Our world is increasingly becoming noisy, especially in urban & industrial settings. With so much happening around us, it is hard to shut ourselves from the cacophony day to day living. Today’s noisy surroundings have increased the need for hearing protection, subsequently giving rise to the number of hearing protection devices flooding the market. There are multiple options to choose from.
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From different kinds of disposable earplugs and custom-fit earpieces to a variety of earmuffs, the sheer range of hearing protection products available in the market makes it an overwhelming process to choose the right one.
The range of options might be many, but most of these devices are broadly categorized into two types of hearing protection – Active and Passive. So, what's the difference?
A passive hearing protection is typically an earmuff which uses its battery to operate radio and Bluetooth while keeping the level of attenuation almost the same.
Active hearing protection, on the other hand, not only uses a battery for radio and Bluetooth but also amplifies the surrounding sounds while attenuating harsh noises. This makes communication a lot easier. While these are the main differences between active and passive hearing protection devices, let’s look at how they differ in more detail.
Hearing protection devices are available in different forms and styles. Their main aim is to provide attenuation of noise by creating a barrier between the wearer’s ear and the source of the noise. These are especially useful at workplaces where the noise level is high, as long-term exposure to such loud noises can result in permanent hearing loss or other similar damage to the ear.
These ear protection devices are broadly categorized as active and passive and there are some basic differences that one must be aware of.
An active hearing protection device comes with electrical and digital components that actively suppress surrounding noise. The earplug, earpiece, or earmuff doesn’t actively do anything to suppress or amplify the noise, rather the electronic elements present in the device carry out these tasks.
Recommended Exposure Limits (REL) by OSHA and NIOSH.
A passive hearing protection device, on the other hand, are devices that provide a simple form of barrier between the ear canals and the source of potentially dangerous noise.
The market is filled with a number of different options and devices that act as passive protection devices as they are simpler and less complicated.
Some examples of passive ear protection devices are foam ear plugs, custom-fit earpieces, and plain and non-electrical earmuffs. None of these products has any electrical or digital component working towards suppressing or amplifying the ambient noise.
Usually, active hearing protection devices are believed to be more effective compared to passive ones. However, that doesn’t necessarily make them better. It all depends on the kind of user requirement.
If it is important for a user to be able to hear normally while wearing the ear protection device, then using an active one would be a better option as they suppress the surrounding noise better without curtailing the normal hearing ability of the user.
If it is important for the user to completely cut out and block the damaging noise, then using a passive ear protection device would make better sense.
Today’s marketplace provides ample choices to consumers. The same is true for hearing protection devices as well. You can choose from a variety of products as per your requirement and the surroundings. Let’s see them in detail:
These earmuffs relay the low sounds detected on the outside of the earmuff and send them to the speaker mounted inside the earmuff. The higher, more dangerous sounds are attenuated. They are great for noisy environments where loud sounds are not continuous and make communication easier.
These devices are great for high-intensity noisy environments as they provide extra attenuation through an in-built noise cancellation circuit with a higher noise reduction rating. Hence, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they entail high noise reduction rating. They attenuate low-frequency sounds like that of the machines while allowing higher-frequency sounds like speech and emergency warning signals.
These are earmuffs with electrical audio input, and it covers products with electrical communication devices. They allow wearers to communicate even when they are wearing noise-cancellation or hearing-protection devices.
This feature is great for ear plugs with an electronic sound restoration system. It subsides the higher level of sounds while the lower-level sounds are amplified by sending them to the speaker mounted on the inside of the earplug. This device is also useful in environments where high-level sounds are not continuous and still makes communication possible.
These are mostly used in non-workplace environments like travel, etc. These entertainment earmuffs attenuate the low-intensity noise of an aircraft, allowing users to hear songs, etc. and are often designed such that they could be connected to mobile devices through an audio input jack.
Knowing these different kinds of earmuffs and earplugs allow users to choose the ones that perfectly fit their requirements and function according to the surrounding environment. Hearing protection devices are important add-ons at places where you can be exposed to exaggerated noises.
Electronic ear muffs are especially helpful in work environments where employees get exposed to such sounds for long hours on a daily basis, and are desperately in need of noise reduction. While both active and passive hearing devices are good at doing their job, you can choose the electronic muffs that perfectly matches your requirement.
Prolonged exposure to loud sound, especially at workplaces, can potentially lead to hearing damage. Thankfully, noise reduction technology offered hearing protection devices that attenuate disturbing noises, can offer the much needed hearing protection. There is a wide variety of electronic hearing protection devices with Bluetooth capability is now available in the market. These devices help block the ear canal such that the ears are well protected from the damaging loud sounds.
While there is a variety of hearing protection devices available in the market, they are broadly categorized into two types – active and passive. Active protection devices feature electrical or digital components used to actively suppress disturbing noises from the surroundings.
On the other hand, passive muffs simply provide a barrier between the user’s ear canals and the source of the noise. Some examples of passive hearing protection devices are solid custom-fit earpieces, non-electric earmuffs, and foam earplugs.
Active hearing protection devices usually provide higher protection as they come with electrical or digital components attenuating the surrounding sounds, complete with independent volume controls. However, that doesn’t necessarily make them a better option every time.
Whether you choose an active hearing protection device or a passive one will depend on your requirement. If you need to communicate while wearing a hearing protection device, an active one is more suitable as they only attenuate the surrounding sounds. But if you wish to cut down all kinds of noises, then a passive one will be a perfect choice.
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How many times a day do you take off your earmuffs to hear what your mate or client is saying? Worse still, how often do you expose yourself to loud noises on site or in the field, because you need to hear what someone is saying to you? The trade off for any set of passive hearing protection is that you’re closing yourself off to low level sounds such as speech or movement around you. This can be especially frustrating for tradies, mechanics, or other workers operating in loud environments that also need to talk to customers day to day.
There’s a solution: shooting earmuffs.
But why? The main advantage shooting earmuffs have is a feature that you might have heard called ‘selective amplification’ or a ‘level dependent function’. The earmuffs are designed with little speakers that amplify quiet sounds, such as speech or footsteps, and compress/shut off loud noises, such as gunfire, power tools, or the loud noise of machinery.
Say for example you’re running a loud chainsaw, the earmuffs will block out that noise the same as a normal set of hearing protection. But then, when you turn the saw off and your mate is talking to you, the earmuffs will identify and amplify that conversation, sending their voice clearly through to your ears, without requiring you to take off your muffs. This is a huge advantage, allowing your ears to be maximally protected from damaging noises, while also allowing you to remain aware of what’s happening around you and talk without having to remove your muffs.
In this guide we’re going to look at three examples of electronic shooting earmuffs for work, each with slightly different features. But, as a final summary, what are the benefits of electronic shooting earmuffs in a work environment?
. If you’re working in landscape gardening, cutting trees, in a mechanical setting (or elsewhere) there are times when you might want to talk to a client, customer or co-worker without having to take off your hearing protection. A set of electronic earmuffs will allow you to hear them clearly, while still ensuring your ears are protected in the process.
. If you’re using dangerous tools like saws or woodchippers, the capacity to hear while wearing hearing protection can be a game changer. It makes you more aware of your surroundings and better able to communicate, particularly with pedestrians or people outside of your sightlines.
. No more doing a shuffle with both hands to down tools, remove the muffs, have a chat, and then replace. The earmuffs monitor your surroundings and amplify or compress sound as necessary.
SLC80 24DB | CLASS 4
$114.99
A great introductory shooter’s muff that’s got a good level of protection for work, the Impact Sport is a Class 4 earmuff under the AU/NZ standard, blocking about 24 decibels of sound. It’s a slimline earmuff, so it’s not going to have too much bulk or weight to it over a long day of work.
Its selective amplification works up to 82dB, the safe-listening limit. This means that sounds below 82dB are amplified by up to four times, but not such that they would go past that safe listening limit. You’ll be able to hear conversations and remain aware of your surroundings with these on. Once a sound goes past 82dB, for example the whir of a power tool or the loud sound of an engine, these will revert to ‘passive hearing protection’. That’s a fancy way of saying they become a regular pair of earmuffs once it gets too loud, blocking out sound as normal and deactivating the amplification.
As an added bonus, the Impact Sport has an AUX input, which lets you listen to MP3 players, radio scanners, etc. It’s controlled by a single-knob for power and volume and comes with batteries included.
However, you might be someone who actually wants to hear a little bit of what you’re doing when it’s loud. In fact, this amount of hearing might actually make your work safer, for you I would consider the next muff.
SLC80 31DB | CLASS 5
$149.99
The Impact Pro is the next step upgrade over the Impact Sport, it’s a Class 5 earmuff under the AU/NZ standard, so the highest level of sound protection available blocking up to 31dB of sound when worn. In contrast to the Impact Sport, it clips dangerous sounds by 50%, bringing them within the 82dB safe listening limit. This means, you’ll still hear the saw or the woodchipper, but at a much quieter level. This maximises awareness and also helps you troubleshoot on the fly: you can hear more clearly if something’s not working correctly or what’s happening around you. The clipping’s delay is only 10 milliseconds too, so there’s going to be almost no break between switching back to amplification when the sound level lowers.
Like the Impact Sport, it includes a stereo input for connecting to phones or hand-held FMRS radios. If you have an appropriate hand held radio, you will be able to take calls through the earmuffs, a really cheap two-way radio solution for loud environments. It’s a bulkier unit than the Impact Sport, with wider earcups, but they’re adjustable and padded, ensuring comfort over long work days. It’s simple to operate with a single switch controlling power and volume, and the included pair of AAA batteries will provide up to 350 hours of continued use.
The Impact Pro is the best electronic earmuff solution for the loudest working environments. Like the Tactical Sport, it retains the 82dB safe listening limit, with the clipping function giving you more versatility and awareness on site.
The next upgrade is a really premium solution and combines the best features of both the Impact series muffs.
SLC80 24DB | CLASS 4
$319.99
The SportTac is considered a best of both worlds premium shooter’s earmuff and is a great upgrade over the previous two models shown. The main thing to note is, this is still only a Class 4 hearing protection unit, if you’re dealing with the loudest work environments, the Impact Pro is going to provide the highest degree of safety.
The main advantage the SportTac has over the preceding muffs is its level dependent function, this basically means that the transition between levels of sound will be far smoother than the abrupt cut-off you get with the Impact Sport. Like the Impact Sport it is a slimmer solution than the Impact Pro, meaning this is a light set of muffs that’s going to perform well over the work day. Angled speakers give superior direction perception over the other two muffs listed and it’s extremely battery efficient: up to 600 hours on a single pair of AAAs.
The water resistant exterior, designed for hunting in inclement weather, is also great for outdoor work situations. They’re a collapsible set of earmuffs that store in a very small amount of space, with a sweat resistant exterior designed to protect the electronics when worn. Like the preceding muffs, they include an input jack for connection to appropriate 2-way radios.
A good set of shooter’s earmuffs is a novel solution to work, that allows you to remain aware of your surroundings while also protecting your ears from damaging environmental noise.
Our pick of the bunch?
The Impact Pro provides the right balance of high level hearing protection (Class 5) and sound amplification/compression to be the most effective solution for the widest range of work situations. Priced competitively against the Impact Sport, if compact muffs is not an issue it’s a great and economical solution for your ears.
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