CaldwellE-MAX Shadows 23 NRR - Electronic Hearing Protection with Bluetooth Connectivity for Shooting, Hunting, and Range

After using these for a few weeks now, I have some things to write about these pretty good hearing protection, Bluetooth and ambient sound reinforcement devices.As with any larger ear plugs I find it easier to mildly dislodge them from my ear canal. This causes audio leakage and poorer sound reproduction in my ear. Not terrible, but I have never had Apple's product to compare. The Bluetooth is very nice and connects to my smartphone easily. The bass frequencies are a trifle lacking compared to some in ear Bluetooth devices I have used. The ambient (outside) sound reinforcement is surprisingly good. I like to use them on my old ears as it does tend to filter out distant sounds and focus on closer conversations allowing me to conduct a conversation in a noisy (restaurant) environment. The drawback is when connected to my phone... If I flip my phone and cause it to light up from a hibernate mode (not actually log in and use it), it drops ambient sounds briefly. It is easier to put away the phone to have a personal conversation than deal with these brief interruptions. This is probably my biggest issue with these ear buds. It is easy to shut off the Bluetooth and harder to turn back on during a phone call. Don't touch them during a call! Use the phone's volume control.Sound protection is OK. I expect they are along the lines of the cheap foam plugs for protection. If using extremely loud range time (large caliber rifle), they are a bit weak but will do for a couple rounds. I use my over ear protection device as well for loud stuff normally. Same goes with these devices.I may update my my review after more range time, I have only used these on the range once and even my ambient sound over ear protection took a few range days to utilize fully.

I bought the Caldwell Shadows and when I got them they work great. You can hear people talking and they reduce the loud noises, but you can still hear. They don't completely shut off all sound like the last brand I had. It's really nice. They have several ear plug types that come with them, so when you find the right one they are extremely comfortable.There was an issue with the Bluetooth connecting to both ear pods so I called customer service. We went through a reset process and it didn't fix the issue so they are sending me another set. Just like that. It's nice to find a company that has a great product, stands behind their product and takes care of their customers.UPDATE: I am still pleased with the Caldwell E-Max Shadows. They work great at the shooting range. Two things I have found that could be improved are 1) wind noise. If the wind is blowing it still comes through the earbuds and does become annoying. 2) Any time they try to connect to blue tooth or you make an adjustment to the volume, the LED light on the side continues to blink for several minutes. it is not good to have a bright little LED light flashing while you are hunting. I fixed this by covering it with a tiny piece of electrical tape. I have used them a lot in the last 4 months at the shooting range and hunting and overall, I am very happy with the performance and quality. I have not had any failures or malfunctionsUpdate 2022: I am still using my Caldwell E-Max Shadows and they are still going great. I did paint over the LED light with black paint to cover it but that is the only thing. I would definitely buy them again.

I was skeptical about these as I have read mixed reviews, but after using them for over a year I can say that these are the best shooting Bluetooth/noise canceling/touch control earbuds I have found. They pair automatically, cancel pulse/gunfire sounds while letting background sound through, take and make calls well, and they sound fine playing podcasts or music. They aren’t gonna deliver booming bass, but they’re completely great for functionality, and they do everything they say they’ll do. I am an avid shooter and I also work behind a 372xp chainsaw every day, and have tried 3 different sets of various brands of Bluetooth noise cancelling earphones -and have been disappointed with them all, until I found these. The others all stay in the drawer now because these Caldwells are GREAT. The slide volume control must be swept up or down a few times as each sweep does a small adjustment, but once you get the hang of it, it works fine to adjust volume. All the other touch controls are fairly intuitive and straight forward. These work one at a time as a single earpiece or simultaneously as Bluetooth headphones and have fully ambidextrous/identical controls on each bud. Although there is a right and left earbud, either bud can be used in either ear. They stay securely in the ears once you find your proper tip that fits (I use the large foam tips for the best fit/seal/noise protection), and the FDE color matches a couple of my guns and gear👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼*The foam tips MUST be used for sufficient ear protection while shooting. Outdoors anything non-magnum is fine with these. Indoor range visits and I’d double up with earmuffs worn over these for full sound protectionOverall, I am EXTREMELY happy with these. One or both of them are in my ears almost all day long. They have a few specific quirks that I had to figure out (see re-syncing process outlined below), but these are hands down the best Bluetooth noise cancelling earbuds around for the price. On the newer model of these (the emax PRO version) I think that Caldwell shouldn’t have made the right and left earbuds have different controls on the new “PRO”. These original Shadows are far more utilitarian with the exact same touch controls on either earbud. Just something to consider if you’re deciding between these or the Pros, I’d pick these original Emax shadows all day long over the new PROS for that reasonMany have complained about the earbuds losing sync with each other, and then the user has a very difficult time getting them to sync with each other again as a set. I can say that the number one cause of them not syncing with each other is because whatever Bluetooth device they were paired to MUST be turned off. When these earbuds lose sync with each other, their device (usually a phone) will then recognize each earbud as a separate unit, and only one earbud will give sound at a time. The fix for this is:1. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE so no Bluetooth pairing is possible with that device. These earbuds WILL NOT sync again if one or both of them is paired with a phone or similar device, or if said device (or any other device within range) “remembers” either of them and is trying to pair with them. Turn off the device.2. Perform the factory reset. It is a 20 second process that has a YouTube video under “Caldwell Emax shadows factory reset”3. Once factory reset is complete (making sure your phone remains off), place earbuds back in their charging case and make sure the light on the back of each is either solid green (fully charged), or solid red (partially charged/need charging).4. Remove both earbuds from case at the same time and place them in your ears. They should turn on and pair to each other automatically in a few seconds. Usually if you put them right in your ears you will hear the “paired” BOOP sound in both earbuds. You can perform a 2 second touch/hold on one earbud to activate passthrough mode and listen if both earbuds then allow you to hear outside sounds (make sure your phone remains off for these steps!). If long hold on one earbud doesn’t activate passthrough mode on both earbuds, they aren’t synced and the first steps outlined here should be performed again.5. Once you’ve determined that they are synced by doing the passthrough mode test, you can turn your phone back on, enable Bluetooth, and click on “SHADOWS” under your Bluetooth menu. Click on it and you are back in business with a “paired” status on your phone and a BOOP sound in both ears to confirm the connectionYour phone must be turned off and factory reset performed for them to sync with each other once they become unsynced or else your phone will pair with each earbud as a separate Bluetooth device, preventing them from ever syncing with each other. That can be really frustrating, so follow the steps above.I hope this helps those who have been frustrated by them not syncing.These are great Bluetooth shooting earbuds, especially for the price. I own 3 sets so I always have a charged one or pair in my ears.CALDWELL FOR THE WIN!!!* If you have any problem with these, contact Caldwell and they will take care of you with excellent customer service and warranty