When using machines, I used to wear music-free over-ear hearing protection. That meant interrupting the music or podcast I was listening to, and if I had just a little work to do this slight nuisance could cause me to forgo hearing protection. With Link from ISOtunes, I no longer have to choose.

The headset’s Bluetooth quickly connected to my phone, and the audio quality is good. I’m a fan of the Link’s five-button controls, which make it easy to control the audio. This is better than models with a few buttons that do everything, and far better than those that require the phone to control the audio.

The comfort level is on a par with any good-quality earmuff, and the Link fits my enormous head nicely. As expected, they are tight. This makes them tiresome to wear after a while, but the upside is they stay in place when I’m moving around. In fact, this winter they become my go-to for more active use, like clearing snow from my driveway.

Another plus is that the Link’s rechargeable battery can be swapped out with three AAAs in a pinch. This almost negates my only complaint, which is the lack of a separate 3.5mm input for when the battery is dead.

The Link supports phone calls, too. The friend I chatted with said the call quality was great on their end. On my end, it felt like I was talking in a void, but that just speaks to the Link’s noise isolation.

Photo: Ben Strano

—Ben Strano is Fine Woodworking’s digital brand manager.

From Fine Woodworking #290

Protect Your Hearing in the Shop

Choose ear protection that’s comfortable, and learn how to use it correctly

First Look: ISOtunes Pro noise-reducing ear buds

OSHA-approved hearing protection that lets you keep your focus on your work

All About Safety Equipment

Woodworking shops offer plenty of ways to get hurt, from airborne dust and chemicals that can lead to chronic health problems to flying chunks of wood or metal

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