I feel bad that she felt so nervous because the video quality and the intelligence she shows is outstanding. I hope you keep making videos, and i hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for your kind words. I’m definitely getting more comfortable in front of the camera. Like everything, it takes practice. :) Thanks for watching!
people on YT are quick to say "oh just google it" or "oh just YT it", but this lady recorded and documented her bit of exploration into electronics, and electronics that provide safety. Good for her for cracking a thing open and learning as she recorded. fuck yeah. I'm a professional Electronics Technician and just YT'd up some shit about pulling these muffs apart, so it's nice to learn some quick things about the equipment. even if i fuck it up myself, at least I have the few hurdles that this legend overcame for me. Thanks, endless DIY!
Did this myself on my pair, and I managed to cram in two disks of foam under the original pad. It both makes them about 20% quieter, and the audio actually sounds less static-y. Thanks for the video!
Good job and thank you for the great idea. I can't hear for beans, and try to protect what I have as much as possible. Very clear as well. Five stars!!!
hey, kudos. your thumbnail helped me fix mine when i had to re-solder the wires on the 3.5mm jack. heavily used these for communications and mine wasn't glued down, so it eventually worked the wires loose. thanks again!
Thank you for this simple hack. My hearing is poor due to years working around jet engines and I’m keen to keep what’s left of it intact. I used these Howard Leight Impacts at a firing range for the first time last week and found the noise of a .308 next to me painful. I couldn’t believe how little foam is in the body of the earmuffs. They are now significantly better. My ears salute you 👍🏼😊
Electronic over-ears are generally not very effective at reducing sound. An NRR from 18 - 23 dB is pretty normal for this variety. Outdoors with smaller calibers they are fine; however, if you're indoors, you need to wear both earplugs and electronic over-ears. I've actually heard a few complaints about the consistency of sound reduction in Howard Leights and Walker Razors. Something to take into consideration is that apparently there are counterfeit Howard Leights floating around the market that are occasionally mistakenly sold as the real thing but which have nearly no sound reduction capability. You can verify the veracity of your pair by checking the contacts in the battery compartment and looking for QC stickers in the same place. Fake Howard Leights have coil spring contacts and no QC stickers present. Real Howard Leights have flat spring contacts and QC stickers. Also consider buying more expensive electronic over-ears such as MSA Sordins/SWATCOMs (same thing) or 3M Peltor Comtac IIIs. People who moved from Howard Leights to Comtacs generally seem to have better hearing protection results, even if theoretically both headsets have similar NRR. My guess is that Comtacs are built more consistently and are better able to prevent high frequency sounds from bleeding through vs. Howard Leights. Due to the fact that the low end of the frequency spectrum is responsible for most raw amplitude in sound waves, a difference at the top end isn't bound to change NRR much, so I bet Comtacs are much, much better for protecting your ears.
Great observation. When shooting at the range I often wondered why the rifle round noise was so loud when I used the HL electronic muffs. After seeing what little foam is in these muffs, I now understand why they are ineffective.
I was surprised the first time I took them out, too, especially coming from a "full sized" set of muffs. With my mod, they are much better though, and I think that in combination with the gel ear pads would really make a solid set of muffs. Once I get a set of gels, I'll definitely report back. Thanks for the comment!
Such a great improvement and so easy. I help at a local gun range at large caliber rifle competitions, so say they’re loud is an understatement. Between this and some gel ear pads my hearing thanks you!!! 👍🏻
Glad to see this video for this problem. Would recommend anyone thinking of buying these for shooting to first watch this video called "Electronic hearing protection is not noise cancelling". The reason so many people are saying they are still loud is because they are. Do not buy these thinking your ears will be protected because that is far from the case.
Just based on my experience with them in their stock form, I would have to agree that they didn't attenuate well enough for my comfort. I believe the Noisefighter cups along with additional deadening material inside brings them much closer to more comfortable protection. I'll check out the video you mentioned, too. 👍
Great idea. I’ve done the same on my regular muffs for years. I believe what you might be experiencing is rifle blast or recoil concussion rather then what you perceive as loud. Either way if it works, awesome.
Gel pads are an improvement! The absorbing material can help some. The basics of stoping sound is mass. A heavier metal can is better in the regard. Then seal the air path, that is where gel pads come in. In fact plug the headphone jack. I appreciate the effort and sharing. I can back up all this stuff with science. I studied acoustics , and shoot. I went through 3 options for my ears.
Great little video! I have 3 of these and never thought I would need to add insulation, but I’ll try one and see how it goes. Thanks for the great idea!
I just got noisefighters as a gift but came across this video by chance. Thanks for the cheap and easy tip on improving these! I usually run suppressed as well but you can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting your hearing! Well done video, thank you.
Great video! Bought these and they were making a weird sound when the batteries were inserted and the headset was turned off. This showed me how to open it up to check the cables and contacts. Easy to follow and a lovely add to add the "Disassembly starts at"
Ive skipped over this video so many times when looking up videos referencing the HLs, and oh my god... I never realized how dinky and hollow these were, and Ive had a pair for years... Im half tempted to pull mine apart and to this mod right now at 9pm haha
IIRC the big old Peltor cans are among the few rated for -26db. The electronics, and many cheap cans, are only rated -23db. That 3db difference means the old Peltors will cut the noise in half, compared to the other sets.
The first time I used these ear muffs at an indoor range they failed badly. I didn’t notice the gap between the skin under the ear and the muff until the next booth commenced with a shotgun. It might as well have been a bomb. That was 4 years ago and the tinnitus in my left ear doesn’t let up for a second. Now I always use plugs and very thick muffs.
Very good idea. Thanks for the tip. I have a partial roll of door-seal foam to try this idea with. It's also closed-cell. Vinyl. Available in various sizes but mine's 1/2" x 3/8". Comes in 10-foot roles from the local hardware store. One sticky side, which might come in handy or might prove to be a PITA. Hah. FWIW, I've always worn in-ear foam plugs along with my HL Impact muffs. No problem hearing other things going on around me so long as long as I have the volume turned up sufficiently. That combo has always worked well for me.
Excellent! If the sticky stuff is a pain, maybe you can just leave the backer on it. You're right, earplugs and the muffs definitely do the trick, too. Thanks for commenting & let me know how the sticky stuff works out. :)
@@EndlessDIY I just did this with one of my HL sets an hour ago. Super easy! The sticky stuff wasn't a problem at all. Really not all that sticky. The backing is kinda stiff paper, so that would not work at all. I don't know if this kind of foam the absolute best type of foam to use in there, but it has to help a little. As you said, a better job might be done by pulling those screws and getting under the components better, but I didn't feel like messing with the electronics either. I'll leave that well enough alone. I also plan to swap to the NoiseFighter ear pieces, or one of the cheaper knockoffs. (NoiseFighters are completely sold out in the US right now. Supply chain problems they say.) I don't shoot indoors anymore, just out in the open desert. But I shoot highpower rifle mostly and I plan to do my best to preserve my decent hearing. That's why I'll likely still double up on the protection even with these improvements to my HLs. Had a funny thought while I was packing that sealing foam into the hollows of the HL. I happened to look over at a little jar I have of earplugs on the bench and thought, heck, why not just cut up those as needed and pack them in here!?! That'd be the perfect material! As proven by laboratories and so forth. Maybe next time.
@@SDwriter.and.surfer Thanks for reporting back! I think the earplugs would be fantastic, too. You could roll them up, stuff them in tight areas & when they expand, they'd be the perfect shape. 👍🏻
@@EndlessDIY Exactly. FWIW, the best ear protection I own is a set of 3M ear muffs that I bought at an industrial HW store in my city. They're for working around loud machinery all day long. Work amazingly well. 30dB reduction. Cost me maybe $25, 10 years ago. Very comfortable as well. Problem with them is they don't fold so they're a little more awkward to carry around. And they're not electronic, so of course you cannot communicate with anyone very well while wearing them. But if I were to go to an indoor range again by myself, I'd grab those first. I keep them hanging in the garage and throw them on when doing loud stuff, like grinding or banging on metal, which some of my projects involve.
Great effort. I have the much bulkier Howard Leight Pro's and they don't seem to cut it especially when indoors. I got aftermarket gel pads and that makes a bit of a difference especially in the comfort stakes with eye protection. Which begs the question, why don't they do all this from the factory? Hopefully they see your video and start to actually produce a product that is worthy of the cost. Great idea 💡 though. Well done!
I agree. The gel cups are supposed to be a huge improvement, as you mentioned, too. I like the slim line of these muffs but they definitely needed improvement for me to be comfortable with them. Thanks for watching! :)
So the premise over ear is that you create a seal around your ear which makes it harder for sound to expand. That's why they didn't bother putting anything in there other than what exists. That being said, anything, especially something that captures air such as foam (bubbles), between you and the noise is good. This is an excellent hack! Thank you!
I didn't know the science behind it, so thank you. That's really interesting info for a DIY person like me. I'm glad you shared it and thanks again for watching! :)
I loved these E-muffs since day one, but they are not as effective as the plugs I've used for years. Found that out about my second of third range trip using them. Some shooter next to me touched off a .44 mag shooting full power loads. First round made me walk away. I now have a touch of tinitus in my left ear after that one shot. It was also under a enclosed range. .22, 9, 40 out in the open are fine, but under a covered range or near really loud guns I'd recommend doubling up with plugs. I will try this mod of yours. Definitely looks like an improvement.
I couldn't agree more. I think there should probably be some sort of note on the packaging saying they're not the best for large caliber or inside shooting. I've only used them on my private outdoor range but I can only imagine what my .44 mag would be like in an indoor or covered range. Yikes. When I get a chance, I'm going to try the Dynamat pieces inside to see if there is a further improvement. Thanks for watching and commenting! Good luck with your mod! Sorry about your tinnitus, too, that's a bummer.
Excellent! I've seen those but wasn't sure if they'd make a difference. Will you please report back on whether they help? If they do, I might get a set, as well.
I have the same Earmuffs. It's NNR of 22 is the lowest. It needs to be about 30. I was thinking of buying their next model up but after I saw what you did, I will try to see if I can improve it. Thank you
I new to shooting in enclosed ranges but I bought 2 pairs of these today I was shooting .223 and there were people shooting 9mm and another guy with his own rifle and the hearing protection for me was outstanding. I have permanent tints in my right ear from shooting with no ear protection but I left the range today with zero ring in my ears. I've heard with these your head shape matters a lot so for me they work great but for others maybe not
Thank you for the video. My right ear is getting beat up and you explained it with that empty space on the right side. I'm going to get some sound deadening material and lay it right over everything and cut a small hole where the speaker is. Hopefully that does it. If I had leftover sound material used for car audio sound deadening that would work perfect. It's really thin but it's like a thick tar type material on the inside and it absorbs sound great and doesn't take up much room.
I’m curious how Dynamat type stuff will work. I’m guessing it’ll work pretty well. Please report back and let us all know how it goes! 👍🏻 Thanks for watching! :)
Another thing that will help those Impact Sports or the Walker Razor series.. Get some Gel ear pads. They do a phenomenal job in helping to create a good seal around your ear. And the comfort level is a nice bonus with the gel pads. Did something similar with my Peltor 500's awhile back. The Peltor Sport Tactical ear pro actually comes with some pretty substantial sound deadening foam installed from the factory.. Pretty dense foam. Still had a tad more room to add some..
I'm going to try this with my HL Impact Sports, even tho they seem to work just fine for dampening the sound of gunfire. More is better. Instead of yoga mat foam, I will try filling in the empty space with foam ear plugs.
I debated between using earplugs or the yoga mat. It's the same material, so I went with the scrap of mat simply because it's cheaper. You should get the same result, though. You're right, more is definitely better. Good luck with your mod! :)
Thanks for the guidance. Instead of foam I used Blu-Tack (a poster putty/play-do type material) to fill in all the gaps and line the inner walls of the headsets. Also used the gel ear cup modification. Seems to make a bit of a difference, won’t really be able to tell until my next visit to the range.
Thanks for the great video! Where did you get the foam pieces? Any recommendations on foam type to use. In your experienced, how much quieter where they after you did this mod, 25%, 50%?
Hi there, I used little strips of foam I cut off a yoga mat I bought at Walmart for like $9. I use it for all kinds of projects. I believe it's closed cell foam, so it's really dense and doesn't absorb moisture. Another commenter suggested a scrap of Dynamat and I think that would work great, too. You can probably get a scrap from a stereo installer or interior shop or something. I think I'm going to get a piece & try that myslef, too. I just used what I had on hand. I'd say the mod probably reduced noise by 25%, maybe a little more. For the half hour or so it took, I feel like it was definitely worth it. Thanks for commenting! If you do the mod, let me know how it works for you, please. :)
Very well done! This ear muffs are great but they don t reduce sound to much. I personally use them for airsoft so i only need ampification. Greetins from Argentina!!!
Thanks for the video. It's a great idea. I just got a pair of HL on sale and I also picked up the gel cups which I hope will help with my glasses. Anyway, you explained very well so I hope I don't botch it when I try.
Thanks! One thing you might try is to not wear glasses such that the frames go between the ear seals and your face. That can "break the seal" and allow a leak point for noise to enter.
You are so right. The arms of my glasses do exactly as you said; create a sound leak. Unfortunately, in my case, I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn without glasses. Lol!
@@EndlessDIY Check out these gel replacement ear seals that are setup to give a spot for the eyeglass frames. Search for "Noisefighters SightLines Gel Ear Pads For Earmuffs"
For those looking for a good and inexpensive sound dampener, I found that the cheap walmart flip flops are made of an extremely dense material and are denser than the Yoga mat would be. I paid $1.04 for the pair. I removed the screws on the circuit board and speakers to tuck them in on mine
Here an update after a good bit of using the flip flops. I found that if they are packed too dense the electronics would start to malfunction and the material itself was not that good at increasing the NRR of the headset. I am now trying out stuffing the inside with orange expanding foamies. They are softer and fill the cavities better that are left over from stuffing.
Very nice, I am going to do this this afternoon. Are these muffs supposed to silence the speakers if you clap your hands? I have some other cheaper ones that completely cut out the speakers when I clap. These ones don't do that. I haven't tried these at the range yet. Great video.
I'm actually not sure exactly how they work, but I think that's the idea. If you read through some of the comments, there are some mixed statements on how they actually work. They do seem to mute when the noise happens but it wasn't quite enough for my liking. Good luck with your project! :)
Thanks a bunch for this tip! I use these for work, and I typically double up with Surefire plugs. I'm curious to see how my ears will react with this mod!
Thanks for commenting! I hope it helps you. The earplugs under the muffs definitely work to attenuate but I just felt like it kind of defeated the purpose of the electronic muffs; for my use, anyhow. Another thing that people seem to highly recommend are the gel ear pads. I guess they make a world of difference, too. Please let me know if it helps you after you mod. :)
@@EndlessDIY Oh no doubt, the plugs under the muffs are a trade off between increased protection and reduced situational awareness, which for infantry use is not ideal. That said, I only use the Howard Leights for training, and for an actual deployment, I'll spring for something better. I'll definitely be looking into the gel pads as well!
Thanks, I was a bit worried about buying these, your video basically helped me to make a decision, I'll buy a pair and mod it similarly. PS: planning to wear foam in-ear plugs under these ones anyway, my hunting 12 cal is quite loud.
Hello, I know it's a long shot but I'm wondering if you can show or share how the inside of the volume wheel is welded, I had an accident and broke mines and I don't know how are the wires supposed to go.
How much is foam? You would think as easy and inexpensive this would be to do at the factory and how much the quality of the product would increase compared to the cost of the foam that Honeywell would do this themselves.
The foam I used was just scraps of a closed-cell yoga mat, so basically free but it seems there is a debate on whether or not the muffs are designed like they are for a reason. Some say they are empty because of the "noise canceling" technology but for me, it was not enough attenuation to be comfortable. By adding the foam, they were more comfortable and I could still hear ambient noise (like people speaking) but I guess if someone is content with them as they are, then there's no need for the mod. Four years later, I'm still glad I did it, for whatever that's worth.
Great video i just got a set and after 100 rounds on a indoor range I had to leave my ears wouldn't stop with the beep and 3 days later one of them still going after seen this video I'm gonna put expanding foam on mines i will be careful not to ruin. Them but I'm willing to take the chance
There is definitely room for improvement with the H&L. I'd still be nervous about using expanding foam, but since I haven't tried it, I can't really comment on the effects. I hope it works well. Also, a lot of people swear by the Noisefighter gel ear cups, it sounds like they really help, as well. Thanks for watching & good luck with your mod! :)
Thank you for a great video on how to make an improvement to dampening. I was going to add the foam ear plugs in addition to the headphones but I like your idea better.
Thank you! I hear such high praise for these but to me, they aren't even close to functional as standalone hearing protection. I've used TONS of earmuffs and these are the only ones I've had a problem with. After looking at the inside, it's easy to see why they don't work for me, hardly any insulation whatsoever. I've got to imagine there are plenty of people out there doing serious damage to their hearing thinking these are passable. I think I'll just trash these honestly and buy a $10 non-electronic set off amazon.
I agree. I wasn't comfortable wearing them alone, either. I like the low profile fit and I really like the amplification feature, but just like you, I didn't think they were as effective as a good ol' cheap Winchester set. The additional foam I put in did help quite a bit, but I still kind of feel like these were designed broken. I have to mention that I've got really good hearing, so maybe someone with "average" hearing might not have any issue at all. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
I used lots of padding from my gun case and squeezed as much as I could in all crevices for my Walker Razor. Haven't tested it yet but I will update. For now headset definitely is a bit heavier.
@@EndlessDIY update:. I went to indoor shooting range and had no double ear protection. While it was still loud, noise decreased and blast was not as bad as before. I am planning to take out everything and place some other denser foam and then place parts over top of it and see if it help even more.
Hi! Would these work well for backyard work (chainsaw) and attending loud airshows? How thick was the foam you used please? (1/2 cm or 1cm thick?) thank you!
Hi there! They may but I've not tried them for that type of application. Since the actual attenuation kicks in when a noise "happens" you might be better off with just a standard pair of muffs. But again, I don't know how the H&L would handle those noises for certain. The foam I used is 1/2 inch (1.27cm? I'm not sure how metric things like that are measured). Sorry I couldn't be more help. Thanks for watching! :)
@@EndlessDIY hi! Thanks for the reply! I will try my luck with these. I still need to be able to hear my wife when she needs help in a noisy environment 😁
I tried this mod in conjunction with the Noisefighter gel cups, and I'm happy to report that the setup now is sufficient to prevent any ear pain when firing live ammo, in my case 5.56 out of a 20 inch barrel C7A2 assault rifle. Though I noticed some buzzing at higher volume levels. I don't think that the foam is interfering with the wires, though is it possible that such would cause buzzing?
I'm happy to hear that you can wear your muffs comfortably now! Thanks for reporting back! As far as the buzz, I can't say for certain, but I'd guess that since the muffs are so quiet now, you're hearing the electronic buzz that was probably always there. I can't think of any way that the foam would cause any sort of interference. I can't hear any sort of hum in mine, but now I'm curious if I'll be able to hear it when I get the Noisefighters. 🤔
@@OrangeSolaire No problem! :) I'm guessing they'll tell you you voided the warranty by adding the foam or something like that. I hope not, since it's not any sort of permanent modification.
Have you tired earplugs while wearing the muffs? I wonder if the sound amplification justifies both pieces of ear protection without the hassle of taking out the ear plugs.
I have. The earplugs definitely make it quieter, but to me, it just defeats the purpose of the muffs. I bought them so it would be easier to shoot & talk with friends and things like that. I just got tired of the "WHAT?!" lol! If you were purely doing repetitive range time with no real interaction, the earplugs certainly would be fine, but exactly like you said, putting them in & taking them out all the time is a hassle (and they make my ears hurt after a while). A couple commenters said they were going to try using foamies to fill the dead space in the muffs and I'm betting that works well, too. What I really look for in creating any mod is to easily be able to reverse it, so that's why I decided to do it this way. I figured if I wasn't satisfied, I could easily remove the foam & they'd be exactly like stock again. I saw at least one other video showing how to do my mod, so I'd guess others are happy with it. Hope that helps & thanks for watching! :)
I’m planning on glueing the ear cups to that black piece with some silicone. The gel cups are just slightly smaller than it should be and slide around.
Suggestion: get a pair of noisefighters replacement gel ear pads. They make on specifically for this model. The ear pads are constructed of better material and has a cutout for eye protection (eye pro breaks the seal of the cup around your ear which increases noise exposure).
Keep inmind that these reduce noise level not by the amount of sound deadening material. They work by producing a sound wave out of phase or opposite to the incoming sound to your ears via the speaker, effectively canceling out the sound wave. The padding won't hurt, probably help a bit, but they don't rely on deadening material to function.
Not on these cheap ear pro. Theyre literally just muffs with a mic and speaker. When the noise is louder than the set limit the speaker is just cut off and its just the muff itself deadening the sound
These are "noise canceling" headphones that activate when there's a loud noise but you can also amplify ambient sounds like voices or listen to music. Those are the circuit boards for those functions. Thanks for watching! :)
i just did this but used dynamat i had left over from my car and just took it and massaged it into little pieces into all the open spaces inside and its a night and day difference on sound reduction, they are a little bit more heavy from what i used but doesn't bother me.. probably could be even a little better with also upgraded gel ear pads
Thanks for this!!! I am thinking of trying spray foam to do the same. I'll practice on the counterfeit ones I got. What are your thoughts on spray foam?
Personally, I don't think it'd be effective because it's so light & porous. I'd also be a little worried about it budging the electronics out of place while it's expanding. I can't really say for sure because I haven't done it, but that's just what goes through my head when I think about it. If you decide to do it, please report back so we all know if it works well or not. Thanks for watching & good luck with your trial! :)
Endless Ice another UA-camr posted a video and claimed that silicone worked too. I may have to do some tests with something else like empty cans to see what materials work best.
the material inside is not what deadens the sound, its the seal around your ears. Get some noisefighter cups for those. The howards are the only earpro ive had issue with and its because they unseal on the bottom side of your ear. You need a good cup on there
I have heard from several people that the Noisefighters are an excellent addition. I haven't used them, so I can't offer any personal experience, but I'd like to upgrade to them and give them a "shot" . Ha! Thanks for watching! :)
For material I used Foam Earplugs -- Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair - 33dB Highest NRR -- $10 on Amazon , extra can be used as your double up insert in ear. No need to chop up the all important yoga mat!! Also the Noisefighters are my go to option for all earpro I use
I bought walk walker razor slim ear muffs and was replacing the cushions with gel cushions and came across this video. I liked the idea so I did it to the walkers and it made them a lot better. I ended up using the foam out of the old ear muffs I was replacing. I got them dirt cheap on amazon, maybe 9 bucks or so. They had a nice thick foam piece in them that I cut into pieces and filled the voids of the walkers. So that's an option too if you have an old pair laying around.
We all want slimline protection without any trade offs I guess. I’ve got 3M Peltor’s and have been jealous of the guys with their slimline Howard Leight’s. I didn’t realise there was so little inside them
Just for clarification, electronic hearing protection doesn’t use dampening to reduce the sound levels, and they’re not just so people can talk with them on, that’s just a nice bonus. They work like the Bose or Sony noise canceling headphones. With those, if you wear them while turned off, you can still hear everything around you, just slightly muffled; there is virtually no dampening. But as soon as you turn them on the room goes nearly silent. They receive the outside sound through the microphone, invert the sound waves and then feed it to the earphones. The short version is this almost completely cancels out the sound. The HLs may not provide enough reduction, so extra dampening can help, but people shouldn’t be surprised there’s not much inside. (PS - even small gaps created by glasses earpieces can greatly reduce performance)
Can I just pop off the whole ear piece instead of doing it in 2 pieces? I had already bought some gel cups and used the double sided tape to really seal it on. And after putting them on immediately noticed that there was an issue, and that's when I started looking into this issue further and found your video. I've love to be able to pop off the whole piece at once. Also, I'm assuming "closed cell foam" is pretty universal, but I've found some on amazon in black squares that I want to order. If you have a recommendation though, let me know. Thanks for this video, it's extremely helpful!!
I don't know for certain, but I'd think you can take them off together. You don't really need to get to anything between them to get the actual "ring" off. The closed-cell foam I used was just some scrap from a yoga mat I bought at Walmart. I use that foam for all kinds of things. I'd say it's about 1/2 or so thick? I haven't seen them at Walmart in quite a while though, but I think you're right, any thicker closed cell foam would probably be fine. If you had to, you could probably glue some layers of inexpensive craft foam together then when it's cured, cut your pieces out of that. I haven't tried that, but if I were in a pinch for materials, I'd give it a go. That craft foam is about a dime an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. I hope that helps! Good luck with your project & thanks for the question! :)
This was a yoga mat from Walmart but any closed-cell foam should work. You may be able to use scraps of a puzzle floor mat if you don't want to buy a yoga mat just to cut up. A 4 pack of puzzle mats is about $10 & you'll still have all 4 of them left after this project because you can just cut up an edge piece. Hope that helps! :)
Great vid. I’ve been watching other channels on these same muffs. And it looks like counterfeits are out there. So is it possible that the ones you have may not be the real deal? The real ones do not use spring in the battery compartment. The empty space makes a whole lot of sense. If I go with these. I’ll be filling the space as well with memory foam from my wife’s side of the bed, mattress.
Thanks! As far as I can tell, these are authentic (they've got the spring), but it's definitely good to check. Based on what people are saying, this simple mod along with the gel earpads are the way to go. Never hurts to be extra cautious with our eyes & ears. PS: I hope your wife doesn't read this or you'll be using that memory foam in the dog house! Lol! ;)
There is nothing wrong with the ear defenders , they reduce noise by 25DB , WHICH is ok for shot guns , shooting fire arms where the person next to you might have a muzzel brake and sending noise straight in your direction you need extra protection , theses can be bought on amazon , auritech shooting new generation hearing protectors , you wear these plugs as well as you howard leight , just turn the vol all the way up and you cn still hear people talk easy and you are protected with 55 to 60 db . this is the best and only way to do it .
The purpose of my tutorial was to get more noise control out of one set of hearing protection & not have to wear two, which this mod achieves. If people prefer two sets of ears in/on, that's perfect for them, too. Some would rather not and this video is for those people. Whatever it takes for people to get adequate protection for their hearing is really the best and only way.
Mine are authentic but I've read that many people have unwittingly bought knock-offs so it's definitely a good idea to check; especially before modding them. Thanks for the comment! :)
I feel bad that she felt so nervous because the video quality and the intelligence she shows is outstanding. I hope you keep making videos, and i hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for your kind words. I’m definitely getting more comfortable in front of the camera. Like everything, it takes practice. :)
Thanks for watching!
people on YT are quick to say "oh just google it" or "oh just YT it", but this lady recorded and documented her bit of exploration into electronics, and electronics that provide safety. Good for her for cracking a thing open and learning as she recorded. fuck yeah. I'm a professional Electronics Technician and just YT'd up some shit about pulling these muffs apart, so it's nice to learn some quick things about the equipment. even if i fuck it up myself, at least I have the few hurdles that this legend overcame for me. Thanks, endless DIY!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Patrick! Much appreciated!
Thank you for this simple and efficient method. Not only it improves protection but also cancels hissing on high amplification.
Thank you so much for the comment! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know it helped.
Did this myself on my pair, and I managed to cram in two disks of foam under the original pad. It both makes them about 20% quieter, and the audio actually sounds less static-y. Thanks for the video!
Excellent! I'm happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing! :)
Good job and thank you for the great idea. I can't hear for beans, and try to protect what I have as much as possible. Very clear as well. Five stars!!!
hey, kudos. your thumbnail helped me fix mine when i had to re-solder the wires on the 3.5mm jack. heavily used these for communications and mine wasn't glued down, so it eventually worked the wires loose. thanks again!
That's great! I'm glad it helped! :)
Thank you for this simple hack. My hearing is poor due to years working around jet engines and I’m keen to keep what’s left of it intact. I used these Howard Leight Impacts at a firing range for the first time last week and found the noise of a .308 next to me painful. I couldn’t believe how little foam is in the body of the earmuffs. They are now significantly better. My ears salute you 👍🏼😊
That's great! Thanks so much for letting me know, I'm really glad it helped you! :)
Electronic over-ears are generally not very effective at reducing sound. An NRR from 18 - 23 dB is pretty normal for this variety. Outdoors with smaller calibers they are fine; however, if you're indoors, you need to wear both earplugs and electronic over-ears.
I've actually heard a few complaints about the consistency of sound reduction in Howard Leights and Walker Razors. Something to take into consideration is that apparently there are counterfeit Howard Leights floating around the market that are occasionally mistakenly sold as the real thing but which have nearly no sound reduction capability. You can verify the veracity of your pair by checking the contacts in the battery compartment and looking for QC stickers in the same place. Fake Howard Leights have coil spring contacts and no QC stickers present. Real Howard Leights have flat spring contacts and QC stickers. Also consider buying more expensive electronic over-ears such as MSA Sordins/SWATCOMs (same thing) or 3M Peltor Comtac IIIs. People who moved from Howard Leights to Comtacs generally seem to have better hearing protection results, even if theoretically both headsets have similar NRR. My guess is that Comtacs are built more consistently and are better able to prevent high frequency sounds from bleeding through vs. Howard Leights. Due to the fact that the low end of the frequency spectrum is responsible for most raw amplitude in sound waves, a difference at the top end isn't bound to change NRR much, so I bet Comtacs are much, much better for protecting your ears.
I never would have guessed they are mostly hollow. Thanks for the tip.
I was really surprised, too! Thanks for watching! :)
Great observation. When shooting at the range I often wondered why the rifle round noise was so loud when I used the HL electronic muffs. After seeing what little foam is in these muffs, I now understand why they are ineffective.
I was surprised the first time I took them out, too, especially coming from a "full sized" set of muffs. With my mod, they are much better though, and I think that in combination with the gel ear pads would really make a solid set of muffs. Once I get a set of gels, I'll definitely report back. Thanks for the comment!
Such a great improvement and so easy. I help at a local gun range at large caliber rifle competitions, so say they’re loud is an understatement. Between this and some gel ear pads my hearing thanks you!!! 👍🏻
Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm so happy to know it helped you! :)
Glad to see this video for this problem. Would recommend anyone thinking of buying these for shooting to first watch this video called "Electronic hearing protection is not noise cancelling". The reason so many people are saying they are still loud is because they are. Do not buy these thinking your ears will be protected because that is far from the case.
Just based on my experience with them in their stock form, I would have to agree that they didn't attenuate well enough for my comfort. I believe the Noisefighter cups along with additional deadening material inside brings them much closer to more comfortable protection. I'll check out the video you mentioned, too. 👍
Great idea. I’ve done the same on my regular muffs for years. I believe what you might be experiencing is rifle blast or recoil concussion rather then what you perceive as loud. Either way if it works, awesome.
Thanks! That's definitely a possibility!
Gel pads are an improvement! The absorbing material can help some. The basics of stoping sound is mass. A heavier metal can is better in the regard. Then seal the air path, that is where gel pads come in. In fact plug the headphone jack. I appreciate the effort and sharing. I can back up all this stuff with science. I studied acoustics , and shoot. I went through 3 options for my ears.
Great little video! I have 3 of these and never thought I would need to add insulation, but I’ll try one and see how it goes. Thanks for the great idea!
Thanks for watching! I hope it works out well for you. :)
I just got noisefighters as a gift but came across this video by chance. Thanks for the cheap and easy tip on improving these! I usually run suppressed as well but you can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting your hearing! Well done video, thank you.
The Noisefighters are a great upgrade, I believe. I agree, gotta take care of those ears! Thanks for watching & commenting! :)
Great video! Bought these and they were making a weird sound when the batteries were inserted and the headset was turned off. This showed me how to open it up to check the cables and contacts. Easy to follow and a lovely add to add the "Disassembly starts at"
Ive skipped over this video so many times when looking up videos referencing the HLs, and oh my god... I never realized how dinky and hollow these were, and Ive had a pair for years... Im half tempted to pull mine apart and to this mod right now at 9pm haha
Give it a whirl! It doesn't take long! :)
IIRC the big old Peltor cans are among the few rated for -26db. The electronics, and many cheap cans, are only rated -23db. That 3db difference means the old Peltors will cut the noise in half, compared to the other sets.
The first time I used these ear muffs at an indoor range they failed badly. I didn’t notice the gap between the skin under the ear and the muff until the next booth commenced with a shotgun. It might as well have been a bomb. That was 4 years ago and the tinnitus in my left ear doesn’t let up for a second.
Now I always use plugs and very thick muffs.
I do same thing. Add a bit of extra protection.. I put green soft foamies in my ears under my electric HP. Works great
Thank you for sharing this video with us. Nicely done. Will do the same for mine. Good Job!
Hi David. Thanks so much for the kind words! Good luck with your project & thanks for watching! :)
Very good idea. Thanks for the tip. I have a partial roll of door-seal foam to try this idea with. It's also closed-cell. Vinyl. Available in various sizes but mine's 1/2" x 3/8". Comes in 10-foot roles from the local hardware store. One sticky side, which might come in handy or might prove to be a PITA. Hah.
FWIW, I've always worn in-ear foam plugs along with my HL Impact muffs. No problem hearing other things going on around me so long as long as I have the volume turned up sufficiently. That combo has always worked well for me.
Excellent! If the sticky stuff is a pain, maybe you can just leave the backer on it.
You're right, earplugs and the muffs definitely do the trick, too. Thanks for commenting & let me know how the sticky stuff works out. :)
@@EndlessDIY I just did this with one of my HL sets an hour ago. Super easy! The sticky stuff wasn't a problem at all. Really not all that sticky. The backing is kinda stiff paper, so that would not work at all. I don't know if this kind of foam the absolute best type of foam to use in there, but it has to help a little. As you said, a better job might be done by pulling those screws and getting under the components better, but I didn't feel like messing with the electronics either. I'll leave that well enough alone.
I also plan to swap to the NoiseFighter ear pieces, or one of the cheaper knockoffs. (NoiseFighters are completely sold out in the US right now. Supply chain problems they say.) I don't shoot indoors anymore, just out in the open desert. But I shoot highpower rifle mostly and I plan to do my best to preserve my decent hearing. That's why I'll likely still double up on the protection even with these improvements to my HLs.
Had a funny thought while I was packing that sealing foam into the hollows of the HL. I happened to look over at a little jar I have of earplugs on the bench and thought, heck, why not just cut up those as needed and pack them in here!?! That'd be the perfect material! As proven by laboratories and so forth. Maybe next time.
@@SDwriter.and.surfer Thanks for reporting back! I think the earplugs would be fantastic, too. You could roll them up, stuff them in tight areas & when they expand, they'd be the perfect shape. 👍🏻
@@EndlessDIY Exactly.
FWIW, the best ear protection I own is a set of 3M ear muffs that I bought at an industrial HW store in my city. They're for working around loud machinery all day long. Work amazingly well. 30dB reduction. Cost me maybe $25, 10 years ago. Very comfortable as well. Problem with them is they don't fold so they're a little more awkward to carry around. And they're not electronic, so of course you cannot communicate with anyone very well while wearing them. But if I were to go to an indoor range again by myself, I'd grab those first. I keep them hanging in the garage and throw them on when doing loud stuff, like grinding or banging on metal, which some of my projects involve.
Great effort. I have the much bulkier Howard Leight Pro's and they don't seem to cut it especially when indoors. I got aftermarket gel pads and that makes a bit of a difference especially in the comfort stakes with eye protection. Which begs the question, why don't they do all this from the factory? Hopefully they see your video and start to actually produce a product that is worthy of the cost. Great idea 💡 though. Well done!
I agree. The gel cups are supposed to be a huge improvement, as you mentioned, too. I like the slim line of these muffs but they definitely needed improvement for me to be comfortable with them. Thanks for watching! :)
So the premise over ear is that you create a seal around your ear which makes it harder for sound to expand. That's why they didn't bother putting anything in there other than what exists. That being said, anything, especially something that captures air such as foam (bubbles), between you and the noise is good. This is an excellent hack! Thank you!
I didn't know the science behind it, so thank you. That's really interesting info for a DIY person like me. I'm glad you shared it and thanks again for watching! :)
@@variabl3 Will do! Thanks! :)
I loved these E-muffs since day one, but they are not as effective as the plugs I've used for years. Found that out about my second of third range trip using them. Some shooter next to me touched off a .44 mag shooting full power loads. First round made me walk away. I now have a touch of tinitus in my left ear after that one shot. It was also under a enclosed range. .22, 9, 40 out in the open are fine, but under a covered range or near really loud guns I'd recommend doubling up with plugs. I will try this mod of yours. Definitely looks like an improvement.
I couldn't agree more. I think there should probably be some sort of note on the packaging saying they're not the best for large caliber or inside shooting. I've only used them on my private outdoor range but I can only imagine what my .44 mag would be like in an indoor or covered range. Yikes.
When I get a chance, I'm going to try the Dynamat pieces inside to see if there is a further improvement.
Thanks for watching and commenting! Good luck with your mod! Sorry about your tinnitus, too, that's a bummer.
Endless Ice I also have some "gel" type inserts ordered for mine. These are supposed to seal a tad better and be more comfortable.
Excellent! I've seen those but wasn't sure if they'd make a difference. Will you please report back on whether they help? If they do, I might get a set, as well.
Endless Ice Yes, I will. The Amazon reviews went: "Don't think, just buy them." etc. I will report back. May even do a review on my channel.
Excellent! I look forward to it! :)
I have the same Earmuffs. It's NNR of 22 is the lowest. It needs to be about 30. I was thinking of buying their next model up but after I saw what you did, I will try to see if I can improve it. Thank you
Good info. Thanks for sharing! I hope the mod helps! :)
I'm thinking I'll stuff them with those yellow foam ear plugs...thanks for the inspiration!
Those will work perfectly for it! Thanks for watching & good luck with your project!
I new to shooting in enclosed ranges but I bought 2 pairs of these today I was shooting .223 and there were people shooting 9mm and another guy with his own rifle and the hearing protection for me was outstanding. I have permanent tints in my right ear from shooting with no ear protection but I left the range today with zero ring in my ears. I've heard with these your head shape matters a lot so for me they work great but for others maybe not
Excellent! You're definitely one of the lucky ones. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video. My right ear is getting beat up and you explained it with that empty space on the right side. I'm going to get some sound deadening material and lay it right over everything and cut a small hole where the speaker is. Hopefully that does it. If I had leftover sound material used for car audio sound deadening that would work perfect. It's really thin but it's like a thick tar type material on the inside and it absorbs sound great and doesn't take up much room.
I’m curious how Dynamat type stuff will work. I’m guessing it’ll work pretty well.
Please report back and let us all know how it goes! 👍🏻
Thanks for watching! :)
Another thing that will help those Impact Sports or the Walker Razor series.. Get some Gel ear pads. They do a phenomenal job in helping to create a good seal around your ear. And the comfort level is a nice bonus with the gel pads.
Did something similar with my Peltor 500's awhile back. The Peltor Sport Tactical ear pro actually comes with some pretty substantial sound deadening foam installed from the factory.. Pretty dense foam. Still had a tad more room to add some..
The gels sound like a must-have for these. They're definitely on my list! Thanks for commenting! :)
Excellent video! Should have 10 times as many views
Thanks so much, Gary! :)
You can make the Howard Leights way better and more comfortable with Qore Performance Gel Cups.
The difference is like night and day
I haven't got a set of the gels yet but I've heard really great things about them. Lots of people swear by them.
I'm going to try this with my HL Impact Sports, even tho they seem to work just fine for dampening the sound of gunfire. More is better. Instead of yoga mat foam, I will try filling in the empty space with foam ear plugs.
I debated between using earplugs or the yoga mat. It's the same material, so I went with the scrap of mat simply because it's cheaper. You should get the same result, though. You're right, more is definitely better. Good luck with your mod! :)
Thanks for the guidance. Instead of foam I used Blu-Tack (a poster putty/play-do type material) to fill in all the gaps and line the inner walls of the headsets. Also used the gel ear cup modification. Seems to make a bit of a difference, won’t really be able to tell until my next visit to the range.
Great! Keep us posted on how it worked out for you! :)
Did the Blu Tack work well?
@@wilsonchau7694 it’s so hard to tell. A side by side comparison would be interesting. I’d say the improvement is minimal.
That would be too solid. The foam should be uncompressed to slow down the waves.
Thanks ,good info , I filled mine with silicone sealant, easy to get into the nooks and cranies. Later from Texas.
Awesome! As they say, ' _more than one way to skin a cat'!_ right? Thanks for sharing your method! :)
Thanks for the great video! Where did you get the foam pieces? Any recommendations on foam type to use. In your experienced, how much quieter where they after you did this mod, 25%, 50%?
Hi there, I used little strips of foam I cut off a yoga mat I bought at Walmart for like $9. I use it for all kinds of projects. I believe it's closed cell foam, so it's really dense and doesn't absorb moisture. Another commenter suggested a scrap of Dynamat and I think that would work great, too. You can probably get a scrap from a stereo installer or interior shop or something. I think I'm going to get a piece & try that myslef, too. I just used what I had on hand.
I'd say the mod probably reduced noise by 25%, maybe a little more. For the half hour or so it took, I feel like it was definitely worth it.
Thanks for commenting! If you do the mod, let me know how it works for you, please. :)
Memory foam pillow material works well too, just cut a bit and fill in all the dead space.
Very well done! This ear muffs are great but they don t reduce sound to much. I personally use them for airsoft so i only need ampification. Greetins from Argentina!!!
Thanks! That's a great use for them! I never thought of that! :)
Great project! I just got Walker's razor and we'll see if i need to do this on mine. But great job!
Thanks so much for the comment (and watching)! Good luck with your project! :)
Thanks for the video. It's a great idea. I just got a pair of HL on sale and I also picked up the gel cups which I hope will help with my glasses. Anyway, you explained very well so I hope I don't botch it when I try.
Thanks! I think the gels will make a huge difference. The stock cups make my glasses hurt my noggin, too. Good luck with your mod! :)
Thanks to you I just did this myself! Such a easy project thanks for sharing!
Excellent! Thanks for watching! :)
That’s a great idea! I never knew there was nothing in there, but plastic.
This is simply BRILLIANT :). Thank you! :)
Thank you for your kind words! And thanks for watching! :)
Thanks! One thing you might try is to not wear glasses such that the frames go between the ear seals and your face. That can "break the seal" and allow a leak point for noise to enter.
You are so right. The arms of my glasses do exactly as you said; create a sound leak. Unfortunately, in my case, I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn without glasses. Lol!
@@EndlessDIY Check out these gel replacement ear seals that are setup to give a spot for the eyeglass frames. Search for "Noisefighters SightLines Gel Ear Pads For Earmuffs"
@@2gnospam They come highly recommended by many users. They will probably be my next upgrade. 👍
For those looking for a good and inexpensive sound dampener, I found that the cheap walmart flip flops are made of an extremely dense material and are denser than the Yoga mat would be. I paid $1.04 for the pair. I removed the screws on the circuit board and speakers to tuck them in on mine
That's great! Love the creativity! Thanks for sharing! :)
Here an update after a good bit of using the flip flops. I found that if they are packed too dense the electronics would start to malfunction and the material itself was not that good at increasing the NRR of the headset. I am now trying out stuffing the inside with orange expanding foamies. They are softer and fill the cavities better that are left over from stuffing.
Very nice, I am going to do this this afternoon. Are these muffs supposed to silence the speakers if you clap your hands? I have some other cheaper ones that completely cut out the speakers when I clap. These ones don't do that. I haven't tried these at the range yet. Great video.
I'm actually not sure exactly how they work, but I think that's the idea. If you read through some of the comments, there are some mixed statements on how they actually work. They do seem to mute when the noise happens but it wasn't quite enough for my liking.
Good luck with your project! :)
Nice! Thx. :)
(That helped me decide between the Sport and the Pro -- was worried about the cheek weld.)
Thanks for watching! :)
Thanks a bunch for this tip! I use these for work, and I typically double up with Surefire plugs. I'm curious to see how my ears will react with this mod!
Thanks for commenting! I hope it helps you. The earplugs under the muffs definitely work to attenuate but I just felt like it kind of defeated the purpose of the electronic muffs; for my use, anyhow. Another thing that people seem to highly recommend are the gel ear pads. I guess they make a world of difference, too.
Please let me know if it helps you after you mod. :)
@@EndlessDIY Oh no doubt, the plugs under the muffs are a trade off between increased protection and reduced situational awareness, which for infantry use is not ideal. That said, I only use the Howard Leights for training, and for an actual deployment, I'll spring for something better. I'll definitely be looking into the gel pads as well!
Thanks, I was a bit worried about buying these, your video basically helped me to make a decision, I'll buy a pair and mod it similarly.
PS: planning to wear foam in-ear plugs under these ones anyway, my hunting 12 cal is quite loud.
Excellent! I'm happy to hear it was helpful! Good luck in the field! :)
Awesome. Thanks for the info, will definitely be doing this. Looks like an easy way to improve the muffs.
Thanks for watching! I hope it helps you! :)
What foam do you use for this?
@@LOGANNICHOLE I used closed cell foam from an old yoga mat. It's very similar to craft foam sheets but it's thicker.
Hello, I know it's a long shot but I'm wondering if you can show or share how the inside of the volume wheel is welded, I had an accident and broke mines and I don't know how are the wires supposed to go.
Thank you for sharing this easy DIY tip :)
Thanks so much for watching! :)
How much is foam? You would think as easy and inexpensive this would be to do at the factory and how much the quality of the product would increase compared to the cost of the foam that Honeywell would do this themselves.
The foam I used was just scraps of a closed-cell yoga mat, so basically free but it seems there is a debate on whether or not the muffs are designed like they are for a reason. Some say they are empty because of the "noise canceling" technology but for me, it was not enough attenuation to be comfortable. By adding the foam, they were more comfortable and I could still hear ambient noise (like people speaking) but I guess if someone is content with them as they are, then there's no need for the mod. Four years later, I'm still glad I did it, for whatever that's worth.
Great video i just got a set and after 100 rounds on a indoor range I had to leave my ears wouldn't stop with the beep and 3 days later one of them still going after seen this video I'm gonna put expanding foam on mines i will be careful not to ruin. Them but I'm willing to take the chance
There is definitely room for improvement with the H&L. I'd still be nervous about using expanding foam, but since I haven't tried it, I can't really comment on the effects. I hope it works well. Also, a lot of people swear by the Noisefighter gel ear cups, it sounds like they really help, as well.
Thanks for watching & good luck with your mod! :)
Thank you for a great video on how to make an improvement to dampening. I was going to add the foam ear plugs in addition to the headphones but I like your idea better.
That's great! I'm glad the video helped! Thanks for watching & commenting. :)
Thank you! I hear such high praise for these but to me, they aren't even close to functional as standalone hearing protection. I've used TONS of earmuffs and these are the only ones I've had a problem with. After looking at the inside, it's easy to see why they don't work for me, hardly any insulation whatsoever. I've got to imagine there are plenty of people out there doing serious damage to their hearing thinking these are passable. I think I'll just trash these honestly and buy a $10 non-electronic set off amazon.
I agree. I wasn't comfortable wearing them alone, either. I like the low profile fit and I really like the amplification feature, but just like you, I didn't think they were as effective as a good ol' cheap Winchester set. The additional foam I put in did help quite a bit, but I still kind of feel like these were designed broken.
I have to mention that I've got really good hearing, so maybe someone with "average" hearing might not have any issue at all.
Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
I used lots of padding from my gun case and squeezed as much as I could in all crevices for my Walker Razor. Haven't tested it yet but I will update. For now headset definitely is a bit heavier.
Hopefully that works out! If its regular porous "cushion" foam I'm not sure it'll be dense enough but please let us know how it works. :)
@@EndlessDIY update:. I went to indoor shooting range and had no double ear protection. While it was still loud, noise decreased and blast was not as bad as before. I am planning to take out everything and place some other denser foam and then place parts over top of it and see if it help even more.
@@mafana0 Awesome! That's kind of the beauty of a mod like this; you can switch things up until it works for you. Thanks for the update! :)
@@EndlessDIY thank you for a great idea to upgrade my headset.
Great idea! I will try this. I wonder if cutting the foam into tiny pieces and “pouring” it in if it will fill the nooks and crannys more consistently
Thanks! I see what you're saying, it might! Could be worth a try, anyway! 👍
Hi! Would these work well for backyard work (chainsaw) and attending loud airshows? How thick was the foam you used please? (1/2 cm or 1cm thick?) thank you!
Hi there! They may but I've not tried them for that type of application. Since the actual attenuation kicks in when a noise "happens" you might be better off with just a standard pair of muffs. But again, I don't know how the H&L would handle those noises for certain. The foam I used is 1/2 inch (1.27cm? I'm not sure how metric things like that are measured). Sorry I couldn't be more help. Thanks for watching! :)
@@EndlessDIY hi! Thanks for the reply! I will try my luck with these. I still need to be able to hear my wife when she needs help in a noisy environment 😁
@@jd5787 Definitely worth a try! Please let me know how they work out in those scenarios! :)
How has this held up in the long term? Any issues? Have a pair of these coming so curious.
I tried this mod in conjunction with the Noisefighter gel cups, and I'm happy to report that the setup now is sufficient to prevent any ear pain when firing live ammo, in my case 5.56 out of a 20 inch barrel C7A2 assault rifle. Though I noticed some buzzing at higher volume levels. I don't think that the foam is interfering with the wires, though is it possible that such would cause buzzing?
I'm happy to hear that you can wear your muffs comfortably now! Thanks for reporting back! As far as the buzz, I can't say for certain, but I'd guess that since the muffs are so quiet now, you're hearing the electronic buzz that was probably always there. I can't think of any way that the foam would cause any sort of interference. I can't hear any sort of hum in mine, but now I'm curious if I'll be able to hear it when I get the Noisefighters. 🤔
@@EndlessDIY Either way I'll write to Howard Leight, as they should still be under warranty. I'll see what happens. Thanks again for the tip!
@@OrangeSolaire No problem! :)
I'm guessing they'll tell you you voided the warranty by adding the foam or something like that. I hope not, since it's not any sort of permanent modification.
@@EndlessDIY I won'r even mention that ;)
EXCELLENT...thanks for the modification. WOW
Thank you for sharing, i just ordered my first set and will be doing this . Has anyone tried using expanding foam?
Thank you again.
That was awesome. Thank you for the video. I was having the same problem. I am definitely going to try this. Thx again.
Thanks for the comment, Steve! Good luck with your mod! :)
Have you tired earplugs while wearing the muffs? I wonder if the sound amplification justifies both pieces of ear protection without the hassle of taking out the ear plugs.
I have. The earplugs definitely make it quieter, but to me, it just defeats the purpose of the muffs. I bought them so it would be easier to shoot & talk with friends and things like that. I just got tired of the "WHAT?!" lol! If you were purely doing repetitive range time with no real interaction, the earplugs certainly would be fine, but exactly like you said, putting them in & taking them out all the time is a hassle (and they make my ears hurt after a while).
A couple commenters said they were going to try using foamies to fill the dead space in the muffs and I'm betting that works well, too.
What I really look for in creating any mod is to easily be able to reverse it, so that's why I decided to do it this way. I figured if I wasn't satisfied, I could easily remove the foam & they'd be exactly like stock again. I saw at least one other video showing how to do my mod, so I'd guess others are happy with it.
Hope that helps & thanks for watching! :)
I always wear plugs underneath these muffs. I find that at max volume I can carry on a normal conversation.
Jacob Yingling Thank you good sir!
Nice idea! What I did was to fill all the gaps with silicone.....and it helped a lot.
Hey! Great suggestion! Thanks for sharing!
is that still working well? I have my tube ready!
How did the silicone work out?
I’m planning on glueing the ear cups to that black piece with some silicone. The gel cups are just slightly smaller than it should be and slide around.
Awesome job, thank you!!
Thanks! And thank you for commenting, too! :)
Do your Impact Sport headphones have springs in the battery compartment?
Mine do not have springs.
They make a gel ear cup for those that helps a lot also. More comfortable too.
I have heard great things about the Noisefighter gel pads. I haven't gotten myself a set yet, but I'd like to. Thanks for watching! :)
How did this process hold up, are the HL still functioning properly? Did it cause any issues with the electronics over heating?
So far, so good. No issues. 👍🏻
Suggestion: get a pair of noisefighters replacement gel ear pads. They make on specifically for this model. The ear pads are constructed of better material and has a cutout for eye protection (eye pro breaks the seal of the cup around your ear which increases noise exposure).
I've heard good things about those. People seem to be consistently happy with them, so I think they're worth getting. Thanks for commenting!
Where do you find these with the cutout for glasses?
Thanks from Rio, Brazil!
Keep inmind that these reduce noise level not by the amount of sound deadening material. They work by producing a sound wave out of phase or opposite to the incoming sound to your ears via the speaker, effectively canceling out the sound wave. The padding won't hurt, probably help a bit, but they don't rely on deadening material to function.
Not on these cheap ear pro. Theyre literally just muffs with a mic and speaker. When the noise is louder than the set limit the speaker is just cut off and its just the muff itself deadening the sound
Nope, these are passive.
This popped up in my recommended, and I’m glad it did, this is great. And I love women that shoot!
Thanks Cameron! :)
O.o what's the boards inside the head muffs for? music? or something to help keep noises out? o.o
Interesting video! :)
These are "noise canceling" headphones that activate when there's a loud noise but you can also amplify ambient sounds like voices or listen to music. Those are the circuit boards for those functions. Thanks for watching! :)
i just did this but used dynamat i had left over from my car and just took it and massaged it into little pieces into all the open spaces inside and its a night and day difference on sound reduction, they are a little bit more heavy from what i used but doesn't bother me.. probably could be even a little better with also upgraded gel ear pads
Excellent! Thanks for sharing! Always great to have another option. :)
Thank you so much because I have the same issue and I was going to try something like this....
Gel cups help as well for making a better seal and are more comfortable
👍🏻 Lots of rave reviews for the gel cups in the comments. That will be my next mod, for sure. The standard cups hurt my noggin after a while.
just finished doing mine! nice work!
Oh yay! I hope it helps! Thanks for watching! :)
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS EXCELLENT IDEA, I WILL DO THE SAME WITH MINE.
Thanks for this!!! I am thinking of trying spray foam to do the same. I'll practice on the counterfeit ones I got.
What are your thoughts on spray foam?
Personally, I don't think it'd be effective because it's so light & porous. I'd also be a little worried about it budging the electronics out of place while it's expanding. I can't really say for sure because I haven't done it, but that's just what goes through my head when I think about it. If you decide to do it, please report back so we all know if it works well or not. Thanks for watching & good luck with your trial! :)
Endless Ice another UA-camr posted a video and claimed that silicone worked too. I may have to do some tests with something else like empty cans to see what materials work best.
Oh! See? I wouldn't have thought of silicone, but I think it would work. It's probably pretty heavy, but I bet it's dense enough to help. 👍🏻
Awesome video!
Thanks, Gary!
Great idea! I think you are on the right track to improve these. Hope you don't mind if I take your idea and expand on it a little.
Thanks! I'd love to see what you come up with! Please share when you're finished! :)
@@EndlessDIY you got it
@@EndlessDIY ok here it is . A little long but worthwhile I think.
ua-cam.com/video/ST0dFwSaB3Y/v-deo.html
@@ITZGR82BFREE Great job! I like your approach, especially with the measuring of the results. Well done! :)
Wetsuit material (bare neoprene) will block a lot more noise than other foams.
Good suggestion! Thanks!
the material inside is not what deadens the sound, its the seal around your ears. Get some noisefighter cups for those. The howards are the only earpro ive had issue with and its because they unseal on the bottom side of your ear. You need a good cup on there
I have heard from several people that the Noisefighters are an excellent addition. I haven't used them, so I can't offer any personal experience, but I'd like to upgrade to them and give them a "shot" . Ha! Thanks for watching! :)
Great idea and well presented! I will do the same to mine. Thanks
For material I used Foam Earplugs -- Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair - 33dB Highest NRR -- $10 on Amazon , extra can be used as your double up insert in ear. No need to chop up the all important yoga mat!! Also the Noisefighters are my go to option for all earpro I use
Lots of people go that route, for sure. The Noisefighters get rave reviews. I haven't got them yet, but I plan to get a set at some point.
I bought walk walker razor slim ear muffs and was replacing the cushions with gel cushions and came across this video. I liked the idea so I did it to the walkers and it made them a lot better. I ended up using the foam out of the old ear muffs I was replacing. I got them dirt cheap on amazon, maybe 9 bucks or so. They had a nice thick foam piece in them that I cut into pieces and filled the voids of the walkers. So that's an option too if you have an old pair laying around.
@@hugeslacker Awesome! Thanks for sharing the option! :)
We all want slimline protection without any trade offs I guess.
I’ve got 3M Peltor’s and have been jealous of the guys with their slimline Howard Leight’s. I didn’t realise there was so little inside them
Just for clarification, electronic hearing protection doesn’t use dampening to reduce the sound levels, and they’re not just so people can talk with them on, that’s just a nice bonus. They work like the Bose or Sony noise canceling headphones. With those, if you wear them while turned off, you can still hear everything around you, just slightly muffled; there is virtually no dampening. But as soon as you turn them on the room goes nearly silent. They receive the outside sound through the microphone, invert the sound waves and then feed it to the earphones. The short version is this almost completely cancels out the sound. The HLs may not provide enough reduction, so extra dampening can help, but people shouldn’t be surprised there’s not much inside. (PS - even small gaps created by glasses earpieces can greatly reduce performance)
Can I just pop off the whole ear piece instead of doing it in 2 pieces? I had already bought some gel cups and used the double sided tape to really seal it on. And after putting them on immediately noticed that there was an issue, and that's when I started looking into this issue further and found your video. I've love to be able to pop off the whole piece at once.
Also, I'm assuming "closed cell foam" is pretty universal, but I've found some on amazon in black squares that I want to order. If you have a recommendation though, let me know. Thanks for this video, it's extremely helpful!!
I don't know for certain, but I'd think you can take them off together. You don't really need to get to anything between them to get the actual "ring" off.
The closed-cell foam I used was just some scrap from a yoga mat I bought at Walmart. I use that foam for all kinds of things. I'd say it's about 1/2 or so thick? I haven't seen them at Walmart in quite a while though, but I think you're right, any thicker closed cell foam would probably be fine. If you had to, you could probably glue some layers of inexpensive craft foam together then when it's cured, cut your pieces out of that. I haven't tried that, but if I were in a pinch for materials, I'd give it a go. That craft foam is about a dime an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet.
I hope that helps! Good luck with your project & thanks for the question! :)
Wonderful idea, thank you!
Hi! Where can I get that foam? Thanks!
This was a yoga mat from Walmart but any closed-cell foam should work. You may be able to use scraps of a puzzle floor mat if you don't want to buy a yoga mat just to cut up. A 4 pack of puzzle mats is about $10 & you'll still have all 4 of them left after this project because you can just cut up an edge piece. Hope that helps! :)
Sorbothane is quite expensive but may help a lot!
I have no experience with it, but it sure looks like it would work well! Great comment!
Great vid. I’ve been watching other channels on these same muffs. And it looks like counterfeits are out there. So is it possible that the ones you have may not be the real deal? The real ones do not use spring in the battery compartment.
The empty space makes a whole lot of sense. If I go with these. I’ll be filling the space as well with memory foam from my wife’s side of the bed, mattress.
Thanks! As far as I can tell, these are authentic (they've got the spring), but it's definitely good to check. Based on what people are saying, this simple mod along with the gel earpads are the way to go. Never hurts to be extra cautious with our eyes & ears.
PS: I hope your wife doesn't read this or you'll be using that memory foam in the dog house! Lol! ;)
EASY FIX....just put in some in ear plugs under headphones and turn up volume....works GREAT.
Definitely an option.
Ruger AR-556, a solid rifle...
You got it! :)
Muito obrigado, o seu vídeo me ajudou muito, like e parabéns pelo vídeo, ganhou mais um inscrito do Brasil, um grande abraço. 😉👍🏻👊🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🇧🇷
Thank you so much! I'm glad the video helped! :)
There is nothing wrong with the ear defenders , they reduce noise by 25DB , WHICH is ok for shot guns , shooting fire arms where the person next to you might have a muzzel brake and sending noise straight in your direction you need extra protection , theses can be bought on amazon , auritech shooting new generation hearing protectors , you wear these plugs as well as you howard leight , just turn the vol all the way up and you cn still hear people talk easy and you are protected with 55 to 60 db . this is the best and only way to do it .
The purpose of my tutorial was to get more noise control out of one set of hearing protection & not have to wear two, which this mod achieves. If people prefer two sets of ears in/on, that's perfect for them, too. Some would rather not and this video is for those people. Whatever it takes for people to get adequate protection for their hearing is really the best and only way.
Try Howard Leight green earplugs they are smaller than others.
Please see the video about counterfeit protectors sold on Amazon.
Mine are authentic but I've read that many people have unwittingly bought knock-offs so it's definitely a good idea to check; especially before modding them. Thanks for the comment! :)
Useful, thanks