Ryobi Audio Plus Noise Suppression Headphones (RP4530) - Tool Review

 

Let's face it - safety gear is rarely, if ever, sexy. That is, until you consider the consequences for not using it. Honestly, even then, it's not sexy - it's simply smart and necessary. Having said that, can I just say that these headphones are sexy!

The RP4530s run on the Tek4 battery system and are fully-adjustable to suit a variety of noggins (even abnormally large ones like mine). That's always been a complaint in the safety equipment genre - none of it was truly comfy to wear and more often than not caused more distraction than needed. When you're working with sharp spinning things, your focus needs to be on the work and NOT on the protection gear.

 Unlike standard hearing protection that simply blocks all (or most) noise from entering your ears, the RP4530s allow you to hear what's going on around you until something really noisy happens - like the "pop" from a Hilti gun shooting a fastener using Level 5 loads. That's when the magic happens. In a spit second, all sound is blocked. Actually, it's not really magic, just 21st century technology in action.

 Two tiny microphones - one on each ear cup - allow sound into the phones so that you can have a conversation, listen to the radio, whatever. These tiny mics then shut down when the noise gate is triggered.

The headphones also give you the benefit of adjusting the volume of the ambient noise level coming into your ears. Turn it all the way up to listen the ball game on TV in the next room or all the way down to avoid the constant yammering of a distraction in the shop (they come in many forms :) ). The knob is large and easy to use, even wearing gloves.

Another great feature of these headphones is the MP3 jack. With the supplied cord, you can listen to your iPod or any other compatible MP3 player. My only complaint in this regard is that I couldn't get the volume as high as I wanted it. Yes, there's some irony in that fact, but I tried several different songs on my iPhone and couldn't get it to a rock 'n' roll level. They saved me from myself, I guess. And speaking of the iPhone - no, you can't make a call with the headphones on - I was a little disappointed in that, as well. Both of those are minor points, though, in the scheme of things.

Overall, these RP4530s are comfortable, useful, and just plain cool. I actually forgot I had them on at one point - the ear cups are that soft. By the way, the cups are made with a plastic covering that's easily cleaned with a damp shop rag. The bottom line is this - while safety equipment may not be sexy, these noise suppression headphones from Ryobi's Tek4 line come really close to winning centerfold of the year.

To check prices or purchase the Ryobi RP4530 Headphones from The Home Depot: CLICK HERE

For more information on this and other Ryobi Tek4 Tool and products: CLICK HERE