Father's Day is coming up soon, on June 19th -- that's just a few days away. That means it's high time to get Dad the perfect gift to show how much you appreciate all his hard work, love, and all the other fatherly stuff he does.
Now, you could go with one of the "traditional" Father's Day gifts... and there's nothing wrong with that. Dad can always use a new tie, right?
...right?
Well, if your dad isn't a tie enthusiast, why not try something new this year? We at Ear Plug Superstore have compiled a list of our top six favorite techno gadgets that would make awesome gifts this Father's Day. These items range from simple, useful gadgets to improve Dad's daily life, to truly unique, high-tech toys he'll be dying to show off to his friends.
| 1. Sennheiser PXC250-II Noise Cancelling Headphones | |
| Why It's Cool: These headphones will actually cancel out ambient noises, so that you only hear the sound pumping through the headphones. Everything else fades away. The Science: These headphones actually have built-in microphones that listen to the noises around you, constantly gathering information about incoming sound waves. While the headphones play your music, they also emit sound waves that counter the incoming sound waves from ambient noises, effectively killing the waves before they hit your ears. The result is that the headphones actually cancel out incoming ambient noises, so all you hear is the music. |
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| Why Dad Will Love It: These are high-quality headphones from Sennheiser, so the sound quality here is very good. And with noise cancelling technology built right in, Dad can wear these on the subway, on airplanes, or anywhere else with a lot of noisy background sound, and he'll still hear his favorite tunes clearly (without all that irritating background noise!). | |
| 2. Bilsom Electo Tactical and AM/FM Radio Earmuffs | |
| Why It's Cool: These hearing protection earmuffs protect your hearing, amplify outside noises so you can still hear safe sounds clearly, AND they let you listen to the radio, too! The Science: The earmuffs provide protection from outside noises, while speakers embedded in each ear cup allow you to listen to music from the built-in AM/FM radio. But the really cool part is that there are directionally-placed stereo microphones on each earcup that amplify outside noises, so you can still hear what's going on around you clearly, and in true stereo, with the earmuffs on and your music playing. The icing on the cake is that there are independent volume controls for the music and for ambient sound amplification, so you can turn the music up and turn the world down, or vice-versa. |
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| Why Dad Will Love It: These earmuffs are the best of all worlds: Dad can protect his hearing, still clearly hear amplified ambient sounds so he doesn't get that muffled feeling, and he can listen to the radio all at the same time! Plus, these earmuffs look cool, they're high-tech, and they're covered with nifty adjustment knobs to play with. | |
| 3. Walkers Hybrid Duo CIC Semi-Custom Hearing Enhancer with Noise Protection | |
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Why It's Cool: Designed as a tactical in-ear hunting hearing aid, these little babies can make you hear better, period -- even if you never go hunting again. |
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| Why Dad Will Love It: First off, if Dad has a little trouble hearing, these will help him enjoy the sounds of life better, without a trip to the audiologist. And if Dad has normal hearing, the four settings on these in-ear gadgets will let him hear much better and more clearly in crowds, at concerts and movies, or while enjoying the great outdoors. | |
| 4. Marpac Stereo Pillow Speaker Set | |
| Why It's Cool: These speakers let you listen to music (or white noise) while sleeping, without needing to wear earpieces, and without filling the whole bedroom with noise. The Science: These take a very simple idea and give it a new twist. The two speakers are flat and smooth, and designed to slip easily inside your pillow case, right under the pillow. Sound, sleep, and comfort -- and it's such a simple idea that it'll work with any pillow. |
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| Why Dad Will Love It: With these, Dad can plug the speakers into a sound source like an mp3 player or a white noise machine, slide the speakers into his pillow, and lay back and enjoy his favorite music while he relaxes or drifts off to dreamland. | |
| 5. Shure SE115M Sound Isolating™ Music/Phone Headset | |
| Why It's Cool: With music-capable smart phones cropping up everywhere, the need for a device that will let you listen to your music and still actually use your phone is on the rise. This will let you do both (and a lot more, if you have an iPhone). The Science: Created specifically for Apple iPhone 3GS 4 and most iPod models, the inline three-button remote allows users to adjust the volume, control music and video playback, record voice memos, and answer or end calls with the touch of a button, all without removing your earpieces. The inline mic lets you talk on the phone, but won't get in the way while you're listening to music. To top it all off, sound isolating sleeves (replaceable ear tips) in multiple sizes block outside noise and provide a secure, comfortable fit. (A 1-button in-line control model is also available for other music enabled mobile phones, if you don't have an iPhone.) |
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| Why Dad Will Love It: This is a must-have for any Dad with a music-capable smart phone. He'll enjoy being able to listen to music and talk on the phone hands-free without ever needing to take out his earbuds. With an iPhone, he'll be able to use a lot of the phone's features without needing to actually touch the phone -- and the Shure name means these in-ear earphones will provide high-quality sound whether he's listening to you, Mom, or his favorite music. Bonus: Right now, priority shipping on this item is FREE! |
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| 6. SnoreMasker® Pro Deluxe In-Ear White Noise Machine | |
| Why It's Cool: This offers all the benefits of white noise via a set of in-ear earpieces. The white noise gets channeled straight into your ears, and other sounds get blocked out. The Science: Each SnoreMasker Pro earpiece is fitted with a soft poly-urethane foam tip. These soft foam ear tips block all kinds of noises, including snoring, the neighbor's TV, traffic noise, and other sounds, preventing most of the sound from entering your ear. (They reduce the volume by 20-25 dB, or by about 75%.) Each earpiece then produces a gentle, soothing, white noise sound that will mask much of the remaining noise you can hear, giving you nearly total isolation from virtually all sound up to 70 dB, about the sound level of a loud alarm clock. Each earpiece also offers independent volume control, and the foam tips come in a variety of sizes to fit any size of ear. |
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Why Dad Will Love It: If Mom snores, or if Dad has other sounds that keep him awake at night, the SnoreMasker Pro is his ticket to peace and quiet, and a good night's sleep! |
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Now, none of these gifts will go with Dad's favorite suit, but it's a proven scientific fact that cool tech gadgets are 100% more exciting to the male brain than a new tie.
Need to get your gift in time for Father's Day? Well, we can't control what happens once your package hits the post office, so we can't absolutely guarantee delivery in time for Father's Day. But based on usual shipping times, we recommend you place your order by Monday, June 13th (for Priority Shipping) or by Friday, June 17th (for USPS Express Mail Shipping) to receive your gifts by Father's Day.
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman
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