Really liking my new Hearing protection setup

[jussi]

I like to listen to the radio when I'm in the shop but when I put the earmuffs on the audio obviously gets muted. This is particularly irritating when I'm listening to a song I like or something on the sports / talk radio channels I'm interested in. I owned a pair of earmuffs with AM/FM built in before but I never really liked it because it was analog and you had to rotate the dial to find the station. Which meant taking them off, putting the dial close to the station, then putting the earmuffs back on and micro tuning the dial to get the exact station. Marc S (the woodwhisperer) did a review on saftey gear and in it he uses earmuffs with a headphone jack built in and plugs a bluetooth receiver. I pretty much used the same equipment but I found a receiver that was less expensive. Also he uses his phone as the only transmitter (which I do also) but I also like to listen to the radio and TV. So I also bought a BT transmitter that I hook up to either the radio or TV. This allows the audio from the device to transmit from both the speakers as well as the BT unit. Which is nice because I'll be listening to something with the earmuffs off and then when I put them on the audio continues seamlessly and vice versa when I take them off.

Headphones
Receiver
Transmitter

[poolhound]

Pretty cool Jussi. I probably have the same analogue radio headphones you mentioned. I vary music in the shop between radio and pandora depending on my mood and do have to switch to something else when I put on the headphones. I will have to check this solution out further.

[jussi]

Listening to the radio is the exact reason I got the transmitter (that and the TV). I can get some of the stations on iHeart but not all of them. I also bought a cheap soundbar during the black friday sales which has BT and I'm able to pipe the radio or iphone/ipad audio to it.

[gerti]

http://www.sawdustzone.org/showthread.php?60204-Add-Bluetooth-to-Noise-Suppression-Headphones

[Black wallnut]

My am/fm clock radio finally gave up. My hearing protectors also need replacing. Might have to look at this.....

[os1kne]

Interesting, I may look into this also. Thanks for posting.

[Buster17]

Just these c at Lee Valley. .

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42207,42227&p=73973

[LPadilla34]

Here's what I just ordered.
They are marketed to motorcyclists, industrial workers and gun enthusiasts and they look and feel like something that would last long when I saw the sample piece.

https://www.bigearinc.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zsEL8SpLxQ

[Carlos]

My wife and I ride. She had the custom plugs made. Then made again. And a third time. They've always been somewhat problematic, and you outgrow them! I had no idea, but your ears keep changing your whole life. So every few years she'd find them not fitting. Meanwhile I bought a set of dual-speaker "S-Plugs" and have had them for over ten years with no issues. I got the short cord so they can connect to my helmet receiver, or to an extension for other uses. I connect them to my phone for shooting and woodworking, and run an app which puts the sound through from the microphone. So they work as "bionic hearing" as well as hearing protection. I sometimes use them while hunting also, because I can hear so much more.

[Tom Slick]

I wear 3M work tunes headset. The newer model that I have has a digital tuner with memory and audio commands that works great. It also has bluetooth built in so I can listen to podcasts or Pandora. I wear them even when I'm doing not loud yard work.

[cwsmith]

I am no doubt a bit odd... I don't listen or watch anything when I'm in the shop, or for that matter when I drive. In the shop my attention is fully on the task that I'm doing, especially when using any tool with a sharp blade, motorized or not. And, in the car, my attention is fully on the traffic, road, and sound of my vehicle's engine, tires, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I love listening to the radio for music and news and not a day goes by that I don't have my earbuds holding my brain place; but, when working or driving I simply find it distracting, actually even when I'm sitting at the computer and trying to draw or write I find myself far less efficient doing that IF I'm also listening to the radio. The radio, although enjoyable, simply distracts me enough that I find myself working slower and making more mistakes.

Simple brain or perhaps age...

CWS

[Carlos]

I need to listen to something when driving or doing work, otherwise my attention will drift and I'll do something dangerous. Music is particularly focusing for motorcycle riding.