The hearing protection market is divided into a few camps. While suppressors<\/a>, foam ear plugs and old school ear muffs all definitely have their place in protecting our ears, electronically operated ear protection has gained a huge market share in the last couple decades. Today we\u2019re looking at a new entry into this crowded arena that advertises itself as having a novel addition to the usual features, Auto Ears<\/a>.<\/p>\n Auto Ears was designed by one dude, Logan Warren. While he credits others for supporting him along the way, Logan spent 2,500 hours over the last three years making this brainchild happen. Why? He saw one particular weakness in the electronic ear muffs on the market, and thought he could solve it. With 11 different technological approaches in the books, he says he\u2019s achieved his goal.<\/p>\n Before we dig into what makes Auto Ears unique, let\u2019s talk about the basics. The way electronic ear protection operates is pretty straightforward. The muffs themselves provide a passive amount of noise reduction (usually around 22 decibels, listed as 22NRR or 22dB NRR). There\u2019s one (mono) or two (stereo, left and right) microphones on the outside of the muffs, that feed into speakers inside the muffs. When noise is detected over the specified limit (83 dB on Auto Ears), the audio circuit either shuts off or compresses the noise so your ears remain protected.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the basics, but there\u2019s more. Some sets are analog and some have a digital audio circuit. The digital sets have a faster \u201cattack\u201d time, meaning less milliseconds pass after the noise threshold is exceeded before the muffs kill the excess noise. In past reviews (Howard Leight Impact Sport<\/a> vs the digital Bolt<\/em> model of the same), I\u2019ve found analog muffs to provide a better sound quality.<\/p>\n Additionally, some electronic muffs have a 3.5mm audio jack or Bluetooth connectivity. While listening to music might not be a great idea on a busy range, there are plenty of times when the ability to plug in an audio device (phone, walkie talkie, etc.) might be beneficial. It\u2019s up to you to decide if you fall into one of those use cases, but Auto Ears does include both the 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth.<\/p>\n The inventor of Auto Ears has submitted a set for laboratory testing, and it survived the following:<\/p>\n So the main issue Auto Ears hoped to fix is power. If you\u2019ve ever tossed your ear pro on only to find out the batteries are dead because \u201coff\u201d usually means \u201cstandby,\u201d which slowly drains your battery. Auto Ears has a special switch built in that physically disconnects the battery when it\u2019s not on your head. Leave your volume right where you like it, as soon as you don the ear muffs, they\u2019re on. No amount of jostling in a backpack, gear bag or truck will accidentally turn your set on, draining the batteries.<\/p>\n For me, this is useful when I\u2019m having range days with my kids. My boys are great at following the safety rules on the range, but struggle to remember to turn their headsets off when we\u2019re done shooting. I like swapping mags, I don\u2019t like swapping batteries that got used once.<\/p>\n Given that I\u2019m reviewing a slightly pre-launch model, I\u2019ve been asked not to discuss the physical mechanism that makes the power disconnect happen, to keep Chinese knock-offs from sprouting and spoiling the crucial first months of launch. I will be updating this section once launch is official.<\/p>\n So I won\u2019t say what<\/em> makes it work, but I will talk about how<\/em> well<\/em> this mechanism works. Very well<\/strong>, that\u2019s the short version. As soon as you take the set off your head and the muffs close together, it\u2019s off. I opened the muffs up slowly and the set didn\u2019t kick back on until the earpieces were about as wide as my head. The bluetooth will have to be reconnected for every on\/off, or it wouldn\u2019t be powered off right? This is done via a push-and-hold of the very tactile Bluetooth button on the left earcup.<\/p>\n Getting a cheek weld with Auto Ears isn\u2019t a problem. They\u2019re not tiny, but they\u2019re slim enough to stay totally functional, even on the M249\u2019s scooped fixed stock, which usually knocks headsets off.<\/p>\n Besides the unique auto on\/off feature, there\u2019s still a full featured headset here.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a few things I like: <\/p>\n Some possible cons:<\/p>\n I have a wide variety of electronic ear protection on hand, from Leight to Peltor to S&W, Warbird Intrepid<\/a>, Bushnell and Walkers. Auto Ears competes well with the Peltor 500 in terms of gel cup quality, Bluetooth functionality and robust build design. Auto Ears is extremely similar to the Howard Leight Impact Bolt series regarding overall size and Noise Reduction Rating. Not surprisingly, the Auto Ears falls between those two in expected price (under $100).<\/p>\n Auto Ears has come up with a pretty ingenious solution to what some will agree is an annoying issue. Besides the auto on\/off, Auto Ears has an excellent control layout, comes with good gel earcups, has an on-par hearing protection rating and a durable build. While I\u2019d like the audio to pick up less indistinct noise, the fact is I\u2019m not usually trying to hold a conversation while I\u2019m at the range. I do believe this is something that can be tweaked on the audio board itself.<\/p>\n But, it is my opinion that this is a good headset, especially for a prerelease model from a one-man operation. I don\u2019t envy any small operation starting up against some of the international industry giants around, but Auto Ears is giving it a hell of a shot.<\/p>\n Auto Ears expects to release in the next couple of weeks (late January\/Early February 2025), with the price expected to fall under $100. If you want to get on the list, or check the official source, AutoEars.com<\/a> it is.<\/p>\n Check out more articles from\u00a0Jens \u201cRex Nanorum\u201d Hammer\u00a0<\/a>or visit him on Instagram\u00a0@Rexnanorum.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Product and gun reviews are performed independently and product mentions made based on the quality of the product and value of interest to gun owners. However, when you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission to help support the costs of operating the site and keeping it free for our visitors.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Auto](\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1Cov-1.jpg\")
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Automatic Ear Protection<\/h2>\n
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Bottom Line<\/h2>\n
Tech Specs<\/h2>\n
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