Customer Reviews

AO Safety/3M Tekk 99014 Blockade Noise Isolating Earbuds

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

They were working great.I like the idea of being able to change the tips to keep clean ones on them.The sound isolation was still good.
But like another reviewer has stated one of the internal wires broke and sound cuts out on one of the ear buds when the wire near the male jack moves around.I emailed the company to find out they only have a 3 month warranty.(((Update,I sent some in for warranty and the company sent new replacements))
I have many great very high quality noise canceling headphones.Like the
Panasonic RP-HC500 - Noise-Cancelling Stereo Headphones,which are incredible in all aspects of their use.
problem I run into lately is I can't use them in the place in which I work anymore.Shame cause they were as good or better than the high dollar Bose sets.
So I started hunting for in the ear noise isolating types.I tried all the expensive battery operated noise canceling type,3 different ones in all.Some did fair but none did great.
These Blockade brand cut out VERY Much noise.Only thing is you have to give them a chance while you learn how to actually get them put in.I know that sounds lame but you really do have to learn to pull back on you ear while putting them in.If you do they really cut out an amazing amount of noise.
I actually use these for about 9 or 10 hours a day.
Your ear canal will have to get use to having them in,and you will have to be determined to make them work out,(and they will)it took me 2 weeks of sticking with them for my ear canal to get use to the pressure of the plugs.
The push button volume control is a nice feature as well
Watch on Amazon and sometimes you can get them half price,I noticed the prices on these go up and down and I have bought them from different sellers and gotten some really cheap.($15.00 or so)

I gave these to my son, a percussionist who loves to play while plugged into his ipod. These enabled him to hear his music, play his drums and not have to crank the pod so high to hear music over the drumming. An ear saver, the plugs stay put, it's affordable and quality is good. The volume control is an added plus.

I'm a woodworker and an avid audiobook listener and they go hand in hand in my everyday life. At 55 my hearing isn't what it once was and some frequencies are now less audible than they use to be.

Prior to acquiring these while working and attempting to listen to my MP3 player using my regular earbuds was impossible. This product has solved that problem. Despite the high levels of BG noise, audio is now crisp and crystal clear and the BG noise is significantly reduced. One word of caution, you may wish to get a visual phone ringer signal because you certainly won't be hearing the phone ring if you have these on.

I gave the product 4 stars instead of 5 because of its lightweight construction. The materials used do not inspire a great amount of confidence in the products longevity under working conditions. That said, I'm very happy with these and recommend them highly.

These work really well at blocking out outside noise. They are easy to clean and come with an extra set of ear pieces. The volume control also has a mute funtion, (press both buttons). They do not have great bass response but they are not the worst that I have heard.

I bought these for a 3,000-mile motorcycle trip where I needed both hearing protection and entertainment. They did remarkably well at both, but involved a lot of fussing with the depth and angle in my ears: too shallow, and the music was good, but the noise protection wasn't; too deep, and the tiny hole in the tip would be squeezed shut, blocking all noise including the music. Not easy to adjust under a helmet!

If I were to take this trip again tomorrow, I'd pair these with a device to route my cell phone through these, rather than have to take them out to answer the phone. They're comfortable enough, but repeated insertion and removal will leave your ear canals feeling raw.

Using these won't cut down noise to some magical inky-black silence where your music will sound perfect, but it will knock it down to the point where you can actually hear and enjoy it. With the music off, you'll be able to hear a person speaking plainly in front of you, but you won't hear a person calling to you from across the street. Sticking your head in an extremely turbulent windflow will wiggle the earbuds enough to make your music sound wobbly.

These come with two extra sets of inserts, and I'm very tempted to cut the smallest "cup" off of one of these to see if it would take some of the guesswork out of getting clear audio at the expense of some of the noise reduction.

I have been searching for a long time for sound blocking ear buds. I thought these were going to solve my problem. They fit ok in the ear canal, but the sound quality is poor. They sound "tinny". If you listen to music do not buy. If you listen to podcasts these will work but when your noise stops you will want to go back to your regular ones. They also stick out a bit from your ear so in high noise I wear head phones over the top and they rub a bit.

I was looking for a pair of headphones to wear when I mow my lawn. These are great!! They are exactly what I was looking for - at exactly the right price point. They are not hi-fidelity, but at $35. they do the trick using my daughter's iPod. I just wish I had bought them sooner! All these years spent mowing with no music!!

I mow for about 2 hours at a time - it's my exercise and therapy - and found no ear fatigue or discomfort. Just followed the insertion directions and all is fine.

Can't go wrong with these babies!!

First off, I paid $5 for these at a Farm and Fleet. I wasn't expecting too much, but then again who does for $5?

They looked much better at isolation than my skullcandies and they appear to be so.

They fit really deeply into your ear canal and block a lot of noise. They sound pretty good. Using the $15 skullcandies for comparison, I think these sound a little better. Little warmer.

They're really comfy and come with a pouch and extra ear things. Also a remote. For what I paid, I may grab another. Build quality is REALLY nice. I think they'll last more than a few years. Also considering a ride a school bus every day for school :( these will be great for blocking out the engine noise and window rattle.

hmm with 24 db of noise reduction external noise should be 1/4 as loud. I may wear the large earmuffs over these anyways and blare my music. Hurray for saving my hearing by playing loud music!

They also have another built in feature: they clean out my ears really well.

I'm impressed with the noise reduction and the audio quality of these earbuds. They're like having earplugs with music, basically. I had some Eymotics with a similar in-ear design, but they were very delicate (and $$) and died within a year. These seem to sound every bit as good, and are much more rugged. The volume control is handy, but it is bulky and makes the cord heavy, which pulls on your ears a bit. There is a clothing clip provided and you pretty much need to use it because of the heavy cord. I would have preferred no volume control, or a lighter one. Other than that, these work as advertised. The carry pouch is a nice touch. I'd buy these earbuds again if they got lost. Now I don't have to hear the annoying neighbor's top 40 radio they have blasting in their backyard every weekend!

as with most hearing protection, if its not placed in your ear correctly, it will not work correctly. this carries over to the Blockade Earbuds as well. once you get them in the correct position, they sound quite good. they do the job they are asked to do, which is block noise and allow you to listen to your music without having to crank the volume to drowned out the noise. they are 24db in protection, so while they may not be as good as the foam ones, they are much better than the AO Safety Work Tunes ear muffs. the only problem I have with them is that they wore out at the plug connection. I did however get four months of use out of these, thats four months of 40 hours a week usage, thats a lot of time, a lot of abuse as well. I would highly recommend these to others with the caution that they must be placed in the ears correctly in order for both the noise isolation to work, and to get decent sound quality. these aren't for everyday recreational use where you just toss em in and go, they are safety regulated earplugs first, and sound producing earbuds second.