The New PELTOR Alert
The PELTOR line of headsets from 3M offers some of the most impressive and advanced hearing protection you’ll find on the market. PELTORs are used in all kinds of high-volume environments, from the construction yard to the battlefield. The latest addition to the line, however, is for more casual use with a price to match. Say hello to the Alert.
The PELTOR Alert headset is an active protection product, which you’ll remember means that it features sophisticated noise sensitivity technology that allows you to hear sound below the threshold of danger. This makes it perfect for, say, the shooting range where you may want to talk to your friend but don’t want to take your protection off while other people are firing more or less at random. Another good application would be when you’re out mowing the lawn, which involves belligerent noise yet hasn’t received much attention from the safety community. Why would you want to wear a silly-looking headset while you’re out in your front yard? Because the Alert is so much more than that.
For the first time, 3M is including extra features to make PELTOR more appealing to the general market. What makes the Alert ideal for leisure activities rather than the workplace is its media-playing capabilities. The headset itself has a built-in FM radio that you can use to tune into your favorite stations, with a knob that raises and lowers the volume/radio signal (max volume of 82 decibels) and another that turns ambient noise up and down, giving you complete control over what you hear. Noises from outside come in through the environmental microphones in the front, which instantly cut out if they detect noise that is too loud. The radio is advanced enough that it can sense the strength or weakness of the radio signal, and switch from stereo to mono to optimize the reception. The antenna is sturdy but flexible, and can pick up signal even in harsh conditions.
Not only that, but there’s a headphone jack that can connect to your MP3 player, phone, or whatever portable media device you prefer, and the sound quality will impress even the pickiest audiophiles, with a rich low end that makes it great for your favorite bass-heavy tunes. The radio is also compatible with headset kits that allow for set-to-set communication, if your situation calls for it.
Let’s be frank: a typical workplace that requires hearing protection at this level doesn’t want its employees listening to music or radio on the job. If the environment is making that much noise, your job probably requires a bit of focus to do safely and responsibly. This is a product intended primarily for leisure activities that involve hazardous noise levels. Some may say that it’s outside the purview of what a site like ours should be selling, but we serve the sportsman as well as the workman alike, and it’s not outlandish to imagine that someone would want the same great hearing protection at play that they get at work. The Alert is here to meet that need.
