The hearing protection market is divided into a few camps. While suppressors, 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’re looking at a new entry into this crowded arena that advertises itself as having a novel addition to the usual features, Auto Ears.
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’s achieved his goal.
Before we dig into what makes Auto Ears unique, let’s 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’s 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.
That’s the basics, but there’s more. Some sets are analog and some have a digital audio circuit. The digital sets have a faster “attack” 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 vs the digital Bolt model of the same), I’ve found analog muffs to provide a better sound quality.
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’s 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.
Auto Ears Durability
The inventor of Auto Ears has submitted a set for laboratory testing, and it survived the following:
- 30,000 on/off cycles
- Extreme temperatures tested from 0 to 170 degrees
- 100% humidity extreme temperature testing
- Orbital vibration test, 24 hours
- 100 drops onto concrete from 6 feet (please don’t try this at home – dropping electronics isn’t a great idea)
Automatic Ear Protection
So the main issue Auto Ears hoped to fix is power. If you’ve ever tossed your ear pro on only to find out the batteries are dead because “off” usually means “standby,” which slowly drains your battery. Auto Ears has a special switch built in that physically disconnects the battery when it’s not on your head. Leave your volume right where you like it, as soon as you don the ear muffs, they’re on. No amount of jostling in a backpack, gear bag or truck will accidentally turn your set on, draining the batteries.
For me, this is useful when I’m 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’re done shooting. I like swapping mags, I don’t like swapping batteries that got used once.
Given that I’m reviewing a slightly pre-launch model, I’ve 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.
So I won’t say what makes it work, but I will talk about how well this mechanism works. Very well, that’s the short version. As soon as you take the set off your head and the muffs close together, it’s off. I opened the muffs up slowly and the set didn’t 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’t be powered off right? This is done via a push-and-hold of the very tactile Bluetooth button on the left earcup.
Getting a cheek weld with Auto Ears isn’t a problem. They’re not tiny, but they’re slim enough to stay totally functional, even on the M249’s scooped fixed stock, which usually knocks headsets off.
Additional Features
Besides the unique auto on/off feature, there’s still a full featured headset here.
Here’s a few things I like:
- The hearing volume knob and the Bluetooth volume knob are located close together, but are textured very differently. Easy to tell which is which even with gloves on.
- Similarly, Bluetooth on/off/connect button is easy to hit.
- Attack vs compress. Instead of shutting the whole headset off for a short while, the digital circuit just compresses the gunshot noise to under 83dB and all other sound still rolls in.
- Bluetooth audio quality is excellent. I had music going really loud and it sounded awesome.
- Headset comes with gelcups and batteries preinstalled. Gelcups are usually a mandatory upgrade for me, typically running between $25 and $30.
- The headband is both heavy duty and comfortable. I don’t see this falling apart any time soon, as it’s sturdier than the Howard Leight’s, which have still lasted a decade despite finally being worn to tatters.
- It isn’t a head crusher. No headache even after a long range day.
- Compatible with sunglasses/eye protection without breaking the ear seal.
- Cheek weld achievable? Yes.
Some possible cons:
- Auto Ears is not helmet compatible at this stage. Can’t be worn under a helmet, can’t be mounted to rails.
- The audio quality sounds a lot like the Howard Leight Bolt digital set, which is less preferable to me than the analog sets I have. The digital sets seem to pick up more of the noises you don’t want (gear handling, fabric rustling, etc.), which makes it slightly harder to hear conversations without focusing in.
Bottom Line
I have a wide variety of electronic ear protection on hand, from Leight to Peltor to S&W, Warbird Intrepid, 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).
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’d like the audio to pick up less indistinct noise, the fact is I’m not usually trying to hold a conversation while I’m at the range. I do believe this is something that can be tweaked on the audio board itself.
But, it is my opinion that this is a good headset, especially for a prerelease model from a one-man operation. I don’t 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.
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 it is.
Tech Specs
- 22NRR ANSI Certified
- Gel Cups
- 350 Hour battery
- 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Bluetooth Version 5.4
- .02 Second Response Time To Noise Exceeding 83dB
- Uses 2x AAA Batteries
- USA designed, Made in China.
Check out more articles from Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer or visit him on Instagram @Rexnanorum.
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