Howard Leight Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Earmuff, Green (R - 01526)

I had been searching for a better set of ear protection, wanted something electronic, but did not want to spend a few hundred dollars. Then I found these, and they work great. I have been using them at shooting matches. My older non-electronic hearing protectors were not serving me well. I have a bit of hearing loss, and I have an issue hearing conversation when there is a lot of background noise. At the matches I sometimes had an issue hearing the Range Officers and would sometimes have to lift one side of the hearing protector to hear clearly. Which is a problem because someone on the next stage will be shooting and I get to hear their gunshot at full volume. This set of electronic earmuffs allows me to block out the loud noises (gunshots) while still being able to clearly hear conversation. I can adjust the amplification up or down to the point where I can clearly hear even a whisper at a good distance. This was exactly what I was looking for. I have also tried the audio input connected to my Iphone and was able to block the noise from my lawnmower while I listened to music. That is a very nice feature. The earmuffs fit snugly to my head and offer ample adjustment. They fit my ears a bit more snugly than some of the bigger mickey-mouse type earmuffs. But my ears do lay flat to the side of my head, not like a few of my friends who have ears that stick straight out sideways. Maybe this would be a bit more uncomfortable for them, and they know who I am talking about. ;) I also found another great use for these, listening to TV. You see while I have some hearing loss, if my house is noisy (and with 4 boys it is always noisy) I cannot hear the TV unless I turn it up louder. Which my wife hates. I also have tinnitus, which I just recently found out gets much worse on days when I have sugar. So if I have a soda or ice cream that day, when I get home I need to have the TV turned up louder to overcome the ringing in my ears. Well problem solved, because I can wear these ear muffs and adjust the volume on them so I can clearly hear the TV at a much lower volume. My wife appreciates that feature.

While wearing these I can hear my surroundings clearly except for loud noises which are hugely reduced. They’re kind of magic. Super comfortable, fit well and provide excellent protection. Highly recommended.

EDIT, 2 years of regular use later: (I'm going to leave my original review below. For the most part, it's still accurate. For potential buyers, I want to include new info that only extended experience could have brought to light) I have other ear pro. One 3M Peltor Tactical (mid-range model, I can't recall model#) and one very inexpensive pair of Champion Electronic ear pro. The Champions work but have issues that keep them being any more than backups or for 'ear-less' people who may need to borrow a set. The Peltors are amazing. The sound is better than the Howard Leight's and I have zero complaints about them. But this is about Howard Leight ear pro. Mine are both my oldest pair of electronic ear pro and the ones I use most often - my 'go-to' ears. They're affordable by anybody at ~$50 (sometimes deals make them cheaper yet). They're effective enough to make them a viable competitor w/ higher-end and more expensive ear pro. I've never felt as though I needed to 'double up' and use earplugs underneath because they didn't offer enough noise reduction. Battery life is good. I use mine 2-3x or more per week, for between 1-3hrs/session and I typically need to replace batts once per month. I've never used the Howard Leight's input 3.5mm jack to play audio or phone into my ear pro. When I'm training/shooting targets, I'm training/shooting targets. Nor am I interested in hearing music while shooting - mostly due to safety. Some people may need to stay connected and may find an input jack to be a positive feature - I'm just not one of those people. Free Americans can decide what's most appropriate for themselves w/o advice from me or anybody else. Let's address the biggest, ugliest problem the HL's have, IMO: They will bring the pain when worn w/ eye pro (100% of the time, for me) and/or for extended periods of time. I can usually feel the headache starting after a half-hour to hour into a session. It's a 'surface' headache for me, personally. I'm assuming it's due to constant pressure from the head band piece, pushing against the ear pro. When I first heard of this issue (prior to experiencing it myself), I kind of chuckled to myself and thought perhaps some people were being sensitive (sissies?)...But I was wrong! It's not horrible, unbearable pain - it is difficult to simply ignore after a time, and it's certainly a distraction that nobody needs on the firing line when training or teaching/learning, or trying to shave fractions of a second from a shot timer. It gets old - quickly. There are gel inserts you can buy to replace the stock setup. They will cost you about 60-75% of the total cost of the Howard Leight's, though, unfortunately. To me, it wasn't even a question: I gladly forkes over the cash and my head/ears have thanked me repeatedly. Last, about durability: Internet 'torture testing' can't account for one factor that is difficult to simulate accurately: Durability and function over time. I've probably used and abused Howard Leight's namesake ear pro more than the majority of the target demographic. I'm not an outlier, a pipe hitter, HSLD, or somebody that purposely abuses my gear. But, I am a guy that spends a whole lot of time down on my personal range, shooting steel and consuming a lot of brass, and my gear gets used quite a bit like I said earlier. HL ear pro hasn't broken or let me down since I bought them in 2016. They aren't affected by sweat. Wires haven't split from folding and opening a zillion times. Single potentiometer/power switch is fine and does not crackle. Like most electronic ear pro, very close proximity to microphones will cause squeeling feedback, but it's not overly loud and doesn't occur in normal use; usually only when a hand, etc. comes very close to mic. They are inexpensive and durable. If and when they eventually do wear out, I will absolutely replace them because they are such a good value. Original review (2016) Incredible deal. Perfectly functional and takes a beating. It's difficult to put a price on your hearing...especially as you get older.

These things work so well it’s shocking. The hearing amplification is in fact directional and realistic. The noise suppression works great and stood up well to my 12 gauge. As for the fit and finish, these are very comfortable and i didn't have any problem sticking to my head. My only criticism is that, due to the directionality, if only one side of the headset detects unsafe noice (such as a clap or a snap of a twig), only one side will shut off. This doesn’t appear to affect safety (as louder sounds like gunshots do not cause this) but it does provide a weird sensation when it happens. I’d rather have the entire headset shut down to quiet if unsafe noise levels were detected on either muff.

Second one I bought (this one for my wife. Original is still great). Thrilled. Great quality. Super comfortable. The volume control is excellent. It cuts sound in a millisecond. Great design. Multi fit. Love the grey color. Really gain a lot of enjoyment using it.

Hands down the best hearing protection that I’ve ever bought the picture below was taken today they were bought in September 2019. They still have the original battery in them and still at work. I’ve not had any issues with these. I do a lot of shooting they get a lot of wear and tear still in great shape. Can’t say anything about the competitors, but I can’t say these are well and way beyond what you pay for them.

I got these about a week ago, and have gotten to hunt with them several times already. I've had the little earplug type amplifier/noise canceling ones for about a year, and while yes they work, they are very uncomfortable by the end of hour 1. These not only work better, have cleaner sound, and directional ability. They are comfortable enough to wear for hours and forget they're even on your head. The quality of this headset, along with the microphones and speakers inside them is worth far more than what is being charged for them. I ordered a set for myself and my wife for hunting. the muzzlebrake on my gun makes it unbearable to even endure 1 shot without hearing protection, but of course you want to hear what's around you. whether it's game, or a predator, you will not get snuck up on with these. my kids will definitely be receiving a pair of these with each of their first guns, they are truly everything as advertised, and far beyond any quality i could expect for the price. As an experiment, my buddy and i were playing around trying out different noises at different ranges last night to see what could be detected and how far away, and to know what it would sound like for when it was an animal making the noise. i could hear him tip toeing through grass (not dead crackly grass) at 50 yards. god forbid he step on a deal leaf, or a twig, at 75 and even 100 yards it was like he was 5 feet away. so far it also seems like directional quality is good on them too. i make sure to always have the mics pointed forward when i put them on, and to pinpoint something i may have to turn my head one way or the other, but it's very accurate, which i never had in the earplug styled ones. i realize to alot of people, this may not be quite as important, but we hunt hogs in a pasture in the middle of the night, about 50 yards from the treeline. so for us, knowing that something is coming through the trees, or what part of the pasture something is in without shining a light everywhere is solid gold. and to me, these things are SOLID GOLD. Also on any skepticism about whether it will cancel the sound of a bullet in time. like i said, my rifle with it's brake will make you feel like your left ear exploded with just 1 unprotected shot. with these on, it wasn't even like someone clapped their hands once. it's just a decent "thump". This is by far the best bang for my buck i have gotten in my life, if i could give these 10 stars i truly would.

I use them during the past 4 years and they work great!