Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff

by Howard Leight

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Howard Leight Impact Sport is an electronic earmuff with a sleek, low-profile ear cup design and an adjustable headband for a secure, non-slip fit. It automatically shuts off noise above 82 decibels. A single power and volume control knob allowing you to hear conversations near or far from you. To capture low level sound, the Impact Sport employs built-in microphones that amplify range commands and other important sounds. Users enjoy full, clear directional hearing in stereo. For protection, the Impact Sport actively listens and automatically shuts off amplification whenever harmful sound levels are reached. The earmuffs effectively block any noise, continuous or impulse, of 82 decibels or more. External audio input allows you to connect your mp3 player or other audio source. The Impact Sport boasts outstanding battery lifetime, running on 2 AAA batteries, included.

Product Description

To capture low level sound, the Impact Sport employs built-in microphones that amplify range commands and other important sounds. Users enjoy full, clear directional hearing in stereo. For protection, the Impact Sport actively listens and automatically shuts off amplification whenever harmful sound levels are reached. The earmuffs effectively block any noise, continuous or impulse, of 82dB or more. An external audio imput allows you to connect your IPOD or other audio source. It has a black leatherette headband with hunter green ear cups, a snap-on lid for quick and easy battery replacement, outstanding battery lifetime, and includes 2 AAA batteries.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.5 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001T7QJ9O
• Item model number: R-01526
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (545 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #1 in Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Tactical & Duty > Protective Body Equipment
  • #1 in Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Hunting > Eyewear & Hearing Protection > Earmuffs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

612 of 616 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars situational awareness, an engineers perspective., December 24, 2010

By 

MauiRifleman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff (Tools & Home Improvement)

Length:: 6:44 Mins

I was so impressed by the value of these phones, I made a video.
feel free to Check my references, I am a 15 year veteran of Live sound and own a recording studio in Maui
[...]
I am a Life member of the NRA and a member of the Valley Isle Sport shooters.
Shooting is my hobby, sound is my life.
I entrust my main professional asset to these head phones.

281 of 299 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For the price, excellent; average overall., October 27, 2009

By 

JW (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought these for my wife. I was originally going to get her a pair of Peltor Tactical 6s electronic earmuffs because I had ALWAYS heard high praise for them--and I use a pair of Tac 7s myself, which I'll never give up--but then I read some of the negative reviews on the Amazon product page (I wonder how many are schills?). So based on the negative Amazon reviews and the meager NRR 19, I opted to pass on the 6s. I'm not sure how I stumbled onto these Howard Leight earmuffs, but they looked good on paper and the reviews were mostly positive, and I'm very familiar with, and confident in, the Howard Leight name, so I figured why not?

Before buying these, my wife had been previously using the Howard Leight Leightning-31 earmuffs (non-electronic, NRR 31), so I was _really_ worried about the drop in NRR with her. We went to an indoor range yesterday and shot a .40SW pistol (the .40SW has a sharp pressure spike, and hence percussion wave, and being indoors amplifies things, so this was a really good test of the earmuff's effectiveness). After we were done she said that she "likes" these muffs, and "has no problem" with them. They're a keeper! She did have one complaint. She says that they squeeze her head too tightly (not uncomfortably, just a tighter, snugger fit than she's used to) and interfere with her eye protection. We both understand that the tight fit is necessary to seal the ear, so that's not a problem in our minds, but she says she "needs to figure something out" w.r.t. the shooting glasses because that bugs her.

Of course, I tried these muffs out also. I gotta admit, for the price they are pretty darn good. The amplification is above average and you can hear normal conversation easily. They cut out when they should, but the recovery time after a shot is slow (that bothers other people a lot more than it does me). Come to think of it, the power-on time is pretty darn slow, too. Regardless, these muffs are another winner in the Howard Leight product line as far as I'm concerned.

However, whenever a review includes the phrase "for the price", that should raise a flag (IMO); i.e. you gotta look at the big picture as well as the niche. Yes, these are excellent hearing protectors for the price, but overall they're not all that great in comparison to other models on the market. They do their job, though.

Since these are not marketed as "tactical" earmuffs, an LED power indicator would have been nice. My wife will eventually get used to having to turn off her hearing protection, but a power indicator as a reminder wouldn't hurt. On the plus side, these muffs have an automatic shut-off feature to compensate for forgetfulness.

The included instructions are minimal and poorly written. Case in point, they tell you to insert the batteries into the battery compartment, but don't tell you how to open the battery compartment! [Slide the lid vertically toward the headband.] A little common sense goes a long way here.

Bottom line: All babble aside, I'd recommend these earmuffs. Based on my wife's input and my short exposure to them, I think they do an adequate job; and yes, the cost-effective pricing is hard to ignore.

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Ear Muffs, November 7, 2008

By 

Joseph Sacher "Joe Sacher" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

Cheaper noise canceling safety ear muffs will turn off the sound for almost a full second after a noise impact (usually gun shot). These filter them out and bring the sound right back in. The sound is clear and static free, a difficulty with cheaper muffs also.

When I turn these up, I can hear far better than natural ability in the woods. These are equal in function and quality to many $150-200 pairs I have tried. Exceptional value.