GreGorU May 16, 2025, 5:52 p.m.

What's the best neckband speaker for working from home without disturbing family?

So this is gonna sound weird but hear me out - been working remote since covid started and my audio situation is a complete disaster. Can't use regular headphones anymore because they make my ears sweat like crazy during long zoom calls, plus I keep missing important stuff happening around the house when I'm wearing them.

Problem is my wife sleeps during the day (she's a nurse working night shifts) and our apartment has paper thin walls so any regular speakers wake her up instantly. Tried using earbuds but they fall out constantly and hurt after a couple hours. Laptop speakers are trash and make me sound like I'm calling from inside a tin can on work calls.

Someone mentioned these neckband speaker things that sit on your shoulders and supposedly don't leak sound everywhere while still letting you hear what's going on around you. Sounds too good to be true but desperate times and all that. My back is killing me from hunching over to hear my laptop and I'm tired of my coworkers asking me to speak up every five minutes.

Anyone actually use these weird neck speaker contraptions? Do they actually work or just another gimmicky product that sounds good in theory but sucks in practice?

vgy May 27, 2025, 10:56 p.m.

Daily grind with remote calls led me to grab the Sony SRS-NS7 and it's been adequate for basic work needs. Doesn't completely eliminate sound leakage but way better than laptop speakers for privacy

totally May 16, 2025, 10:12 p.m.

lol neck speakers look absolutely ridiculous but they work surprisingly well. Been using one for months and wife stopped complaining about noise during her day sleep

fear May 17, 2025, 4:57 p.m.

Tried neck speakers for exactly same situation. Complete waste of money - sound quality is garbage and they still leak audio way more than companies claim

shooter 2 May 18, 2025, 8:01 p.m.

Working from home audio is such a nightmare. Tried everything from bone conduction headphones to fancy webcam speakers. Nothing really solves the isolation vs privacy problem perfectly

sk21 May 20, 2025, 11:08 a.m.

bone conduction was interesting but gave me weird headaches after extended use. something about the vibrations just didn't agree with my skull apparently

ffflll May 21, 2025, 4:32 p.m.

apartment living + remote work + shift worker spouse = audio hell. Feel your pain completely. Ended up just scheduling all my calls during specific hours when wife is awake

blackmore May 24, 2025, 7:03 p.m.

Neck speakers actually work decent for what they are but don't expect audiophile quality. More about functionality than amazing sound experience

vgy May 27, 2025, 10:56 p.m.

Daily grind with remote calls led me to grab the Sony SRS-NS7 and it's been adequate for basic work needs. Doesn't completely eliminate sound leakage but way better than laptop speakers for privacy

beaboogbini May 31, 2025, 3:05 p.m.

Just get a good usb headset with mute button and deal with ear discomfort. Trying to solve audio problems with niche products usually creates new different problems

Blackbox June 2, 2025, 9 p.m.

Thin apartment walls make any audio solution challenging. Even whispering during calls probably bothers neighbors let alone neck speakers

1000 June 6, 2025, 11:26 p.m.

The concept you're looking for involves directional acoustic coupling where speakers focus sound waves toward your ears while minimizing omnidirectional sound dispersion that creates noise pollution for nearby people

winx111 June 9, 2025, 12:59 a.m.

battery life on most neck speakers is pretty mediocre. Nothing worse than audio cutting out during important presentation because you forgot to charge overnight

KillerSkull June 13, 2025, 7:08 p.m.

Ended up with the monster boomerang neckband speaker after trying cheaper options that broke within weeks. Build quality matters when you're wearing something all day for work purposes

4310 June 15, 2025, 1:11 a.m.

nurse spouse working nights is brutal for home office setup. any noise during day sleep hours causes major relationship stress regardless of audio equipment choice

Zed Red Ted June 17, 2025, 7:40 a.m.

Shift work marriages are tough enough without adding remote work audio complications. Sometimes relationship harmony matters more than perfect work setup

nekroman June 18, 2025, 8:17 p.m.

Exactly why i moved my office to basement. Physical separation solved audio conflicts better than any technology purchase

Korean June 22, 2025, 5:11 p.m.

Zoom call audio quality depends mostly on internet connection and microphone not speaker choice. As long as you can hear clearly nobody else knows what equipment you're using

barbara June 26, 2025, 11:43 p.m.

Paper thin walls mean sound travels both directions. Might want to add some acoustic dampening to office space before investing in specialized audio gear

reabBroolve June 30, 2025, 12:12 p.m.

Neck speakers feel weird at first but you adapt quickly. Main advantage is not having anything covering or inserted in ears during long work sessions

ms.Malik July 4, 2025, 7:29 p.m.

Honestly the whole work from home audio problem gets overly complicated. Simple bluetooth earbuds work fine for most people if you find ones that fit properly and don't hurt

africa Aug. 29, 2025, 6:38 p.m.

Edit audio 60+ hours weekly, headphones cause physical pain. Neckband speaker revolutionary for work comfort. Colleagues mock appearance until trying themselves, then everyone orders one. Sometimes looking silly beats chronic pain

CodoQuittee Oct. 22, 2025, 9:20 p.m.

Neckband speaker compatible with hearing aids changed my media consumption completely. Accessibility features often overlooked in mainstream reviews. Technology should work for diverse needs, not just typical users

mr.kred Nov. 7, 2025, 11:43 p.m.

Solo overnight shifts in massive warehouse. Neckband speaker provides audio companionship without blocking awareness of surroundings. Safety and entertainment balanced, mental health preserved during isolation