Knowledge – news and articles from Audiovox

Everyone produces earwax and since your ears clean themselves, you don't necessarily need to do anything about it. However, many people experience increased amounts of earwax due to the use of in-ear headphones, and it's important that you remove the wax yourself. Read on to learn how to clean your ears in a safe and responsible way. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Never use cotton swabs When you use cotton swabs in your ears, you risk pushing the earwax towards your eardrum. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Clean your ears with water When you're in the shower, tilt your head to the side and let the warm water run in and out of your ears. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Use Remo wax If you feel your ears are clogged, you can use Remo-wax from the pharmacy. Remo-wax loosens the earwax, which can then be rinsed away with water. If you have booked an impression appointment, you can use Remo-wax for 3 days prior to your appointment. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Go to your own doctor If you're unsure whether your ears are blocked or don't feel comfortable cleaning your ears yourself, contact your doctor and ask them to help you clean your ears safely and securely. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hunting - and shooting in general - is often a noisy affair! Wherever gunpowder and bullets are fired, there will also be noise and loud sounds. This summer I attended a hunting field shoot and it was on this occasion that I got to test the new molded hearing protection for the first time. A hunting shoot is exciting and challenging - and it's always fun to be tested on different shooting positions and distances. I've been looking forward to the day when we are divided into teams. I am followed around the large terrain together with 11 other shooters. We drive around between the different locations, but there's also time for good conversations while we wait to get there. It takes about 50 rounds per shooter on a day like this - and not everyone has a silencer on their rifle. This means a lot of noise around the individual shots, and I can feel that it's hard to stay focused all the time. It's a great pleasure to be able to have the hearing protection in my ears all day without thinking about it! We arrive at a course with two targets - a target and a wild boar, which is about 200 meters away. The shooting position for the boar is free-standing without any aids and I can tell that I'm really challenged by the fact that there are many people around me who also have to prepare and shoot. It's hard for me to find the concentration to do my best. Then I remember that there is an extra program in my new electronic hearing protection! I press the push button three times in both ears and I manage to shut out everything but my own thoughts. There is peace for concentration and focus - and I send my shots off. The feeling inside over my shots is actually okay! Everyone is done shooting and I press the little button on my hearing protection once again, and the sound of the people around me comes through clearly again - without me having to take my hearing protection off. We all go together and look at the position of the shots to count the points. I'm satisfied - and I'm not sure I would have been able to place my shots as well if I hadn't been able to find the calm to concentrate. Our hearing Hearing is one of our most important senses! Our hearing is always active - even when we sleep. It works by picking up sound waves with the outer ear, which converts them into electrical impulses in the inner ear. From the inner ear, the impulses are sent to the brain, which processes the data so we can relate to it and act on it. Being able to hear enables us to understand what other people tell us, participate in conversations, understand information, react to danger signals, hear music and understand messages. When we can't hear properly, it can significantly reduce our quality of life and make it difficult to participate in social situations. Audiovox hearing protectors are small and discreet! So it's easy to wear hearing protection and look smart at the same time. Hearing protection It's pretty obvious to me that it's important to wear hearing protection. The many stories of how a single shot can change your life from being hearing to not hearing has really been a great incentive for me to wear hearing protection. When I'm on a group hunt and more than half of the other shooters choose not to wear hearing protection, I don't really understand it. But when I ask, I'm met with comments like "oh, it doesn't matter" or "I've been hunting for so many years and I still have my hearing" or "earplugs are just too much of a hassle". The two worst phrases I've heard are "I've been hunting for so long without hearing protection that my hearing is already damaged" and "that's nonsense". But I'm not willing to take that risk myself! While I may not need to use hearing protection when I have a silencer on my rifle, I use them anyway because they don't bother me. My hearing is so incredibly important, both when hunting and in nature in general. Sitting in nature, I can hear all the sounds of the forest. I listen to the call of buzzards over the field, the deer creeping through the thicket, the crackling of the fire when the shelter is lit, or when I lie awake late at night and hear the owl in the woods a few hundred meters away from our house. My hearing is also crucial in everything I do, whether I'm learning, working or socializing. Even when my two grandchildren whisper secrets in my ear or when the sound of music comes through the speakers on a beautiful Saturday morning, I can't even imagine the loss of hearing. In addition to the things already mentioned, there is also the purely practical aspect of being able to hear when the car sounds different and not quite right, or when I'm in traffic and there's danger ahead. In general, I think my hearing is so essential and crucial to my well-being and enjoyment of life that there's no excuse for not wearing hearing protection when hunting and shooting - regardless of what others think! But wearing hearing protection should also be easy and comfortable! One of the challenges with my Peltor SportTacs, which I used last hunting season, is that they hit the stock of my rifle. Switched to molded hearing protection This Saturday morning of hunting field shooting is the first time I'm trying out my new active electronic hearing protection from Audiovox. It's a good opportunity to try out a few of the different settings in the hearing protection, and it's also a chance to get a feel for what it's like to have them in my ears for a whole day. Until I got Audiovox hearing protection, I've been using Peltor SportTac and I've been really happy with them. They fit well around the ears, there's good sound in them - I can hear everything that's going on around me. I can have a conversation even with my hearing protection on, even if we're whispering together when we're chaperoning with the rifle. I can hear the birds singing, and I can also hear the animals coming through the thicket on the drive hunts. But I don't find them practical. I sweat behind the tight-fitting earpieces, they squeeze my eyeglasses and deprive me of the opportunity to wear a hat or cap. Especially if the earpieces have to fit tightly to the ears. Especially the pressure on my temples makes it less than ideal to wear hearing protection for a whole day. That's why I put them on and take them off during the day - they take up space and are not very practical to carry around. I also often find it annoying that the large earmuffs often hit the stock when I put my cheek to it, whether it's a shotgun or rifle. That's why I've been very open to other options, and I was really happy when I got the opportunity to try Audiovox active hearing protection. You can read about my experience with them here. A quiet moment in the woods is also possible. And with molded hearing protectors, it's possible to put on a hat or cap without it being a challenge. Audiovox Soundscope Pro-Tech- Ihunt I use the word hearing protection over and over again. But in reality, molded hearing protectors are simply amplifying hearing aids with built-in attenuation of harmful impulse noise. I've now used my new Soundscope Pro-tect iHunt from Audiovox for a full season at the shooting range, using them during buck hunting, hunting in South Africa and through fall/winter hunting. The earmuffs are wireless and weigh only a few grams each. They are stored in a small carrying case, making them easy to carry in your pocket or hunting backpack. They are simple to put on and easy to operate on the move. The sound quality is great! It's as simple as that. Conversation and nature sounds are great and it's easy to change the volume if needed. The directionality is also very good, I'm never in doubt about where the sounds are coming from. The comfort and fit is also great as they are individually molded to the individual! At no point have I ever had to take my hearing protection off while hunting, whether it was on the shooting range, group hunts, driven hunts or stalking through the Kalahari desert. Unlike when I used to wear earplugs, I can now wear a hat or simply put on a warm beanie. It's definitely an advantage to be free to choose the headgear I want on the day. And of course, it's also worth mentioning that now there's nothing bumping against the stock when I attach the shotgun and rifle. Hunting No annoying cups from the hearing protection hitting the butt of my shotgun. It's a pleasure to put your cheek to the gun. And since the hearing protection is molded to my ears, I can wear them for many hours without them bothering, pressing or irritating the ear canal. Whether this is a truth with modifications may be an individual experience, but for me it's not. I've worn them for an entire day of field shooting, I've used them through all the seasons in seasonal driven hunts and on stand hunting with the rifle from morning to midday. In addition, I have also used them on long stalking hunts in South Africa with no problems with heat or irritation. I have not been bothered by them in any way, but have been able to keep them in my ears without any problems. With blue foam in your ears, you can get a bit of a headache! Luckily, it doesn't take many minutes for the molding to be completed. The possibilities with Soundscope Pro-Tech Ihunt It is possible to purchase an optional telecoil so you can connect hunting radio or your smartphone to the earmuffs through it. The telecoil is worn around the neck and uses Bluetooth connectivity. There are four programs on the hearing protectors: Normal, which amplifies weaker sounds and at the same time shuts off when there are loud sounds - such as gunshots. Normal with bass control. Used for hearing loss for a clearer sound. Normal with Crosstalk. Works as program 1, but a telecoil can be connected for hunting radio or smartphone use. Without speakerphone with telecoil. Works well as a shooting program or for field shooting, as it is closed to outside sound at all times. A telecoil can be used for the program. You can easily switch between programs with a small push button on each hearing protector, which also has independent sound control on a rotary knob. Battery life is relatively long and the batteries are easy to change. The actual impression of the ears doesn't take many minutes, but it's a strange sensation to have the ear canals filled with blue foam! From the impression, an accurate representation of your ear canals is now made via a 3D scan with laser technology, and within a few weeks you'll receive your personalized hearing protectors in the mail. The earmuffs are made of hard plastic and come in different colors, red for the right ear and blue for the left ear. So it's always easy to tell the difference. A small zippered carrying case is included so you can always store your hearing protectors safely - in the same place every time! It also comes with extra wax filters that are easily changed when needed. The small orange carrying case takes up very little space and is a regular part of the pre-hunt kit. For me, the price is not important as such! Sure, it's a bigger bag of money - but the cost to my hearing can't be quantified in monetary terms. My best advice is to use hearing protection no matter what - period! Buy hearing protection that works - and then save up for good quality molded hearing protection. The Soundscope Pro-tect iHunt from Audiovox has the quality I want and would be my choice again if I were to invest in good hearing protection! They don't take up much space... don't weigh much... and don't bother. And with a high quality of sound and battery life, there's nothing but positive things to say about Audiovox molded hearing protection. The benefits No wires to break or get stuck! Their size and weight make them easy to carry and hassle-free to wear in your ears. Battery life is long and doesn't need to be changed very often. The hearing protectors are molded to the individual, so the fit is precise. Easy control of volume and programs. Telecoil so you can connect hunting radio and smartphone. Small zippered carrying case with space for extra batteries and wax filters. Disadvantages They ARE small, so it's important to always put them in the carrying case when you take off your hearing protection. Hunting radio must have Bluetooth to be used with a telecoil.