Headphones used by shooters at gun ranges. Where you still have to hear voice commands.

Yes, Active Hearing protection is all the rage nowadays. Good for hunting too, as it allows you to hear what's around you, while protecting you from the sound of gun fire.

But even then, the level of protection that Active Headphones provides isn't sufficient if you are working around .44 Magnum and up, or even worse, short barreled rifles, in an indoor setting, so I used the heaviest passive headphones I could get my hands on, and it was just barely adequate.

The active headphones are designed to be used with all the different comms systems, and there are even models that can be worn under helmets.

https://www.sordin.com/supreme

The discussion is interesting, and very fitting since as mentioned earlier, I have a 110 dB loss in both ears, and wear a cochlear implant that was inserted five years ago. If any of you qualify for cochlear implants, I highly recommend them, as they are a marvel of technology, and has truly made life easier.

When I operate trains and use a radio, the cochlear implant connects via bluetooth, so when a transmission comes through, the bluetooth program automatically adjusts ambient sounds in order to prioritize the incoming transmission, a smart audio mixer if you will. I could stand inside a F40 engine room with the prime mover screaming at run 8, without ear protection (because I no longer need them), and still hear the radio clearly inside my head since the implant is bypassing the ear itself, and going straight for the auditory nerve. Responding would be a different matter, because I'd have to step away from the prime mover in order to ensure my outgoing transmission is clear.

Hearing aids are only so good up to a certain point, until the amplified sound becomes too murky, and painful. The implant is the opposite; it gives you all the sound you want and more, so you have to program it to be lower, so you don't go crazy hearing every single blowing leaf scratching across the pavement 100 feet away (plus the wind is annoying). When I got my implant, we had to throw out all the ticking clocks in the house, because I could hear a clock tick from one room through the hallway, down the stairs, around the kitchen, another hallway, through another room and finally the room the ticking clock was in. It is also nice being able to watch TV, or view media on my phone via bluetooth and not disturb anyone else, though I don't recommend watching films that involve inner voices, such as "It", with the implant-- that was too eerie!

One note for those experiencing tinnitus and qualify for implants; my tinnitus was so severe, it was at the level of being in an orchestra pit with cymbals clashing on the ear itself-- very anxiety inducing at midnight when you're trying to get some sleep. The implant has done away with just about 99% of it, and is a blessing, because the brain is no longer trying to make up sounds to fill in the void of audio loss.

I also had the privilege to test out some implant devices and programs at the R&D department that are not yet available to the public, and I can say with certainty, the future of sound is crisp and bright! So is the future of taking care of this F40, because its loudness is not of any concern to me. ;)

In the aviation business, Bose A20's are the bomb for a grand. To the point that when you have to ditch a newly restored WWII warbird in the water on the beach and the plane is slowly sinking, whatever you do, save the A20s!