HySkore’s Over and Out AM/FM hearing protection electronic earmuffs are designed for yard work, construction or for the shop. With a 21 NRR rating, it also makes a good supplement to your earplugs at the shooting range.
To drown out constant background noise,the Over and Out has an AM/FM radio with a built-in, concealed antenna, and a jack to connect your MP3 player. The earmuffs include a belt clip and a speaker jack for your MP3 player.
One ear cup holds two AA batteries, while the other has the radio controls. There are two knobs — one adjusts the volume, the other tunes the station. Also on this cup are the off/FM/AM switch and the MP3 player jack.
The headband fits securely and features 3/4-inch adjustments. The earcups stay put over my ears and are much tighter than my passive earmuffs that tend to slip off my ears at the range if I’m not careful.
Radio reception is clear and I picked up numerous radio channels. I plugged in my iPhone to listen to my tunes and even though there is not a treble or bass adjustment, the sound is clear.
A typical office has a noise rating of 60 to 65dB, so I tested the Over and Out headphones in our call center. I assume that our call center lies on the upper end of the loudness scale. I could still hear a drone, albeit muffled without the radio on. To completely drown it out, I had to turn the volume to nearly half of its total loudness.
Hearing protection for indoor shooting should be rated at 28 to 32 NRR. The HySkore Over and Out AM/FM radio muffs are rated at 21 NRR. If you are going to be using it at the shooting range, I recommend also wearing earplugs. The instruction sheet that came with the earmuffs states, “The Noise Reduction Rating is based on the attenuation of continuous noise and may not be an accurate indicator of the protection attainable against impulse noise, such as gunfire.” So, buyer beware. You can pick up some disposable earplugs for next to nothing.
The description on HySkore’s website states the earmuffs will work as secondary amplification, but even with the volume button turned on full blast, I couldn’t tell a difference.
Compared to other electronic earmuffs in the same price range, the NRR ratings are the same, but the HySkore offers more features such as the AM/FM radio and MP3 jack.
It works great for the intended purpose it was designed. In my case, mowing the lawn.
Pros: price, buttons easy to use while wearing, reception, MP3 jack Cons: tight earmuffs, not rated for firearm shooting Specifications and Features:
- Easy to use controls
- Requires 2 x AA batteries
- Adjustable headband
- Interface cord
- iPod/MP3 input
While listening to other sources when shooting may be distracting, I would definitely use them cutting the grass or blocking out my kids. 🙂
I can’t see wearing something like this to be distracted when shooting, but they might be just what I need for my 90 year old mother who changes TV channels every 5 to 7 seconds with the volume so loud I can hear it outside the house………… From 6:30am ’til 9:15 pm every damned day. Dis-connected thoughts………I can’t get away from it. Maybe I should try these things. I hate to, but she won’t stop.