Why Apple AirPods Are Not a Replacement for Hearing Protection Devices

With Apple’s AirPod Pro line offering a number of advanced features to improve the listener’s auditory experience, you might be wondering whether high-tech Airpods could be a substitute for a dedicated hearing protection device.

AirPods can help to passively protect your hearing by providing a comfortable and secure fit that isolates some external noise, which can reduce the overall volume required to hear audio content clearly. The sound quality of the AirPods is also well-balanced, without excessive bass or treble, which can help reduce the risk of hearing damage over time.

Notably, Airpods Pro have noise cancellation features to reduce background noise and enhance audio quality, whether listening to music or talking on the phone. This means the listener doesn’t have to turn up the volume as high to overcome ambient noise from their surroundings, which reduces potential hearing harm.

Additionally, Airpods’ transparency mode lets the listener hear the sounds of their surroundings while still listening to music or taking a call. This mode can help to reduce the risk of hearing damage by allowing the listener to be aware of their environment and adjust the volume accordingly.

Lastly, the customizable fit offered by AirPods Pro limits ear harm from continually wearing them over the long term, and gives a better audio quality.

Relying on Airpods Alone Means Risking Permanent Hearing Damage

All that being said, these nice features aren’t enough to provide true hearing protection. If you’re exposed to loud, potentially harmful levels of sound, and concerned about your long term hearing health, you’ll want to investigate products that can actually help you, rather than relying on a fancy tech product that was never designed to provide hearing protection.

Audiologist looks for hearing damage

Essentially, you’ll be risking permanent hearing damage if you decide to use Airpods as your only hearing protection. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t ditch true hearing protection for Apple’s earbud products.

First of all, Apple’s Airpods don’t provide active hearing protection, meaning that they don’t have a built-in function to reduce or filter out the range of loud noises that cause hearing damage. That’s probably why Apple itself doesn’t list hearing protection as one of Airpods’ features.

On the other hand, true hearing protection devices are specifically designed and built with active protection functions, which reduce the amount of sound that enters the ear. These devices typically use electronic components to monitor and limit the sound level entering the ear to a safe level, thus reducing the risk of hearing damage.

Long story short: if you’re going to be exposed to the upper range of decibels, you don’t want to rely on AirPods. Fortunately, technological innovation isn’t limited to Apple or the other tech giants. Hearing protection products have come a long way, and the latest products offer a slew of benefits for both hearing protection, comfort and durability.

Features to Look for in Hearing Protection Devices

So what should you look for in a real hearing protection product? Let’s go over it.

Electronic hearing protection devices are preferable, since they provide far more hearing protection than muffs or cheap ear plugs. As mentioned before, electronic devices monitor incoming noise for dangerous decibel levels, and muffle any loud sounds down to safe levels.

The Benefits of Amplified Hearing Protection for Shooting

But the most advanced hearing protection products go a step further to minimize the tradeoffs of wearing hearing protection, by filtering in “soft sounds” you’ll want to be able to hear, like speech, nearby movement and subtle sounds in your surroundings.

Some hearing protection products are even custom-molded just for your ears, ensuring a great fit so you can wear them all day if need be, without any pain or discomfort.

Top-tier hearing devices are also made of rugged, waterproof materials that stand the test of time and can endure a few knocks or some exposure to the elements. Depending on what activities you’re partaking in, you may want to look for other advanced features like dynamic wind suppression to further optimize your auditory experience.

A Leader in Premium Hearing Protection Products for 25+ Years

At ESP, we’ve been creating high quality electronic hearing protection devices using the latest technology for over 25 years. And we’re proud to say that all of our products feature the benefits listed above, including:

-Providing active protection to automatically muffle harmful loud noises

-Filtering in “soft sounds” like speech or environmental noises

-Custom-molded just for your ears for all-day comfort

-Made in the USA with hardy, waterproof P2i nano-coating materials

-Dynamic wind suppression in our Apex product

On top of that, we offer long-term, unparalleled customer support and discounted repairs, not to mention a 1-year warranty and 30-day money back guarantee. We are known for our superb and dedicated ongoing support for all of our customers, and our staff located in Brighton, Colorado will be happy to help you.

We are well-regarded in the hunting, sport, and competitive shooting communities. Please peruse our customer testimonials to see what they think of us.

Check out our range of digital hearing protection devices, find out more about our company, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions: https://www.espamerica.com/