Honeywell Howard Leight Sync Review – 2024

Our Comprehensive Review Of The Howard Leight Sync

The Howard Leight Sync is not really an electronic hearing protection device the way other products are. While earmuffs like the Howard Leight Impact Sport have built-in microphones that allow safe sounds to “pass through” the ear cups, the Howard Leight Sync is closer to a set of sound-reducing headphones.

It offers 25 dB of noise reduction with impressive internal speakers that allow you to listen to whatever you want while remaining isolated from outside noise.

Features & Benefits At A Glance

* Superior stereo sound quality; use as passive hearing protector or as stereo earmuffs; no volume knobs or power switches to coordinate nor batteries to replace

* Patented Air Flow Control technology reduces sound across all frequencies without increasing earcup size or weight; includes multiple attenuation levels

* Lightweight earcup design and padded headband with reinforced fork slides provide comfortable all-day wear at work

* Snap-in ear cushions allow for easy maintenance and replacement; includes 3.5mm AUX input jack and connection cable for use with any mp3 player or mobile device

* Noise Reduction Rating 25; Recommended industries: aviation, farming, construction, lumber, steel, transportation, military/law enforcement, manufacturing, sporting, do it yourself projects, general contracting etc.

It’s also worth noting that the Howard Leight Sync has no active noise reduction features. While it’s hard to find these on earmuffs designed for shooting, airplane headsets and other noise-canceling headphones use technological magic to literally cancel out sound waves before they reach your ear.

The Sync has no such features. If you want to completely drown out steady noise (like an airplane engine or loud machinery), you’ll want to look for a different set of headphones.

Sound Features, Sound Quality & Noise Reduction

So what does the HL Sync actually offer? First, the audio quality: While Howard Leight advertises these as having “superior engineering” and incredible sound, they’re nothing special.

That isn’t to say that they’re bad quality — they sound a lot better than iPhone earbuds — but rather that they’re not going to hold a candle to ATH M50’s or other fancy headphones. Still, Syncs are cheap enough that they’re almost worth buying just to be headphones.

When it comes to noise reduction, these perform admirably. 25 dB isn’t the highest amount you’ll ever see, but the Sync come with built-in electronics and somehow manage to be fairly lightweight. You could use these as hearing protection on a gun range without any problems.

Howard Leight seems more interested in marketing these to home users, however. The noise reduction that these provide is more than enough to make noises from construction, loud appliances, or a busy office very bearable.

One of the more interesting features that is included is a simple circuit that helps balance audio levels from your input device. I’m not sure that I’ve ever really felt a need for this, but the Sync automatically checks how loud your phone is and reduces the volume until it’s safe for you to listen to.

You can still get things pretty loud. I think this is designed for people who switch input devices a lot who don’t want to blow out their eardrums. Again, I’m not sure this has ever been a problem for me.

Comfortability

The Howard Leight Sync is more comfortable than many sets of normal headphones I’ve owned. They form a great cheek-weld without squeezing your head, and there’s plenty of padding on both the cups and the headband.

I wouldn’t want to sleep in them, but they’re fine to wear for several hours at a time.

The Main Flaw

The Sync is not without its flaws. It comes with a male-to-male 3.5mm audio cable that connects a jack on one ear cup to your phone, mp3 player, or another device. Unfortunately, the jack that’s in the cup isn’t attached particularly well.

This means that it’s liable to come loose and start floating around freely inside of the ear cup. This isn’t too hard to fix with a bit of glue and some tweezers. All you have to do is track down the errant jack, wriggle it into place, and then gently glue it down.

Is the Howard Leight Sync worth it? If you’re looking for a device that allows you to catch up on podcasts or listen to music while isolating you from a noisy environment, it certainly warrants some consideration. It even offers adequate hearing protection for shooting and other loud activities.

If you’re after a set of electronic hearing protectors that offer noise-pass through, however, the Sync is simply not equipped for the task. You’ll want to look at the Howard Leight Impact series or another device if you want the ability to talk while you wear your hearing protection.

Overall & Final Thoughts

Overall, the low cost of the Howard Leight Sync makes it attractive for home use. It’s not the most advanced set of hearing protection, of course, and the sound quality could be a bit better.

For the price, however, it’s a pretty safe buy. Even if you just use it to vacuum or mow the lawn a few times a month, it still seems pretty worth it.

If you work in a noisy environment or want to distract yourself while a family member practices an instrument, the Sync is a great choice. Not only does it look stylish, and again, you can’t beat the price for the features that it comes with and what it is capable of.

 

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