These are the loudest spots on London’s tube: Here's how to protect your ears, according to an expert

If you travel in London, you’ll be well acquainted with the sound of the tube’s deafening noise. Whether your commute features a roar, squeal or rumble, it can be a sudden annoyance that’s certain to stop your conversation in its tracks. I know from personal experience just how loud it gets when you’re on the Central Line between Stratford and Leyton!

But is this noise more than an irritant? And could it be doing damage to your hearing? That’s what researchers at AcSoft set out to discover by taking a high-end sound level meter deep into the London Underground to bring back the measurements that tell us where the risk is greatest.

Thankfully, many lines sit in a sweet spot of “non-hazardous noise”, with the newest, the Elizabeth Line, coming out as the quietest. Average sound levels on these smooth tracks are 74.3 decibels (dB). That’s comparable to cabin noise on a flight.

But it’s not all good news. On several lines, the average sound goes up far over 80 dB. If you’re travelling on any of the Northern, ​​Jubilee, Piccadilly, Central or Waterloo and City lines, your ears will feel the pain. All averaged above 84 dB, with the Northern Line reaching the highest sound levels over time: an excessive 98.4 dB.

Why does it matter? Well, you won’t realise you’ve damaged your hearing until it’s too late. And, once you have, there’s no getting it back. It’s worth remembering that if you were to be exposed to these levels for a long time in a professional environment, you’d need mandatory hearing protection.

“Repeated or long exposure to sounds at 85 decibels or above can cause hearing loss. The length of time you can ‘safely’ be exposed to sound over 85 decibels without needing to use hearing protection depends on how loud it is,” Franki Oliver, Audiology Manager at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), told Shortlist.

“Remember that you’re exposed to lots of different sounds that are 85 decibels or over throughout the day, and this exposure time adds up. As sound intensity doubles with every increase of 3 decibels, the safe exposure time halves. So, for example, the safe exposure time for 88 decibels is four hours.”

There are a few things you can do to stay safe. Firstly, I’d recommend setting a volume limit on your phone. It’s all too easy to start cranking up the volume to hear it over the ambient roar of the train. While you may end up being able to hear your podcast in the short term, your eardrums won’t thank you in the years to come.

Next, take preventative measures. If you don’t like wearing headphones, earplugs can be effective; the Loop Quiet 2 can cut around 24 decibels of external noise. On the headphone side of things, the key spec to keep in mind is “Active Noise Cancelling” or ANC.

Headphones with this clever tech play “opposing” soundwaves to the ambient noise, to stop it reaching your ears. Great ANC will allow you to keep listening at around 50-60% volume, even in loud tunnels.

“Most smartphones will now monitor your headphone use and alert you if you’ve exceeded your safe listening limit. However tempting it might be to ignore these warnings, it’s really important you pay attention and follow the advice they give,” RNID’s Oliver said. “A good tip for travelling on the underground is to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones. Not only will these block out the noise around you, but they also mean you won’t have to turn up the volume to a dangerous level to hear your music properly over background noise.”

As a technology editor, I’ve tested loads of the best headphones with these features, and below are the ones I’d recommend as budget, mid-range and premium options. All the headphones below have been thoroughly tested in the tube itself, both with nothing playing and with music at around 60% volume:

Best headphones to protect your ears

Best under £65

You don’t always have to get the latest models to get top performance, something proved by Soundcore’s Liberty 4NC, launched in 2023. In this price tier, it makes sense to consider versatile budget earbuds, and these are some of the best around. They have such good active noise-cancelling that they rival over-ears and pairs that cost far more.

On test, they quietened the din of the London Underground, traffic, a coffee shop and nearby conversations. Occasionally, I felt the need to increase the volume to slightly over 60% to hear a podcast, but they never needed blasting at full. The sound is also customisable with the app, they’ve got loads of battery life, and come in a fun range of colours.

Best under £150

I’m really impressed by the value of the Sony ULT Wear. For £129, you’re getting noise-cancelling that’s on par with previous versions of Sony’s flagship range.

That’s because it features the same V1 Processor found in the XM4 and XM5, allowing it to deliver better ANC than any other headphone in this price bracket. They’re light, comfortable, portable, and excelled in my test on the tube, even with no audio playing or the volume on low.

The thing to note, though, is that they’re heavily focused on bass. Your experience with the audio on these is going to be punchy, to say the least. And there’s even a button to dial up the bass to absurd levels. You can tame this in the app, but they may be a slightly better fit for you if you love thumpy electronic music.

Best premium

Not fussed about keeping the cost down? After the best of the best? I’d pick the latest pair of flagship Bose over-ears, the 2nd Gen QC Ultras.

Bose was at the forefront of using ANC tech to protect the hearing of pilots back in the 60s, and continues to make the best cans to this day. These are comfortable to wear for hours, and put you in a serene bubble of silence.

I was able to keep listening at a low volume, or with no audio playing, and the ANC removed all the background distractions. They’re well-cushioned and soft, lightweight, easy to control, well-designed and last for 30 hours on one charge. The price is steep, but they’re worth it.

Honourable mentions

Lastly, I’d highlight flagship earbuds, too. The benefits of buds? They’re easier to have on you all the time, and more comfortable for glasses wearers. The top ANC comes from the latest AirPods Pro 3. They’re secure to wear, cancel almost all distractions and work seamlessly with Apple tech.

But, they’re not made with Android in mind. The best cross-platform picks I’d grab are either the first-gen or second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. They stand toe-to-toe with Apple’s buds for the most powerful noise-cancelling, especially for low-frequency rumbles, but the AirPods do a marginally better job with unpredictable chatter.

• Sony upgrades its legendary earbuds with the WF-1000XM6

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