tone and volume are adjustable. I leave mine on low and it is still pretty loud.
Click to expand...

How is the power consumption on something like that?
 
White noise generators are inherently racist.

That said, I use the recorded sounds of a Hampton's cocktail party on a loop.
 
Originally posted by: Lola
I would also just get a stand alone fan. Put it on the highest setting and i think that should help.
Click to expand...
I do that exact thing. It is nearly free and quite useful for white noise.
 
Originally posted by: Riverhound777
Originally posted by: BillGates
I've been considering this one on Amazon for a while -- the reviews are great and there are lots of them, but it's expensive and ugly. Why couldn't they at least make it black?? WTF

Anyway, I have been using a box fan for a year or two in the meantime and the noise is great, and I like the airflow. My wife hates it though...
Click to expand...

I have one of these, not sure if its the exact model, but i've been using it for about a year. I use it mostly in the winter as I use a fan in the summer. It works great, but it can onyl block out so much. Big thumps and bass are still going to get through. I think the reason they are so expensive is that they must have very good parts. These things are expected to last many years without vibrating or making annoying sounds.

Oh and the tone and volume are adjustable. I leave mine on low and it is still pretty loud.
Click to expand...

One of the offices at which I work uses this brand/model when therapists are in with clients. They seem to work well, although as Riverhound said, they likely do a better job of blocking out things like talking than they do the thumping of feet.
 
Originally posted by: Platypus
Originally posted by: Riverhound777
Originally posted by: BillGates
I've been considering this one on Amazon for a while -- the reviews are great and there are lots of them, but it's expensive and ugly. Why couldn't they at least make it black?? WTF

Anyway, I have been using a box fan for a year or two in the meantime and the noise is great, and I like the airflow. My wife hates it though...
Click to expand...

I have one of these, not sure if its the exact model, but i've been using it for about a year. I use it mostly in the winter as I use a fan in the summer. It works great, but it can onyl block out so much. Big thumps and bass are still going to get through. I think the reason they are so expensive is that they must have very good parts. These things are expected to last many years without vibrating or making annoying sounds.

Oh and the tone and volume are adjustable. I leave mine on low and it is still pretty loud.
Click to expand...

How is the power consumption on something like that?
Click to expand...

Haven't looked, but i'm sure it is much less than a fan.
 
Originally posted by: shocksyde
Originally posted by: Leros
I like airflow moving around the room. I'd just get a fan and aim it at the ceiling.
Click to expand...

This is what I do. Although it has the unfortunate side effect of making it hard for me to sleep anywhere that doesn't have a fan.
Click to expand...

I do this too. Even if it's cold out, I like having a fan (on the lowest setting) pointing away from me in the room. I can sleep fine without a fan if I have to.
 
Originally posted by: Lola
I would also just get a stand alone fan. Put it on the highest setting and i think that should help.
Click to expand...
Or an air cleaner. You'll reduce the dust in your apartment at the same time. Better yet, install a K&N CAI and you'd be more energetic!
 
had one for the twins when they were newborns but it's very much a local sound... it won't fill the entire room or two. Well, it can if you turn it up real loud but then it's extremely annoying... it wouldn't be "background noise".
 
Originally posted by: rh71
had one for the twins when they were newborns but it's very much a local sound... it won't fill the entire room or two. Well, it can if you turn it up real loud but then it's extremely annoying... it wouldn't be "background noise".
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Like it's only useful if it's right next to you?

The infant model white noise generators look substantially smaller than the one linked in the thread.. perhaps that's why?
 
Originally posted by: Platypus
Originally posted by: rh71
had one for the twins when they were newborns but it's very much a local sound... it won't fill the entire room or two. Well, it can if you turn it up real loud but then it's extremely annoying... it wouldn't be "background noise".
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Like it's only useful if it's right next to you?

The infant model white noise generators look substantially smaller than the one linked in the thread.. perhaps that's why?
Click to expand...

It wasn't infant-specific and it's the same size as something like this... http://www.amazon.com/Marsona-...ODIEE/ref=pd_sim_hpc_4 so I don't know how much better the linked one works...
 
Originally posted by: Platypus
How would the consumption on a box fan be compared to a dedicated device like the one BillGates posted?
Click to expand...
The box fan's power will vary wildly with size and model. But, if you assume a large fan with 100W of power, running 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, then you'd be running $20-$40 in electricity a year depending on your electricity rates. A dedicated device should be cheaper in electricity.

But, the fan has advantages that a white noise generator doesn't have. Blow it on you in summer while you sleep and you can have a higher thermostat setting while being comfortable (you'll save more than $20 there in AC bills). Blow it on the ceiling in winter and you can have a lower thermostat setting while still being comfortable (save a lot of money that way too). You can buy a model with an air filter for cleaner air, or a water bath for humid air.
 
Originally posted by: Platypus
How would the consumption on a box fan be compared to a dedicated device like the one BillGates posted?
Click to expand...

My fan uses like 17-22 watts on the lowest setting (it doesn't fluctuate, I just can't remember how much it uses. It's a small portable fan.
 
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