Ear Protection: Air Pods Pro 2

Posted by Ryan Posted onJul 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM and filed under Reviews & Features
Updated onUpdated on Jul 9, 2025 at 9:40 AM

This is probably terrible advice—hell, borderline irresponsible. Do your own research, trust your instincts, question everything. But I’ll tell you this: my favorite ear protection in the shop? Apple AirPods.

Yeah, I know. But if they fit your ears right and your brain doesn’t rebel against the noise-canceling voodoo, they just disappear. No pressure, no bulk, just quiet and clarity while the chaos rages around you.

But here’s the catch—you need the Pro model for proper noise canceling, and they’re not exactly built for shop abuse. Dust, metal shavings, and random acts of violence tend to chew up dainty tech like this. So you really have to want that functionality to justify the usual $250–$300 price tag.

Now here’s the kicker: AirPods Pro 3 are on the way, and with Prime Day rolling in like a freight train, the Pro 2s have dropped to $150. I bought two pairs—just in case the world catches on fire again and I need a backup.

Use at your own risk. Details here.

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gleman

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I've had great luck with the DeWalt earbuds.

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The noise cancelling takes a bit to get use to but they work great for lawn mowing and my loud-*** table saw and miter saw.

I'm on year three and they still go about a week on a charge.
 
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Ryan

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KwikFab said:
Who the hell would think noise-cancelling earphones are appropriate hearing protection? 🤦‍♂️
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Me. Seem to work fine for the woodworking shop as far as I can tell. I can still hear anyway.

Also, your tone *****.

FJ 432 said:
Thank you Ryan. I ordered a set. Do you like the hearing aid feature?
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I don’t think I use it? I literally just turn on noise cancelling and typically listen to podcasts or books while I work.
 
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mike93lx

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They have a NRR of 10

https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/pdf/Hearing_Protection_data_sheet_October_2024.pdf

So they will help but are not sufficient for really loud items. Definitely don't use them at a gun range, but maybe tools that are not super loud are ok (thinking drills, impacts, your compressor across the garage)

Better than nothing but not designed as hearing protection and not sufficient for many applications
 
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Ryan

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mike93lx said:
They have a NRR of 10

https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/pdf/Hearing_Protection_data_sheet_October_2024.pdf

So they will help but are not sufficient for really loud items. Definitely don't use them at a gun range, but maybe tools that are not super loud are ok (thinking drills, impacts, your compressor across the garage)

Better than nothing but not designed as hearing protection and not sufficient for many applications
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My take? I’m not skipping hearing protection because I’m some anti-science conspiracy nut—I just forget. If I’m wrenching on something simple or knocking out a quick task in the shop, ear pro doesn’t even cross my mind. I just wasn’t tuned that way.

Now, if I’m tuning a flathead or doing something that really brings the noise, I’ll throw on the over-ears without a second thought. But most of the time?

AirPods are better than nothing—and nothing is usually what I’d end up with. Plus, the podcast or audiobook I’ve got going gives me one more reason to actually wear something on my ears.
 
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whateg01

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How much do the silicone plugs reduce noise? That's what we had on the Navy so that's what I use now, except the ones I use now have a string attached.
 
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yhprum

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I recently got a new pair of the AirPod pros too.
The noise reduction really takes the bite out of my noisy shop vac and my electric leaf blower, so I’m happy.
The hearing aid feature, not so sure. I had to take the hearing test about four times. It kept cancelling out near the end of each test because of background noise. Grrr. Then when I finally got through it, it said my hearing was fine, which I know isn’t true (just ask my wife).
 
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mike93lx

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Ryan said:
My take? I’m not skipping hearing protection because I’m some anti-science conspiracy nut—I just forget. If I’m wrenching on something simple or knocking out a quick task in the shop, ear pro doesn’t even cross my mind. I just wasn’t tuned that way.

Now, if I’m tuning a flathead or doing something that really brings the noise, I’ll throw on the over-ears without a second thought. But most of the time?

AirPods are better than nothing—and nothing is usually what I’d end up with. Plus, the podcast or audiobook I’ve got going gives me one more reason to actually wear something on my ears.
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I hear you ( ba dum tish)

I am maybe overly cautious on hearing protection and wear plugs for damn near anything that makes noise in the shop.

Also helps that I find music very distracting while try to do something, so headphones or speakers are not a thing on my projects
 
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mike93lx

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whateg01 said:
How much do the silicone plugs reduce noise? That's what we had on the Navy so that's what I use now, except the ones I use now have a string attached.
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Guess it depends on which. If they are legit hearing protection, they will have a NRR.

I look for an NRR in the high 20's,atleast, and am very careful about ensuring they are properly in my ears
 
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whateg01

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mike93lx said:
Guess it depends on which. If they are legit hearing protection, they will have a NRR.

I look for an NRR in the high 20's,atleast, and am very careful about ensuring they are properly in my ears
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The ones I have do reduce noise level but I don't know how much. From Amazon so...
 
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rlitman

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whateg01 said:
How much do the silicone plugs reduce noise? That's what we had on the Navy so that's what I use now, except the ones I use now have a string attached.
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Usually between 15 and 25 NRR, depending on how deep they get into the ear (past the bend or not). 10NRR is not something I'd recommend for power tools, but it's probably helpful in something like a concert. At least it's better than zero.
 
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KwikFab

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gleman said:
I'm not doing gunnery or working in a mill, I'm ok with the noise cancelling for stuff around the house.
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In these cases I can see a valid point, but that "stuff around the house" probably wouldn't warrant hearing protection in general.

Ryan said:
Me. Seem to work fine for the woodworking shop as far as I can tell. I can still hear anyway.

Also, your tone *****.



I don’t think I use it? I literally just turn on noise cancelling and typically listen to podcasts or books while I work.
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There are actual studies detailing why noise cancelling earphones are not to be substituted for actual hearing protection.

Granted, only you can decide if you wish to wear hearing protection or not.

But engaging in activity where hearing loss can occur, always use PPE.
 
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KwikFab

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mike93lx said:
I'm not telling anyone what to use, just what I do.

Hearing doesn't come back once you lose it and tinnitus *****. It's worth protecting properly.

I've found that keeping good plugs all over the place helps me to use them. Same with safety glasses and respirators
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Same.

Maybe 5-6 sets of eyepro, and tons of earpro all over my garage.

Not just backups for myself, but for anyone that steps inside when visiting.
 
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bbxlr8

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So I do all sorts of loud stuff and fight mild tinnitus. I have the Bose which are bigger but do an amazing job on flights and in the airport.

My usual these days is the in-ear foam ones plus the highest non-active over-the-ear muffs I could find for shooting. I typically spend a lot of the winter chainsawing (big bore saw w 24") and summer on the tractor (TLB) and week wacking back the "jungle" (which is necessary but I hate). Edit - also use foam ones in my old convertible with sidepipes!

When spending a lot of seat time, I tried the Bose NR with the muffs and liked it. Recently bought the pro NR as they are cheaper and smaller but haven't tried them yet.

Wear some ear protection! Anything is better than nothing.
 
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JeepYJ

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I’ve been using the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid sometimes. The Hearing Protection mode is turned ON. It definitely helps around loud noises such as concerts or lawn mowers. If I’m running the lawnmower or tractor or power equipment I still use over the ear muffs. There are a few different settings to play around with on them. Very nice earbuds, big improvements over the original AirPods.
 
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hmbemis

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They're better than nothing, but as others pointed out, they're really suited best for moderate noise like an air compressor or what not... they're not enough if you're running saws and air tools (especially in enclosed spaces) and absolutely not enough for gun fire.

I have tinnitus from being stupid with concerts, power tools, and guns... Now I wear over ear for any work outside, foam plugs for any work inside with power tools... and I'll use do both if I know it will be extra noisy, or I'm at an indoor gun range.

That said, Airpods are in my ear(s) every night because the only way I can sleep is to overpower the ringing with a bit of talking -- it doesn't take much, it's maybe 10-15% volume level on the slider control -- usually I choose a youtuber like VGG, PBG, SMA or some old TV show... as long as it's something I've watched before I'll be able to not pay attention to what's going on and the sound of talking/noise helps me sleep. The greatest improvement (for me) on the iPhone was years ago when they finally allowed Youtube and other apps to play audio with the screen locked -- now I just get something going, lock the phone, and ready to sleep.
 
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Ryan

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KwikFab said:
Who the hell would think noise-cancelling earphones are appropriate hearing protection? 🤦‍♂️
Click to expand...

Response from someone that watches too many politicians communicate.

KwikFab said:
In these cases I can see a valid point, but that "stuff around the house" probably wouldn't warrant hearing protection in general.



There are actual studies detailing why noise cancelling earphones are not to be substituted for actual hearing protection.

Granted, only you can decide if you wish to wear hearing protection or not.

But engaging in activity where hearing loss can occur, always use PPE. Actual response from someone aiming to help others out…
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A response from someone aiming to help others out rather than pump themselves up.

Thanks for that.
 
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Beerhippie

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I use some memory-foam cuffs on my old-school earbuds that claim 21dB reduction--noise blocking.

They seem to work well. I can clearly hear my tinnitus even in the noisiest of environments.

I'd say the biggest risk to using earbuds of any kind for noise attenuation is the tendency to turn the volume up to overwhelm any noise that gets through. Pretty soon, the buds themselves become a hearing hazard.
 
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f121

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I wear AirPod pro’s under a pair of 3m ear defenders for noisy continual tasks - ride on mower, spraying a fence etc and find they take the edge off that continuous noise really well. My biggest complaint is the magnetic case picks up all the metal dust that lands in my pockets.
 
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MarcSeattle

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I haven't tried my AirPod Pros for tool use, but they are nirvana on commercial jet flights. They drown out that irritating airplane drone. It's nice and quiet, or I put on some nice music, and they are a great solution for talkative strangers. Many people find that flights are fatiguing and it's the noise that does it. I feel noticeably fresher after landing when I use the AirPods.
 
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craftsman creep

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I’ve been use these for 2 months now and they have held up great so far. The noise cancellation works good on its own but with a little music you can block out angle grinder noises. And the app is great and easy to use.
-Preston
 
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firebirdparts

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FJ 432 said:
Thank you Ryan. I ordered a set. Do you like the hearing aid feature?
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I bought a set just to play with that feature. It works. For me, I don’t have enough adjustment. They amplify high frequencies that I don’t want to hear. This is based on the built in hearing test, and it’s probably right, but I don’t want to hear some of that range. They have a slider to “darken” but it doesn’t darken enough. I need somebody who can hear to fake the hearing test for me.

It just shows you need to be able to manipulate that data manually.

Certainly works great for a $200 item that has a bunch of other uses.
 
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Hakeem

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Isotunes are NIOSH and OSHA approved hearing protection & earbuds in one. 25NRR. About $100-$120 or so. They use foam ear plugs that you squeeze and jam into your ears, just like the real thing.

I’ve been using them everyday for four years now and I like them. Battery life is good and they have been durable. Not gonna lie - Sound quality is unremarkable and the microphone for hands-free calls is poor. But the peace of mind I get from the hearing protection totally outweighs that.
 
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Lumpy102

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I hated wearing hearing protection when I was young, had my mind changed for me when I worked safety in the refineries. Had to double up for some jobs with 10,000 psi pressure wash and vac trucks. Got a set of the 3m Peltor over the ear AM FM radio muffsfor grass cutting and yard work, but they're hot. I now stock ear plugs in the house, shop, my go bag, and in the truck. My favourites are Pura-fit 6800, NRR 33, best I could find, and comfortable. Have considered the isotunes earbuds, but haven't pulled the trigger
 
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JeepYJ

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Hakeem said:
Isotunes are NIOSH and OSHA approved hearing protection & earbuds in one. 25NRR. About $100-$120 or so. They use foam ear plugs that you squeeze and jam into your ears, just like the real thing.

I’ve been using them everyday for four years now and I like them. Battery life is good and they have been durable. Not gonna lie - Sound quality is unremarkable and the microphone for hands-free calls is poor. But the peace of mind I get from the hearing protection totally outweighs that.
Click to expand...
The Isotunes ear buds are magnetic on the ends so they snap together. That can be a negative if use in metal fabricating or welding environments. I have the cheapest ones they sell and I don’t really care for them at all. I usually go with AirPods with over the ear muffs on top of them. Keeps the sun off my ears if working outside as a bonus.
My son has a more expensive pair of Isotunes ear buds and he uses them all the time when working around loud machinery or running tractors or the lawnmower. He likes them so I guess it’s a matter of personal preference.
 
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rpcraft

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I have a pair of appl earbud version 2 pro and they are pretty good for automatically switching to noise blocking if there is loud or high pitch sound going on. I was really impressed with them but I travel a lot and have used the Hilton chain exclusively for the most part and as a result I recently become a lifetime diamond member and one of the awards was a set of the Bose QC Ultra earbuds and they shame the apple versions. They have more modes, adjustable EQ, and if you have them on quiet mode they are superior. With the apple stuff I can be on an airplane and still hear noise to some degree. It is not bad but I found also I have to have the volume up significantly to hear a move or music. I thought it was me initially but after using the Bose ear buds I seldom have the volume up over 25 % unless I have it in active mode but even then I can just hear whatever is playing better over background noise. The active noise reduction when you have loud noise going on is automatic as well and I noticed today that it does really good at muting and automatically swithching to quiet mode when it encounters it. I am unsure if the apple unit would save your hearing but I am pretty sure Bose ones will help preserve it from just not having to have the volume up so high, plus the noise cancelling features.
 
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Ryan

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rpcraft said:
I have a pair of appl earbud version 2 pro and they are pretty good for automatically switching to noise blocking if there is loud or high pitch sound going on. I was really impressed with them but I travel a lot and have used the Hilton chain exclusively for the most part and as a result I recently become a lifetime diamond member and one of the awards was a set of the Bose QC Ultra earbuds and they shame the apple versions. They have more modes, adjustable EQ, and if you have them on quiet mode they are superior. With the apple stuff I can be on an airplane and still hear noise to some degree. It is not bad but I found also I have to have the volume up significantly to hear a move or music. I thought it was me initially but after using the Bose ear buds I seldom have the volume up over 25 % unless I have it in active mode but even then I can just hear whatever is playing better over background noise. The active noise reduction when you have loud noise going on is automatic as well and I noticed today that it does really good at muting and automatically swithching to quiet mode when it encounters it. I am unsure if the apple unit would save your hearing but I am pretty sure Bose ones will help preserve it from just not having to have the volume up so high, plus the noise cancelling features.
Click to expand...

I’ve got the Bose QCs too… sent for review… and honestly, the noise canceling is about on par with the AirPods Pro for me. Sound quality? I’d call it a dead heat… maybe a slight edge to the QC due the EQ.

For me, the AirPods win on comfort and absolutely crush it when it comes to Apple ecosystem connectivity. No major value difference between the two, but I reach for the AirPods more—they just work better for me.
 
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Dragfluid

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That pic on top resembles two aliens having a chat. 🤪

I've always used over the ear styles. What I currently use is 3M's Pro Grade. No blue tooth or anything like that. I don't need it. They are NRR 30 db. VERY comfortable! And very reasonable. $25 at Home Depot.
 
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Stuart in MN

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I've always preferred over the ear muffs, I have an old pair of David Clark muffs I use in the workshop; I used to work around wind tunnels and that was what we used. Interestingly, I just looked at their website and they've discontinued regular old muffs, but do sell muffs with audio.

Would the AirPods fit inside a pair of muffs? That would give you extra protection, plus protect the AirPods from dust.
 
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