An inherent problem with most active hearing protection is wind. With most active hearing protection, wind is picked up by the microphone and registers as a loud noise. This causes the noise compression technology to activate to shut it out—along with everything else. However, Axil has solved this problem with its XCOR earbud hearing protection, which is waterproof, dust-proof, and windproof.
Axil XCOR Active Hearing Protection
Although I love shooting pretty much anything, I really enjoy long-range rifle shooting. However, earmuff-style hearing protection makes proper cheek welds difficult. For this reason, I like earbud-style hearing protection because it doesn’t get in the way of the rifle’s stock.
For our recent Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, Axil sent me a pair of its XCOR earbuds. Immediately, I loved the small form factor that fits right into the ear and out of the way. Likewise, I thought the combination of passive and active hearing protection was a great idea.
Specifically, by using foam tips, the XCOR offers similar protection to foam ear plugs. Likewise, you also get the added benefit of the digital protection of the earbuds themselves, providing double the protection. Correspondingly, the earbuds are as easy to put in as regular foamies. Just roll them, insert them, and let them expand.
To ensure the best fit, Axil sends the XCOR with six different ear tips—three foam and three silicone. The foam ear tips are used when shooting, while the silicone ear tips are for listening to music. However, I find that the foam tips are just fine for music. So, there is no reason to go to the extra work of switching tips between applications.
The XCOR earbuds come in a small recharging case that easily fits into any pocket or pouch. The case is rechargeable via USB-C and provides two full additional charges for the earbuds. When fully charged, they provide up to 12 hours of operation—12 hours protection only, 6 hours Bluetooth audio only, and 4 hours combined.
In addition to the charging case, Axil provides a larger, zippered hard-side softshell case. This case holds the charging case, extra tips, instructions, and charging cable. Not to mention adding extra protection.
Fit and Function
As I mentioned earlier, something I really like about earbud-style hearing protection is they are out of the way for rifle shooting. This is very much the case with the XCOR, as they fit neatly inside the ear with little protrusion. However, what little does stick out is necessary because it contains the controls.
A nice feature of the XCOR is that they are simply functional. They do what they do, do it simply, and do it well. Although they connect to a smartphone, there is no complex app to control them. Everything is handled on the earbuds themselves.
Once in the ear, tap and hold on the side of one of the earbuds to turn on hearing enhancement. Repeating this step turns hearing enhancement off. Correspondingly, while hearing enhancement is activated, buttons on the top of each earbud control volume levels. The volume levels have three settings and cycle between low, medium, and high. However, with the hearing enhancement turned off, the XCOR provides maximum protection.
The XCOR not only connects to a smartphone but any Bluetooth-enabled device. On my recent fight to SHOT Show, I connected them to my Bose AirFly so I could plug it into the headphone jack and watch an in-flight movie. The XCOR totally blocked out the plane, and it was the first flight I could actually hear the movie.
When I was done with them, I put them in the case, and they quickly charged for range day the next morning.
XCOR on the Range
Something very common with active hearing protection with ambient sound is that wind disrupts them. This is because the ambient sound technology uses microphones to enhance surrounding sounds—like wild game, conversations, and range commands. When you are on the range, and the wind keeps shutting down your ear pro, it can cause you to miss range commands or other important communications.
However, Axil boasts that the XCOR earbuds are windproof, which I was particularly interested in. So, I took them to our recent Athlon Outdoors, Rendezvous, to test them out. Fortunately for us—but unfortunately for my review—we had no wind.
So, I had to wait until SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range. And fortunately for this review—unfortunately for everyone at Range Day—we had wind.
I was very happy to find that the XCOR earbuds did great, and the wind had zero effect. I was able to hear all conversations without the audio cutting out. Likewise, they were very comfortable the entire day that we were there, and the batteries held up the whole time.
At both events, there were multiple ranges, with everything being shot from .22 LR to .50 BMG. As you can imagine, there was a steady cadence of gunfire all around. However, instead of cutting the microphone out, the XCOR reduced the dangerous volume levels to safe levels. As a result, I was able to hold natural conversations with no interruption.
However, I will say that, unlike other active hearing pro, the highest volume on the XCOR was a little low. But, sometimes, you have to take the good with the bad. No matter what I shot that day, the report was diminished while ambient sounds and conversations were still audible. So, it is a good trade-off.
Sounding Off
While I wouldn’t call myself an “audiophile,” I do like good music. Although the XCOR is nothing to write home about as audio headphones, that is not their purpose. With that said, they still have very good audio quality for both music and movies—even on a plane.
However, where the XCOR earbuds shine is in the hearing protection and ambivalence to wind. As a hunter and someone who likes to be able to hold conversations at the range, I like enhanced hearing in my ear pro. But the wind drives me crazy. So, XCOR’s solution to the wind problem is a very welcome feature.
As I mentioned, the lower volume on the enhanced hearing is a bummer but not a deal breaker. However, while listening to audio via Bluetooth, the earbuds provide ample volume. Between the ease of operation and ability to operate in the wind, the XCOR is a fantastic ear pro solution.
For more information, please visit GoAxil.com.
Axil XCOR Specs
- 19-29 dB SNR (depending on the ear tip style; foam provides more)
- USB-C charging
- Water & dust resistant
- Wind resistant
- 5.2 Bluetooth
- Battery life:
- 12 hours (up to): Hear control™ only
- 6 hours (up to): BT audio only
- 4 hours (up to): Hear control and BT simultaneously
- MSRP: $299.99 (Bluetooth), $199.99 (without Bluetooth)
Features
- Enhance your hearing – the hear control on the xcor allows you to hear what’s happening around you while protecting your hearing!
- Protect your hearing – the digital hearing protection on the xcor compresses loud noises rather than shuts them out/off. This allows you to hear all sounds around you, while the automatic compression protects against loud gunfire or other damaging noises over 85db.
- Listen to music – the bluetooth audio allows you to connect to your devices so you can enjoy your music and shows wherever you go to make this your go-to set of earbuds!
- Answer calls – this allows you to connect your phone to your earbuds so you never miss a call or text! These can even be paired with some bluetooth-capable radios for 2-way communication.
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