davestanton Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Hi Guys. I have a radio transmitter fitted on my property and also a pair of radio receiver earmuffs, but the muffs' radio is rubbish. I can tune my other fm receivers in perfectly so not the broadcaster's fault. Does anyone know of a quality headset that acts as a pair of earmuffs against high pitched sounds such as routers etc and also has a very good quality fm radio? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I've given up trying to buy radio receiver headsets with noise protection. I got a good pair of headphones with noise protection, and I connect them to an FM radio or whatever source I want. Marc recommended the Howard Leight headphones and I wasn't disappointed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Can't do Bluetooth, too short a range. I am on acreage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I love music in my shop Dave. I run an IPOD thru the stereo and crank it up pretty good. I just don't get to hear the music when the machines are running. For me, I want my attention on the moving bits rather than the great music in my ears. Just a personal choice I guess. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Let me expand on it. I also use a ride on mower and want broadcast fm via a pair of headset fm earmuffs. My broadcaster has a range that will do it, Bluetooth will not. I can be anywhere up to 1/2 a mile away. I appreciate that some may not music on while machines are running, I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Let me expand on it. I also use a ride on mower and want broadcast fm via a pair of headset fm earmuffs. My broadcaster has a range that will do it, Bluetooth will not. I can be anywhere up to 1/2 a mile away. I appreciate that some may not music on while machines are running, I do. Apologies Dave, I thought it was just for the shop. Does it have to be FM? I use IPOD buds and ear muffs when working in the yard. As a music person, I appreciate your want for the music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I use in-ear buds under muffs to listen to stuff while I am mowing the lawn, but when I'm in the shop, I generally prefer to forego to tunes and just slap on the muffs when I'm running a loud machine. Much of the time there are kids shooting hoops in the driveway outside my garage shop, and I like to keep an ear open for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Another item I neglected to mention. No mobile phone service on my property. Radio broadcast lets my wife inform me of landline calls. Thanks for all the alternative ideas but I did not ask for alternatives. Anyone used a good quality fm set of earmuffs and if so, brand? 3m Peltor and Howard leight appear to be up there. These headsets also have 3.5mm jacks for plugging in another device such as my cordless phone which also has a good range. In Australia we refer to cell phones as mobile phones, and a phone that sits in a base that is hardwired into a landline is called a cordless phone, just in case there is some confusion as to what I am talking about here. I know different countries call common items by other names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Also, never been happy with buds in my ears as they are usually attached by a flimsy cable to a mobile phone. This cable always seems to get caught on something, or the buds move around under the earmuffs and then you have one ear listening well and the other wonders what the hell went on.... way too distracting for me and I feel this system is way more dangerous. The source of my music is a tv (see it in my shop tour) which has 3 hdmi cable inputs as well as USB inputs. I can play from my surface tablet, USB stick, hard drive, laptop...... the output runs through the ear jack to a twin switch box that selects either the Altec lancing sound system with sub woofer (quality system I have had since KD Lang was popular) or to my broadcaster. I like the ability to switch whatever I am listening to or watching from room music to headset without missing a beat. I may be watching the news and decide I need to cut some stuff, so hit the button and slide on the headset... maybe I think when I finished the cut I need something from the house, 80 yards away and I don't want to stop listening to the news item..... you get the picture. I don't means to sound ungrateful to the people who have offered alternative ideas, but this is something I have been evolving over the past 4 years and the quality fm headset is the last part of the puzzle to go in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I tried Peltor (which is apparently now 3M). I have about 4 pairs of their headphones, and look-alikes. The FM has always sucked for me, but I use it in a big city. Fading in and out as I move my head or walk around. Some reviews have said that it works well in a rural setting. By the way, those reviews are several years old because I gave up trying to get good FM. The last pair of 3M TEKK that I bought, just a few months ago, were great. They appeared to be really well made and I was quite happy. Then, just after Amazon would no longer accept a return, they just stopped working. Several reviews mentioned an intermittent connection problem. By the way, I had only been using them at my desk, so they weren't abused at all. I tried FM and audio jack input, different cords, different music sources, shaking them, tapping them, flexing them - nothing. So, I was using them just to block out the noise. I kept trying, but they appeared to be dead. After a few weeks I saw Marc's video and bought the Howard Leight head phones. So far, I'm happy. Writing this made me curious, so I tried the 3M again. They are now working fine. I walked around a little and the FM seems to work well. The Peltor / 3M Tekk might work well for you, but I would strongly recommend getting a hearing protection headset that works well (Howard Leight) and a portable FM radio that works well, and connect them with a cord (me) or bluetooth (Marc). In my experience it's difficult to find a unit that does FM well and is also a reliable headset. Details: 1st Peltor: worked great but FM sucked in city. Didn't have jack for audio input. Still have them as hearing protection. 2nd Peltor: worked great but FM sucked in city. Has jack for audio input. I use them all the time. Street repairs outside my window made me want a second pair for my desk. Peltor lookalike: didn't work out of the box. Returned. 3M Tekk: Appeared to be more rugged and well made than any previous. Work well, but intermittent failures. Howard Leight: works well, no complaint, but no FM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Thanks Beechwood. The Howard leight I am looking at do have fm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiska Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 We had 8 pairs of Peltors at work and they all worked just fine for 4 years 8-16 working days continuous use. They were still fine when we gave them away when the last noisy machines were phased out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Thanks Reiska. Can you remember if they changed volume up and down as you moved around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiska Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 Reception did change depending where in the machine room you stood, but didn't notice volume changes standing in one place. The machine room was in the bottom floor of a concrete building so in places you have 5-10m of concrete between you and the outside and lose reception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted September 16, 2014 Report Share Posted September 16, 2014 I do the same, an FM transmitter and audio compressor broadcasting podcasts, Pandora, etc... I ditched the Peltors muffs long ago for these, with foam Skull screw plugs: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Isolating-Headphones-Plastic/dp/B00AEY4QP2/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_0 I connect it to an older version of this: http://www.amazon.com/Sangean-DT-200X-FM-Stereo-Personal-Receiver/dp/B00006HOKR/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1410878973&sr=8-9&keywords=sangean The pocket radio kills the muff's reception, and the skull screws are light, cool, and far quieter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 I purchased the Howard Leight headset today, should arrive early next week. I will let you all know how they go. Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Brilliant. Love them! No change in volume or reception as you move around. Comfortable, no wires to get caught on anything. 10 presets, am and fm. 3.5mm jack for any aux input. I will test them at home tomorrow night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 Here we go. I tried the new earmuffs at home and the sound quality is much better than the cheapies, no surprise there. As an aside, my Bluetooth headset does have better sound, bass in particular, so can use those for my mobile phone at close quarters. If mobile phone reception was any good at my place I may have been satisfied with just Bluetooth. Back to the FM headset. There is absolutely no deviation in volume or music quality as I move around the workshop or outside. I have tested up to 50 metres away from radio broadcast source but as it is now dark outside and also had a couple of other things to get done, I have not had an opportunity to distance test. So far the range is 5 times that of Bluetooth. The fact that I can listen to anything from my media centre, TV, USB, laptop, mobile phone stored songs while in the shop or out on the mower whilst protecting my ears from harmful decibels is very refreshing! One other thing, I live stream sporting matches. I set it all up and have someone turn things on where the game is being played. I monitor the stream from my shop via a laptop plugged via HDMI to my LCD TV. I can now go about doing other stuff on my property whilst monitoring the audio of the live stream. This will let me know immediately if the stream drops out and I need to call the guy at the sports ground to reset, reconnect cables etc. which minimises down time of the broadcast. All in all, very satisfied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 23, 2014 Report Share Posted September 23, 2014 Dave, What model of the Howard Leight's did you get? By the way, I've been using the 3M tekks for a week now with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Beachwood, the only indication I can see is "SYNC Hi vis radio am fm" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks - found it on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 Yes, that's them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted February 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hey Beachwood, did you get the earmuffs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W1ngnu7_1628 Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 I wanted to see about resurrecting this thread in case anyone has come across anything better. I bought the Howard Leights that Marc suggested and like them fine but if I could improve a couple of things:They get pretty sweaty when it's warmishWould be nice if they were a bit lighterWould like softer padding that doesn't crack, maybe a fabric.Anyone find anything recently that they like better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 These are my current faves, with the optional Skull Screw foamies, in and around race cars, in the shop, and cutting grass.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEY4QP2/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001HVC8QU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0YGYXHE6SHQYCJY67554 Plug whatever source you like into them, they block so much external noise, you'll find yourself turning the source down ridiculously low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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