LINK Aware earmuffs

These new LINK Aware hearing protectors from ISOtunes have a lot going for them. At just over 17 ounces they’re reasonably light, and the fully adjustable steel wire head band enables you to configure the ear muffs for a perfect fit, regardless of head size. The band has a top mounted replaceable foam insert added comfort. The memory foam ear cushions add to the overall high level of comfort.

The fit is very snug, which is what you really want. If the earmuffs are loose fitting over the ears you’ll get unwanted noise infiltration. I can routinely wear the LINK Aware for a couple of hours at a time before having to give my ears a break – this is largely because I wear glasses and the ear pads press the eyeglass arms tightly against my temples. Otherwise, I think I could wear the earmuffs without discomfort for a lot longer.  I have an audiophile headphone that I can wear for a couple of hours at a time with less discomfort, however, they don’t offer nearly the same level of hearing protection as the LINK Aware.

Two control buttons on the right side of the earmuffs (which might prove somewhat inconvenient for left handed users) enable you to increase or decrease the speaker volume while two other buttons enable you to elevate or lower the earmuff’s inner computer (Aware technology) sensitivity. The buttons are slightly raised making them easy to manipulate – unless  you’re wearing thick gloves.

The acoustically optimized ear cup provides a noise reduction rating (NRR) value of 25. I find they do a good job of turning annoying shop noise to dull humming.

According to ISOtunes, the earmuffs incorporate “Aware Technology”, which “uses omni-directional microphones to give you the ability to hear naturally, but blocks loud impulse noises.” So, when wearing these earmuffs I can hear someone else talking to me in the shop, but if someone fires up the planer or starts using a hammer drill, the LINK Aware blocks our out the pitched sounds over 85 decibels. The important thing to note is that sound suppression kicks in when the noise level exceeds 85 decibels. I found that it rarely kicked in unless multiple machines were on – so for a lot of workshop machinery that operates under the 85 dB threshold, the Aware Technology won’t kick in. For situations like this I simply turn the LINK Aware earmuffs off, then back on when the machining is over if I want to listen to music.

On the bottom of the right earmuff housing is a jack for connecting to a boom microphone (sold separately).  On the bottom left is a USB port for charging the internal lithium-ion battery.

I haven’t timed how many hours of  music that I get. I typically wear the earmuffs in the shop intermittently over a 4 to 6 hour period and then plug them into the charger overnight.

Wireless range is around 30 feet – as long as there is a fairly unobstructed line-of-sight between the earmuffs and mobile device. I typically carry my smartphone suspended in a protective case on my belt so the range isn’t an issue.

The LINK Aware is pretty well everything you’d want in a earmuff. You get the benefit of a decent noise reduction of 25dB, very good sound (unless your a audiophile perhaps), easy-to-adjust and very comfortable earmuffs, upwards of 23 hours of listening time, and a microphone. They’re ideal for the workshop or jobsite, but less convenient for a construction site.