Hearing Protection with Bluetooth

[John Reeves]

I am looking for opinions regarding hearing protection and Bluetooth in a head set. Thinking that ear buds do not do such a good job for hearing protection. This is to be a Christmas present to me from Wife. Any suggestions?

[Myles Moran]

I use the 3m worktunes over the ear. Sound quality is decent for what they are - I mostly listen to podcasts on them so it doesn't matter much to me (and when I have tools running I can't really pay attention to audio quality). They're incredibly comfortable for long periods of wearing and the battery lasts quite some time before needing charging.

[Bert McMahan]

Regular earbuds don't isolate much noise but there are some that are actual earplugs with speakers. I have a set of Plugfones and love them. I've heard good things about Isotunes as well.

They're not quite as much dB reduction as over-the-ear ones but that's really just an issue for, say, shooting at an indoor range. For workshop use they're plenty. Interestingly, the Plugfones are rated as *more* hearing protection than the 3M Worktunes (25 dB vs 24 dB). For shooting you want something like 32 or so IIRC, but 25 dB is more than enough for shop use.

[Jon Nuckles]

I like the 3M Worktunes. Bluetooth works well, failing only when I am maybe 20 feet from the source and there is an object blocking line of sight. They also have an am/fm tuner, which I like at times. They work well enough to muffle even my DeWalt 735 planer! Unlike Myles, I do find that they are uncomfortable after an hour or so of wearing.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I saw a box of 3M worktunes out before my wife wrapped them the other day ;-).
I have used my airpods for work meetings and such during this work from home period. They are convenient but not ideal. They're convenient and I will continue to use them.
I changed over to using my Sony bluetooth head set and much prefer them to any of the ear buds style I've used. That made my decision to try out the 3M worktunes.
My thinking follows yours concerning the ear buds.
I also like listening to a local radio station as well as bluetooth. I had to resist the urge to just buy them with Christmas coming up. I'll see in a few weeks if I like them as much as I expect to.

[Joe Hendershott]

I like my worktunes as well. Have had for a number of years and still look like new. Have a pair with the chargeable battery and one pair with regular batteries. Both give a week or so using them many hours a day.

[Scott Bernstein]

I use wireless bluetooth earphones, the "in-the-ear" type. These have the soft foam earplug material so they really isolate the user from the surrounding sound. Each earphone, for right and left, are separate pieces. So I simply wear my 3M "earmuff style ear protection over the earphones, so I am double protected. With this combination I can barely hear a whisper from my 5hp DC and tablesaw while they are running.

[Keith Outten]

Noise cancelling earbuds work pretty good.

[David Utterback]

I like the Isotunes Pro 2.0 that I have which replaced their previous model I used for several years. They are noise cancelling as well as Bluetooth. They are comfortable to wear and occasionally need adjustment in my left ear which is difficult to fit even with my hearing aids. Their customer service is also excellent.

[J.R. Rutter]

This is not exactly what you are asking about, but the headset can be used outside of the shop without ear plugs in situations where you want to listen to something and still hear what's going on around you. I use mine mountain biking, for instance...

https://aftershokz.com/us/products/a...29564603138135

https://safety.honeywell.com/en-us/p...n/earplugs/max

[Rod Sheridan]

I use the 3M Worktunes earmuffs......Rod

[Bruce Wrenn]

I use the 3M Worktunes earmuffs......Rod


I use Work Tunes, but not the blue tooth model. I use a small FM transmitter to pipe You Tube, or Malt Shop Oldies (Direct TV) to shop radio. When using power tools, because signal isn't strong enough for Work Tunes, I use a second transmitter (on a different frequency) to connect head phone jack from radio to Work Tunes. FYI, Northern currently has Work Tunes (not the blue tooth model) on sale for $44.99.

[Roger Feeley]

I would love to have the bluetooth worktunes but they lack one feature. I listen to npr on my non-BT worktunes and would want to keep the BT ones in FM mode. I want to be notified of an incoming call. The BT worktunes will silence the radio but won’t give any positive notification. For me, that’s a near miss.

[Jon Endres]

I listen exclusively to streaming music on Pandora through my iPhone and I use the 3M Worktunes, and also Isotunes Pro 2.0 earbuds. My son keeps borrowing my Worktunes so often that he's asked for a pair for Christmas. I like to use the Isotunes when it's cold out as I can wear a hat over them. Not as easy with the Worktunes but I prefer the Worktunes for the sound quality and maintaining a strong connection. They have a newer 'gel' model which is a little cheaper.

[Mike Goetzke]

I bought the IsoTunes "FREE" when they came out and love them. (you just missed the 20% off sale but think you can find 10% code online)

[Jim Becker]

I bought the IsoTunes "FREE" when they came out and love them. (you just missed the 20% off sale but think you can find 10% code online)

Their new over the eye product is one I'd actually like to try to see if the bass response is acceptable. As I've noted in other threads, I did try one of their in-ear solutions but the bass response was just as bad as my hearing aids are with directly bluetooth for music reproduction. I suspect the larger drivers in the over-the-ear product will be much better in that respect.

[Mike Goetzke]

Their new over the eye product is one I'd actually like to try to see if the bass response is acceptable. As I've noted in other threads, I did try one of their in-ear solutions but the bass response was just as bad as my hearing aids are with directly bluetooth for music reproduction. I suspect the larger drivers in the over-the-ear product will be much better in that respect.

I found out, like on all "in-ear" pods, bass is really dependent on the fit. The bass on my IsoTune "FREE" is as good as what I get from my EarPod Pros or PowerBeat Pros. Also, I was looking specifically for an in-ear solution because I hate wearing over the ear phones with safety glasses and is the only thing that will work with my welding helmet and face-shield/respirator for my wood lathe.

[Jim Becker]

That sure makes sense with your application, Mike. I have found that over-the-ear can be interfered with by some glasses for sure.

I agree that fit matters, but the drivers used also plays a role. Bass is tough for any design where the driver is actually in the ear canal simply because of the small size compared to the wavelengths.