Howard Leight Impact Pro Electronic Ear Muffs — NRR 30

★★★★★

Excellent for Hearing Protection

Hearing protection is one safety item that you don't want to skimp on. On the other hand, we don't want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars either. Luckily Honeywell makes this professional ear muff for the rest of us. I paid $52 and consider this to be money well spent.Designed for handgun and pistol shooters looking for a high Noise Attenuation Rating. Perfect for indoor range or any other extremely loud shooting environment. These also work outside on the range, or when using lawn equipment. I use these together with my riding tractor and MP3 player. There's nothing like mowing the property with some AC/DC!The Impact Pro amplifies surrounding sounds such as voices, machines and warning signals to safe levels yet it provides good hearing protection. Loud impulse sounds are effectively blocked out and limited to safe levels. The unique stereo microphones (3) allow detection of the direction of ambient sounds, enhancing communication abilities and awareness of surroundings. This earmuff is provided with electrical audio jack input for connection with MP3 players, cell phones and radio scanners (hint hint NASCAR fans!)The battery is easily changed by pushing on the sides of the battery lid. Alkaline batteries are recommended, NOT rechargeables.Once fitted on your head, then turned on you can immediately notice the difference in the ambient sounds. I was 'snapping' my fingers and adjusting the volume. At the lowest setting I could barely hear the snaps, but when increased it was like I didn't have any muffs on at all. My voice was amplified as well. On the range I was able to talk normally and not scream at my partner.Howard Leight originally was a one-man operation 30 years ago specializing in hearing protection. At one point he was bought by Sperian, now owned by Honeywell. Howard is also the founder of the HearForever foundation.I would gladly pay more for a case. Honeywell offers cases for other muffs, but not these.

Verified Purchaser · December 1 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

The best option available

With an NRR (noise reduction rating) of 30, these have the ability to successfully mitigate very loud blasts from high powered rifles and handguns. I use it for my AR-15. I also bought the low profile Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff (B001T7QJ9O) thinking I would use it for rifles, and the Impact Pro for handguns. My original theory was that the bulk of the Impact Pro would prevent a good cheek weld on a rifle. Howover the Impact Sport only has an NRR of 22, which provides less protection than NRR 30, and I've been able to obtain a good cheek weld even with the Impact Pro. So I wind up using the Impact Pro almost all of the time regardless of the gun type.Both models work by passively blocking noise. They are NOT noise reduction headsets, which actively generate negative or inverse sound waves. These mitigate sound exactly like any other shooting earmuff - by blocking the noise with baffling materials. Where they differ is they have two microphones, and two speakers (one for each ear). With a volume control, they amplify all sounds of interest (voices at the range, or animals moving while hunting). But since they limit the maximum amplitude, sounds are reproduced at reasonable not damaging volumes. You of course can control the volume levels.I still double up with ear plugs, but then set the volume high enough to just overcome those blocks. As an entire system, it works very well.Two more comments: First, the earmuffs are stereo, i.e. each mic in each ear faithfully reproduces the sound in just that ear. This provides for directional hearing, i.e. you can tell if the noise is coming from the left or the right. And second, I find it helpful to orient the mics facing forward when hunting (because that's where you're looking) and to the rear when at the range (because that's where the Range Safety Officer instructions would come from).These are great earmuffs. I know the Impact Sport is a bigger seller, but I think these provide the best protection for your ears and work equally well. My recommendations are to go with the Impact Pro.

Verified Purchaser · January 22 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

Worked great at the range

I will say that when I got these I was hopeful that the sound quality of the amplified sound and the noise reduction would be tolerable. At the very least the noise reduction would be good enough not to be a waste of my money or time. My results with these exceeded my expectations.The noise reduction was the expected 30 DB as I did not notice any difference between these and my previous usage of in ear 30 DB ear plugs. But the sound amplification quality was very good and clear of all conversations. I could hear cars on the dirt road at the gun range from 40 feet away. Conversations were made way easier to have with these. Going to buy another pair for my wife and already recommending these to my buddies.Really good product.The cons:Big and bulky so it was awkward to put on but they were very comfortable for the time I wore them (3 hours)The pros:InexpensiveGood sound amplification qualityGood noise reductionSounds of gunfire were never amplified

Verified Purchaser · August 27, · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★☆

A good, functional electronic earmuff. Zero background hiss, great NRR.

I originally bought Walkers Xcel 100s but they had WAY too much background hiss.I returned them and bought these Howard Leights.After all that background hiss I was surprised that these Howard Leights are dead quiet.No hiss at all.I think the focus here is on basic functionality, not lots of different modes.I also like that they are 30db NRR.Seems like they might need more amplification, but i haven't actually tried them on the range yet.I bought these because i'm getting hearing aids and earplugs are out.I recommend them: simple and functional.

Verified Purchaser · January 24 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

the Howard Leight Impact Sport is a great muff. It's light

A few years ago, most my trigger time was spent outdoors. For outdoor use, the Howard Leight Impact Sport is a great muff. It's light, low profile and very effective at reducing gun shots to a comfortable volume. I also had no problem hearing the people around me--in fact, it actually improved my hearing and could give you an advantage in a home defense situation (more on this later). Unlike some cheaper competitors, they also have an auto-shutoff, which kills the electronic functions if the muffs are left on for more than 4 hours. For me, this is critical since I am notorious for leaving on my electronics. I haven't had to change the battery on my impact sports after 2 years of use.Last winter, I starting going to an indoor range near my office to keep up with my training (too cold, snowy for an outdoor range in my neck of the woods). My indoor range is about the worst possible environment for hearing safety you can imagine. It's a 30 yard range made entirely of concrete, including the walls for each point. There are 5 points to a room and no limit on what you can shoot (up to 50bmg from a rifle, but shotguns are limited to slugs only). With 12 foot ceilings and NO sound deadening materials to speak of, you need to rely on you muffs entirely to keep you eardrums from exploding. In this environment, the Impact Sports are NOT up to the task. My first time indoors, I quickly discovered that the lmpact Sports offered almost no protection by themselves. I had double up with foam plugs before I could shoot comfortably. Unfortunately, with the foam plugs, the electronic hearing enhancement was almost useless.I ultimately purchased the Impact Pro muffs in September 2016 (so I have had them for over a year now). They Impact Pro offers essentially the same electronic hearing enhancement (with auto-shutoff) as the Impact Sport, but with a much heavier, bulkier profile that substantially improves the Impact Pro's noise reduction abilities when compared to the Impact Sport (31 decibel reduction compared to 22 decibel). My ears are safe, even when the range is filled with big bore rifles, AR's and shotguns. I can also carry a conversation with the Impact Pro on--just have to play with the volume a bit to find a good balance. The Impact Pro is, however, far from perfect. After switching to the Pro's, I had to adjust my cheek weld because these bulky muffs were in the way. I also find it can be tricky to wear these with a hat and eye protection because the hat and eye protect can cause the muffs to break their seal with your head, letting in dangerously loud sounds. I can tweak how I wear my glasses/goggles, but this can cause other issues by either reducing the protection from my eye protection or causing me to wear my eye protection in a way that makes it heard to aim well.In short, if I had a better, reasonably priced option for protecting my ears at an indoor range that allowed me to hear what is going on around me--without the bulk and compromises I have to make with the Impact Pro--I would jump all over it. If I am shooting outdoors, I would go for the Impact Sports over these every single time. However, for the purpose of shooting at a LOUD indoor range, this is really the only option I have come up with that fits my needs and costs less than $100 on Amazon. I know there are other options out there, but the cost of going to a custom made electronic plug is just not feasible for me. So, the Impact Pro's are my go to option for indoor shooting--at least for the time being. For this reason, I am giving them five stars (but with a caveat).Side Note: I also keep an extra pair of the Impact Sports, with fresh batteries, in my hidden gun safe in my bedroom for home defense purposes. The electronic noise filter on both the Sport and Pro muffs (I would guess they are almost the same, if not actually the same, electronics uses in both pairs) does an outstanding job of amplifying and enhancing low volume sounds. I can put them on in my bedroom, crank up the volume and hear my kids talking softly at the other end of the house. If you have never used a pair of electronic muffs, it can be quite starting the first couple of times you have them on. I expect this could give me a big advantage in a home invasion situation, where the introducers have nothing on their ears and I have the hearing of a fox. :) The Impact Sport and/or Pro are worth owning for this reason alone.

Verified Purchaser · December 2 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

Don't be cheap on hearing protection

Fantastic ear protection. I wish I had bought these sooner. Out of all the places to save money in life, hearing protection isn't one of them. I use them when shooting pistols and rifles and they work better than expected.

Verified Purchaser · May 1, 202 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

High quality, very effective at damping sound, very comfortable

I bought these for ear protection while using my M&P Shield 9mm. This is a quick impression as I have not yet been to the range. These are quality built and are highly recommended.Please understand what these are; they are ear muffs with passive noise reduction. The electronic part is only for amplification of ambient sound up to 85 db. That is not a criticism, that is a description. It's exactly what I expected but it can be a little confusing if you haven't used this style of electronic ear muff before.A couple of weeks ago I needed some ear muffs quick so I bought some electronic ear muffs from Harbor Freight for $12. Big mistake, complete waste of money, they will not protect your hearing and of course I took them back. They use cheap translucent plastic so sound goes right through them. The wiring is thin, the Harbor Freight muffs use cheap open foam, look cheap and are cheap. I told you that story so I can tell you this one.The Howard Leight Impact Pro are the exact opposite. Excellent sound damping, thick wire, thick plastic and the seal at the ears is solid and comfortable without being too tight. Everything about this ear muff is quality.I love music so my hearing is extremely important to me which is why I bought the ear muffs with the highest sound damping I could find. I have large Klipsch speakers RF-83 (three 8" woofers) and RC-64 (four 6" woofers) capable of reaching 125 db. Playing my system as loud as I dared the HL Impact Pro kept the sound to very acceptable levels even as my chest was thumping with the sound of the Klipsch speakers playing extremely loud. A 12 ga shotgun hits 165 db, a regular gun shot is 145 db, pain sets in a 125 db. Your lawn mower is about 95 db and typical speech is 55-65db. The HL Pro Impact is supposed to knock down about 32 db, and I believe it, from a subjective point of view.After I get to the range or some outdoor shooting I'll come back and update my evaluation. I am expecting I will not be disappointed.

Verified Purchaser · December 1 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

Great first impression

Took this one to outdoor range today, and the initial impression is very positive:- This unit suppresses gun noise to fairly comfortable level, while human talk and ambient noise pass-through nicely, and can even be amplified if you turn up the dial. I obviously hear others talking than the other way.- Wearing glasses didn't compromise much of its performance, I will hold off the gel pad upgrade for now. However, I haven't tried indoor, where a gel pad may be a worthy upgrade.- Wearing comfort is good so far. I had it on for few hours and didn't feel uncomfortable about its weight. The pressure on my ear is about right. A very secure feel but not over done.The biggest downside is that it doesn't fold in. Most ear muffs I've seen can fold into the headband, this one can't. It takes more space when you carry it around. But I do prefer better protection if that's the price to pay. The size and look doesn't make it sexy neither, if that's important to you.I don't have experience with other brand/model to compare, and haven't try indoor range yet. Will update once I learn more.Update: I did a minor upgrade after watching YouTube. Open the earmuff, you will see some empty spaces. I put in around 20 form earplugs in each side to fill those spaces. I am sure it will help a little, but difficult to tell how much. It is an easy and low cost upgrade, and I recommend it.

Verified Purchaser · January 29 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★★★

Fit and one button operation

Love these. One button operation compared to my old set, which had three buttons.Haven’t shot with them yet, but will soon but I can already tell it. It’s an upgrade from what I’m used to.I’m female and I’m fairly small with a small head and yes, they may be considered a bit more bulky than some but they feel great and I’m not after looks. I’m after function.I am very happy with this upgrade, so females, don’t be afraid to buy these earmuffs

Verified Purchaser · March 6, 2 · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase

★★★☆☆

Comparing the Impact Pro with the Impact Sport

I know that there are a lot of reviews about this item but I wanted to share my experience having purchased both the Impact Pro and the Impact Sport (R-025024) model Howard Leight by Honeywell R-02524 Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Earmuff, Black.I first got the R-25024 and I was very happy with them. The sound is crisp, clear and loud enough to be able to hear better with them on than with a naked ear. I used them for target practice with a .22 pistol and they worked great until someone beside me was shooting a much bigger caliber and the Impact Sport R-25024 proved ineffective.So I ordered the Pro Sound and at first sight I was fairly disappointed. They look bulky and if they did not have the same brand name you would think that the Impact Pro is a much more inferior product than the Impact Sport. One of the clear differences is that the Impact Sport has sponge like covers over the microphones which makes them more wind resistant but the Impact Pro do not cover the mics. When you put the Impact Pro on and raise the volume all the way to high, the sounds are not louder than what you would hear without them while the Impact Sport amplify the sounds and you can hear better. They are also enormous compared to the Impact Sport (see attached photos) and they do not fold nicely as the Impact Sport do. I also got the case for them Caseling Hard Case for Howard Leight by Honeywell R-01902 Impact Pro Sound Amplification Electronic Earmuff. - Includes Mesh Pocket for Accessories. which turned out to be the size of a small purse (it is the largest piece of equipment I put in my range bag...).Then, after I was disappointed by the size, the sound and the bulky look, I took them to the range. I was amazed that they work so well as far as protecting your hearing. There were a couple of people beside me that were shooting large caliber weapons and I could even feel the blast wave on my face but the sound level from the shots was bearable and much more comfortable than when I was wearing the Impact Sport. So I am very happy with the fact that they do provide great protection. I also find both the Impact Pro and the Impact Sport very comfortable and do not feel that I want to take them off after a couple of hours of wearing them but comfort varies from person to person and you may find them more or less comfortable than I do.I gave them only 3 stars because the Sport and the Pro are made by the same company and they should both be made with the same quality material and have the same quality electronics as the Sport. Also 3 stars because they do not fold and take too much space when stored in the range bag. In my opinion, the Impact Pro are made for the indoor shooting range and the Impact Sport are made for outdoor activities and would most likely be great for hunting because they amplify the sounds around you while they seal your ears from the gun shots as long as you are not shooting high caliber pistols of rifles. Although I am not planning to ever go hunting (too sympathetic to the animals), I kept both pairs.Update 11/29/2017:I have been using the Impact Sport for indoor competitions when the competitions are limited to 22lr and they have been working great. I also use them for outdoor competitions when I am shooting 9mm. They are also effective outdoors when others are shooting 45 caliber and I am not close to the shooter. I use the Pro for all other indoor competitions or when I shoot larger caliber outdoors. But a few months ago, I purchased the Peltor Sport Tactical 300 which I found them to have great sound quality and they are of better overall quality than the Pro. Yet, the Peltor are 24 NRR and when we do "big bore" competitions, I still like the protection provided by the Impact Pro.Update 2/22/2017:It has been a while now that I modified the Pro version and fitted a camera so I can record my range and competition sessions. Not that I am any good at it but this way I can review later to try and understand what I am doing wrong. I figured that maybe any of you might want to do the same. I attached a couple of pictures of the Pro with the cameraI used the following to make the modification:Contour ROAM3 Waterproof HD Video Camera (Black)Fotasy SCX2 1/4-Inch 20 Tripod Screw to Hot Shoe Adapter with Premier Cleaning Cloth (Black)

Verified Purchaser · September · ✓ Amazon Verified Purchase