If you are referring to the comply foam tips, please do not think that they are “noise reduction” or “hearing protection” tips. Yes, they get a better seal than the stock tips, but they are absolutely not ear protection devices, and arguably would be worse than going unprotected due to the false sense of confidence.
Hearing protection is a serious, serious deal - any damage, no matter how small, is permanent and will never heal. It’s also cumulative, so it will build up over time if you’re in loud environments. Earbuds are not protective devices, and noise cancellation is not protection. Noise cancellation filters out sounds that you don’t want to hear, but they absolutely do not do anything to the high energy pressure waves that cause hearing damage and permanent loss. If you work in a noisy environment (sustained sounds over 90dB) there are all kinds of great hearing protection devices that also have Bluetooth connectivity - sure, the sound quality might not be as good as AirPods, but I’ll take that for a short amount of time vs not actually being able to hear for the rest of my life. Look at brands like Walker and 3M. Net/net if it’s not explicitly labeled as hearing protection you might as well just have nothing in your ears.
Source: firearms enthusiast, woodworker and aficionado of other noisy hobbies who will have his ears go “RRRREEEEEEEE” and say “What?” a lot because he was stupid about ear pro when he was younger.
If you are referring to the comply foam tips, please do not think that they are “noise reduction” or “hearing protection” tips. Yes, they get a better seal than the stock tips, but they are absolutely not ear protection devices, and arguably would be worse than going unprotected due to the false sense of confidence.
Hearing protection is a serious, serious deal - any damage, no matter how small, is permanent and will never heal. It’s also cumulative, so it will build up over time if you’re in loud environments. Earbuds are not protective devices, and noise cancellation is not protection. Noise cancellation filters out sounds that you don’t want to hear, but they absolutely do not do anything to the high energy pressure waves that cause hearing damage and permanent loss. If you work in a noisy environment (sustained sounds over 90dB) there are all kinds of great hearing protection devices that also have Bluetooth connectivity - sure, the sound quality might not be as good as AirPods, but I’ll take that for a short amount of time vs not actually being able to hear for the rest of my life. Look at brands like Walker and 3M. Net/net if it’s not explicitly labeled as hearing protection you might as well just have nothing in your ears.
Source: firearms enthusiast, woodworker and aficionado of other noisy hobbies who will have his ears go “RRRREEEEEEEE” and say “What?” a lot because he was stupid about ear pro when he was younger.