Milwaukee Tool has announced new RedLithium USB Bluetooth jobsite earbuds, model 2191-21, which are said to “deliver a best-in-class jobsite audio experience.
These are Bluetooth earbuds that are designed for professionals and on-the-job use.
They feature a Jobsite Awareness Mode, which – when activated – “provides enhanced situational awareness by actively sensing external noises and reduces volume pass-through of loud sounds until levels reach a designated listening volume.”
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Milwaukee bundles the earbuds with foam and silicone tips, with both style providing noise reduction.
The noise reduction rating (NRR) is 22 dB for the silicone tips, and 25 dB for the foam tips.
The earbuds come with a charging case, with a tap-control legend on the inside, and space for storing an alternate set of earbud tips.
The case charges via USB-C, and comes with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
You can also swap out the RedLithium USB battery – a 3Ah battery is included with the kit.
The earbuds deliver up to 10 hours of runtime per charge, and the charging case provides up to 70 hours of runtime (with multiple in-case charges).
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The case looks to be fairly portable, although it is isn’t as pocketable as those that come with consumer Bluetooth earbuds.
The earbuds and case both have battery fuel gauges with multi-color (red, yellow, green) LED indication
Milwaukee says that their wireless audio solution is built to “survive on the jobsite” and is water, dust, and impact-resistant.
You can listen to music via the Bluetooth connectivity, or make phone calls when connected to a smartphone.
Each package comes with left and right earbuds, the charging case, a USB charging cable, 3Ah RedLithium USB battery, 3 sizes of ear wings, 3 sizes of foam ear tips, and 3 sizes of silicone ear tips.
Price: $180
ETA: September 2023
Discussion
There’s still plenty of space in the jobsite Bluetooth hearing protection and audio market, and it’s interesting to see Milwaukee Tool’s first entry.
The Jobsite Aware Mode seems interesting.
The earbuds come with 22 dB and 25 dB tips – silicone and foam, respectively, which provide for passive noise reduction.
So with the Jobsite Aware Mode, it looks like you get “amplified “enhanced situational awareness” by means of what sounds like amplified speech and similar. But when the environmental noise levels pick up, such as when tools are used, the enhancement turns off.
I presume that a mic picks up speech and similar sounds to counteract the passive noise reduction when it’s safe to do so, and automatically dials it back to safe levels when loud noises are detected.
To clarify, this is NOT a form of active noise reduction, but rather a way to minimize the downsides of passive hearing protection when it’s not needed.
Milwaukee is not the first brand to do something like this. The ISOtunes Aware hearing protection earbuds, $200 at Amazon, also provide noise suppression with electronic amplification for improved environmental awareness.
I would expect for the Milwaukee earbuds to operate similarly, at least in essence, where the electronic amplification shuts off once the environmental noise exceeds safe levels.
Jared
I think this is great. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of options in this space and it’s nice to have another.
It’s probably debatable whether the Redlithium cell is necessary, earbuds with build-in battery charging cases last a long time, but it is still an interesting tweak. They might as well use the tech if they’ve got it.
If the sound quality is good and the pairing connection strong, I might have to try these out.
Lance
If the Jobsite Awareness Mode and ANC works anywhere near as good as the Transparency Mode and ANC does on the AirPods Pro 2 they’re going to be great.
APP2 have been independently tested at 24dB NRR, but they are not officially rated as hearing protection, so use on a job site as PPE may be frowned on.
The NRR will depend ENTIRELY on getting an airtight seal in the ear canal. Take the time to fit these properly, and be willing to give up on them if they don’t fit your ears properly. Your hearing is too important to risk. The APP2 work well for me (not on a construction site) but I do have to fiddle with them now and then to keep them fitted tight.
AlexK
How secure is it in the ear? Going up ladders, driving a bobcat/forklift or anything else jarring?
Is there a way to locate a dropped/lost earpiece with a smartphone?
The larger size case and color will make it easy to find, but wouldn’t be convenient for non work carry. I keep my small egg sized case in my pocket when not carrying a bag. It would be good to have a small case without the charging, for pocket use.
MM
The “Jobsite awareness mode” sounds a lot like what has been a common feature for hunting and outdoor oriented electronic ear pro for a few years now. They allow low-level sounds like footsteps, quiet talking, nature sounds, etc, to be heard–or even amplified in some cases–but the protection kicks in for loud sounds like a chainsaw or a gunshot.
CincinnatiGeneralist
The same company makes both. I suspect the hunting/shooting version came first, as it’s the only reason I can think of that there are 3 levels of ambient sound amplification. Maybe hunters appreciate having every noise piped in louder than reality (to hear a rustling in the leaves?), but I don’t know why anyone in a workshop or on a jobsite would want that.
Collin
In a workshop or job site? Might be useful to hear your foreman screaming commands at you. Might even save your life if you’re wearing earbuds and can’t hear and didn’t see the forklift driving toward you but the foreman screams at you GET OUT THE WAY!!!
CincinnatiGeneralist
No, no, I really like that functionality for all the reasons you state. My complaint is that the 1st level on the ISOtunes Aware is perfect and seems to echo the actual sound levels as your naked ear would hear them. But, then there are two more levels that are easy to accidentally click over to (the touch controls are very finicky) that are increasingly louder amplifications, to the point where dropping a screw on a table will rattle your skull and anyone talking nearby might as well be shouting in your face. I see zero value in these settings and wish they could be disabled. I suspect they are of some benefit to hunters, giving them “super ears.”
I also think, from what I’ve seen, the these Milwaukees only have on/off functionality for the audio passthrough mode, which works be perfect for me. I just want to be able to reliably and quickly toggle this mode on and off.
John
The idea is you can still talk to people (or here someone farther away yelling a warning for example). Which does sound good however in my experience I haven’t had trouble talking with earplugs in, and the lower noise reduction (low-mid 20s vs 32 for foam earbuds, which is on a logarithmic scale, so that’s a huge difference) makes them unappealing.
Doresoom
My Howard Leight Impact Sport earmuffs do exactly this. I think I’ve had them for 10 years.
They allow normal sound level conversations at the shooting range, and do a good job of blocking out noise from gunshots. I use them in my workshopbas well. The only time I need to double up with in ear plugs is at an indoor shooting range.
Daniel Julian
I’d love to see a design that has an over the ear hook. The style shown in this article never stay in my ear when I’m doing anything remotely active.
Bernard
That’s why these come with foam tips like squishy ear pro with a hole in the center…..my silicone ones stay in fine until they get wet with sweat, rain or need to have ear goo cleaned off them. I bought aftermarket foam squish n insert tips from Amazon and with them I could go bungee jumping while sweaty and the buds ain’t coming out. I’m sure these would stay in your ear fine as long as your ear isn’t puking ear wax that needs to be cleaned out. Try out the old school anker liberty pro 2….all time best and favorite out of over 20 pairs I have or have had in the past 5 years. They stay in the best k ve sized with the included wings and tips, are the most comfy and have fantastic battery life… even with them and the case living in the truck here in heat of the south…..I have back up pairs that are new in box just so I have them in case something happens to my everyday drivers. (I do product reviews, and independent R&D for various companies. I’m in no way affiliated with Milwaukee however….. yet. I wish! Lol)
I’ve used over the ear ones for years before switching to buds and I don’t miss the constant tickling from them moving around while being worn or having to push them back in every 5 flipping seconds to have the best sound, noise blocking or “itch” the tickle and reseat them.
Robert
Some thoughtful touches there. The instructions on the inner lid of the box. Charging easy from the box. Even smart how they got Milwaukee spelled out. I know Isotunes has this feature set, I have the earmuff version. As long as the noise attenuation is sufficient without active noise cancellation, the Job Aware mode feature seems very smart for a construction site.
Stuart, Question: I can’t tell from the photos. Is that a standard Red Lithium battery or is it a special battery labeled Red Lithium just for this product?
Tim+E.
It’s their standard single-cell “RedLithium USB” battery, also used in some of their flashlights and headlamps and similar.
Stuart
It’s a standard Milwaukee RedLithium USB battery cell.
Stuart Morris
Are they good for nosie cancellation as I’m looking at getting a pair to buy or test out thxs
Stuart
Active noise cancellation is typically found in consumer personal entertainment products, whereas this is a personal hearing protection product.
Schuyler Eugene Ashton
If you’re wanting to try out hearing protection earbuds I would recommend starting out with something wired and cheap. IsoTunes and Elgin both make under 50 dollar pairs if you haven’t tried them before.
CincinnatiGeneralist
As a near-daily user of the ISOtunes Free Aware IEMs/buds, I’m very interested in Milwaukee’s take on this concept.
If the controls are reliable and can be operated with gloves on (PLEASE be mechanical buttons and not touch controls!), I’ll be ordering these. (Also assuming the audio quality is pretty good)
I really prefer in-ear vs over-ear hearing protection for a variety of reasons, but pulling out an ear plug every time some one needs to chat with you for a second is a PITA. With these, that’s not a problem. Tap a button and you hear everything, or leave in AWARE mode and trust that loud noise will be cut off faster than the speed of sound.
J
I agree I hate the sensor controls
Dan
They are mechanical buttons and not sensor touch! It’s awesome!
Munklepunk
Wow have they channeled Apple in their marketing wank. That was a lot of words to describe what everyone else does, but red. My earbuds do the same thing, your earbuds do the same thing, and if typical of every job site earbud and headphone ever, will sound like trash. I do like the removable battery, that’s a nice touch.
Tim+E.
None of my earbuds other than isotunes have a rated NRR to be compliant for noise exposure. 2 of my 6-8 pairs of earbuds I’ve had have some form of “transparency” mode, but none have the function of filtering loud noises in that mode. Adding in over-ear headphones, more have a transparency mode, the earmuffs some have a transparency mode and protection, but aren’t headphones and don’t play music mostly (some isotunes ones being the exception that match the functionality here). So I think this is a more unique product than you’re thinking, with mostly only isotunes competing in the earbud factor, and more options with similar functionality in the headphone factor. I’m sure there are plenty of folks using AirPods as “hearing protection”, but they aren’t actually rated for that, which becomes important in certain situations. I still think the price is a tad high, but I’d the sound quality and ease of use is good, I suppose the price isn’t that far off other “top end” earbuds. It is double, triple, or quadruple the price of consumer earbuds with transparency though, so I don’t think these are targeted to users where that type of device is sufficient for their needs.
Munklepunk
Air pods are not considered ear buds, they dangle, not plug. Air pods pro on the other hand, with active noise cancellation can block up to 23 db. This also goes for other well fitted brands like Samsung, Sony, Google. So with anc, and even many low cost brands.
This is one of many articles showing this.
https://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-wear-wireless-earbuds-to-your-next-conce-1850381535
Let’s be real, what are the chances of a tool company, all of which are notoriously bad at selling any type of good audio equipment, crappy bass does not and will never equal quality, make a good sounding, better ANC, and all the whatevers on a first run of of all things, than legacy audio earbud manufacturers.
Stuart
Active noise cancellation is not hearing protection.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/noise-cancellation-headphones-vs-hearing-protection-earmuffs/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
If you need hearing protection, stick with ones with advertised NRR ratings and NIOSH compliance.
jamanjeval
Do they have a way to locate them if one falls out and is lost?
Also, I would have liked to see them release ear muffs. I have 2 pairs of the 3M WorkTunes Connect. I like them but the bluetooth connection on them is really terrible while the battery life is great. 3M seems to have stopped development. I’d like to see something with active noise cancellation and some sort of transparency mode to make voices more audible over the noise and from having to take them off to hear someone.
Stuart
Not that I know of.
Bobcat
180 dollars for ear buds your out of your mind I have a pair of dewalt for 60 dollars and they work great they sound way better than I buds my son has
Leo B.
Are your earbuds the ones that were recalled?
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/dewalt-wireless-earphones-recall/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
J
U bash the sound quality without even trying them and I bet the Milwaukee has better technology put into them over your $60 dewalts. U also don’t mention the brand of your sons so their is nothing to go off of there
BrianA
If Jobsite mode is not active NR then maybe they shouldn’t say “actively sensing external noises and reduces volume”. That seems like an intentional misleading statement.
Schuyler Eugene Ashton
From my experience with a pair of Elgin earbuds that have nearly the same wording, what awareness mode does is turn on the microphones and pass anything in the lower volume range straight to the speaker. I’m pretty sure it’s an OSHA thing for an NR rating that the hearing protection has to function without power.
Nathan
Job site mode is not Active Noise Cancelation. Nr is a more generic term as far as I know
It’s a great idea in general. I hope they are Bluetooth 5.2 or later capable and possible for dual device pairing. But that’s a bit due to it being 2023 and I expect that in any bt sound device
Like the use of the red lithium replaceable battery. For the convenience not longevity basis. Don’t charge the case swap battery. Or. Take battery out plug to your light. Keep bud case in the car . ..
9veral great idea
TomD
Is that the first USB-C charging setup from Big Red?
Stuart
No; they launched their first USB-C products last year.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-redlithium-usb-c-charging/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-led-neck-light-2117-21/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Bruce
I run the AXIL new in ear buds for hearing protection and Samsung buds for phone calls and music listening. For serious work and especially for work around other workers, I don’t even connect the AXIL to my phone. It’s just to easy to miss those little audio cues that someone else is near by and a potential danger.
I’ve got a worker that really likes the Shokz style bone conducting unit, then he can wear regular foam plugs and still be able to take a phone call, even right next to a running 100kw generator.
Daniel L
I’m interested, to a certain extent.
The RedlithiumUSB line shows great potential, but it suffers slightly from being tied to the older 18650 cells.
I’ve been using the redlithium USB lights for a while. My biggest gripe with those is runtime: it’s easy to burn through a charge in a day or two, as I tend to use them for portable, convenient mobile lighting for work areas. Keeping track of extra batteries isn’t something I’ve figured out how to do effectively either. I tend to just re-charge as outlets present themselves on the jobsite.
The expansion into headphones seems like a good way to get a bit more use out of the platform, But it’s difficult for me to see where they can go from here. The redlithium USB platform is always going to be limited by the 18650 battery, though. 21700’s seem to be the sweet spot for flashlights IME, and if they had developed around that battery I imagine they’d be able to have a bit more fun with their offerings.
Regardless, these will live or die for me based on sound quality. I’m no audiophile, but I do appreciate decent headphones. The price isn’t outside the realm of possibility for me…shoot, the sonys that use on the jobsite nowadays are about 1.5x what milwaukee is asking at normal retail.
Tim
I wish more tool companies would work away from red/yellow/green as their indicator lights.
Makita and Hikoki both have bluegreen indicator lights on certain chargers and stuff now.
Stuart
Why? If there’s only space for just one LED indicator, typically red = low charge, yellow = medium (halfway?), and green = full or high charge.
Shane
Milwaukee’s first shot at earphones, and they go with Bluetooth 5.1, when 5.3 is available? Tsk, tsk…
Dan
As a maintenance supervisor in multi family property management, I was super stoked to see these coming out. I usually rock a set of Bose ear buds, but I wouldn’t use them as much because I wanted to protect them from drywall dust and all the other crap I get into daily. I grabbed these and have started using them daily while I work. After 2 weeks of continuous use, here’s my thoughts.
The job site awareness mode is amazing. I can have a conversation with someone without taking my ear buds out, and I like the fact that it automatically turns off as soon as I start using loud tools. You can also adjust the sensitivity so that a jingling set of keys on your belt loop doesn’t completely blow out your ear drums.
Sound quality is fantastic. My podcasts sounds crystal clear without me having to crank up the volume to hear the voices, and my music has great balance without being overpowering in one area (bass, treble, mids). I can hear phone calls super well, and have not had anyone complain that they couldn’t hear me clearly or that my voice was cutting out.
The case, while bulky, fits in a back pocket without a problem, and I can throw it in my toolbox at the end of the day and not worry that it’s going to get destroyed in transit. I like the removable battery; while it seemed pretty stupid to me at first, I like being able to swap the battery out to charge my buds if I’m working in an area with no electricity. The Bluetooth range is great as well; I left my phone in a third story apartment while I ran down to my van for a tool, and the buds stayed connected. It got choppy when I got to my van, but that’s pretty decent if you ask me.
The foam buds form a great seal, and I’ve not had any problems with the buds moving around and sliding out of my ears. When they’re in, they’re IN. I haven’t tried the silicone ones yet, but I’m betting those might not be as secure. I’ll report back when I do.
Lastly, I LOVE the mechanical controls. Touch sensor controls are awful if you’re wearing work gloves, and being able to answer a phone call without having to take my gloves off or empty my hands is fantastic.
All in all, I say this purchase was worth every penny. The price tag kinda sucks, but definitely cheaper than some Beats or AirPods, and I’m not worried about these getting destroyed like I would those. Definitely keeps up with the competition, and worth it for anyone who works in the trades.