After I visited the ProHear booth at SHOT Show 2025, they reached out to offer me their EM066 electronic earmuffs to test. I received a set of earphones that looked suspiciously similar to my go-to headphones, Howard Leight Impact Sports. There has been some online speculation that ProHear makes Howard Leights or that they are both made at the same Chinese factory. But after my testing, I’m nearly certain this is not the case.
The EM066 are labeled “Machette” headphones. On first blush, they look very similar to the Howard Leights with slightly harder edges in their design. The most obvious difference is the EM066’s microphone grill covers and the vertical orientation of its volume wheel. The EM066 was designed to use Howard Leight compatible ear pads, which necessitate its nearly identical physical specs.
Like Howard Leights, the EM066 renders stereoscopic sound and a 4-hour automatic power cut-off to preserve battery life should the user forget to switch the unit off (something I’ve been guilty of with other headphones). The sound quality of ambient sounds is not identical. The EM066 renders a thinner and tinier sound environment when replicating ambient noise. The EM066 is capable of being louder than the Howard Leights.
Next, I tested the EM066 sound quality using an AUX audio cable; the music sounded slightly better than Howard Leights, though both had mediocre bass response when playing House music. A headphone’s ability to render music is a good indication of a headphone’s ability to recreate a realistic representation of the sound environment.
Testing the EM066 at the gun range, they cut out gunshots without completely cutting off voices mid-conversation like other cheap, budget headphones. I could carry on a normal conversation amidst the sound of gunfire. The EM066 padded headband and foam plastic earcups were comfortable, though I will be looking to upgrade them with gel earpads.
Overall, these headphones have all the best features of my beloved Howard Leight Impact Sports and a few subtle improvements.
BUY
Amazon https://amzn.to/3GmTwcv
SPECS
EM066
NRR: 23db
Reaction Time: 0.01 sec
Max Amplification: 4x
Body: Plastic
Battery : 2x AAA
Battery Life: 300 hrs
Auto Shutoff: 4hrs
Weight: 9.6 oz
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 5.1″
