MIXX Assistive Audio Adaptive Earplugs Review

As we learn more about how important it is to protect our hearing, the discussion of quality earplugs has come to the forefront. Sure, foam earplugs are cheap and effective, but they are a blunt instrument. They deaden all sounds to some extent, but there is no thought to how they affect the sound that does make it through. If you are working in an industrial setting where protection is paramount, then it doesn’t matter. But if you want to protect your hearing from continuous excessive volume while maintaining some semblance of sound quality, you’ll want a quality earplug. Enter the MIXX Assistive Audio Adaptive Earplugs. These earplugs are not only designed to preserve audio quality while protecting your hearing, but they can also be adjusted for different noise levels. Let’s take a closer look!

MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs Specs

• Three adjustable noise protection levels: The Adaptive Earplugs are adjustable by twisting the earplug itself to give users one product that works in a variety of settings.
• Flanged tips with multiple sizes
• Hypoallergenic medical-grade silicone
• Meets US ANSI S3.19-1974 hearing protection standard
• Lightweight spring-loaded carry case

MIXX Adaptive Earplugs Overview

Before we get into the specifics of how well the MIXX Assistive Audio Adaptive Earplugs work, let’s talk about the accessories. The MIXX Earplugs come with a spring-loaded carrying case with a wire loop. The loop can be unscrewed to attach to your keys or whatever you want. The case closes securely and stays closed. If you’ve dealt with wireless earbuds and their spring-loaded cases, the MIXX case spring is MUCH stronger. That’s both a good and bad thing. Good because you don’t need to worry about the case opening in your pocket. Bad because it takes a little more “push” than you are expecting. This causes the earplugs to sometimes pop out of the case almost as if they were spring-loaded!

MIXX Adaptive Earplugs Controls

The idea behind the MIXX Assistive Audio Adaptive Earplugs is simple: high-tech earplugs that can reduce the volume of external sounds without making everything sound “weird.” They do this in a number of ways, the most obvious of which is through physically blocking the sound. What you’ll notice is that there is a little hole on the end of the earplug. This allows sound in so that it can be properly attenuated as it passes through the earplug. With a turn of the dial, you can adjust the amount of attenuation, choosing 10, 15, or 20dB of average noise reduction.

There are three different sizes of silicone, flanged tips to choose from. All are flanged and swap easily. There is a pull-tab that seems more performative than helpful. Changing the “setting” of the MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs requires a simple twist of the end with the lines on the side clearly indicating the level of sound reduction (one line is 10db, two is 15dB, and three is 20dB).

MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs Fit

The big ask for these sorts of earplugs isn’t just that they protect your hearing. Any foam earplugs can do that. More importantly is that they preserve some measure of sound quality while also being comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time. First, let’s talk about comfort.

Comfort is more about the design and fit of the ear tips. The flanged design is much more forgiving than a foam tip and more comfortable for most people. The downside is that you’ll need to be a little careful with which tip you choose and be lucky enough to have an ear canal that matches the sizes available. I can’t say this enough: It is possible, and even probable, that you’ll use different size tips for your two ears. I found that the medium tip was best for my right ear and the small for the left. The fit was as comfortable as you might expect from any pair of quality in-ear headphones. Does that mean that you could wear them for the length of a concert? I don’t know. But I certainly could.

Sound Quality

Sound quality was harder to judge. To test it out, I wore the Sineaptic SE-1 wireless ribbon headphones with the MIXX earplugs. The Sineaptic SE-1 headphones are an over-the-ear model with plenty of room for the earplugs. I then tested the differences in sound quality with and without the earplugs and with the earplugs in different settings. It was impossible to do quick changes as I had to remove the headphones and adjust (or remove/insert) the earplugs for each test.

Overall, the sound quality between the different settings on the MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs was quite similar. The volume would be decreased, but the overall quality of the sound (treble, midrange, and bass) was the same. One thing I could not do was level-match the with and without earplugs test. As such, comparing the overall sound quality was impossible. However, I found the MIXX Adaptive Earplugs preserved the sound quality enough that I didn’t feel like the music was compromised as a whole. Volume was reduced, yes, but music and other noises sounded natural. At the lower settings, I could still have conversations with other people without having to remove the earplugs. Can you get similar results with ANC earphones? Sure. But the MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs cost less than $25 and don’t require you to charge them.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an earplug solution to protect your hearing while still allowing you to enjoy a loud event, the MIXX Assitive Audio Adaptive Earplugs are a great choice. For less than $25, you get up to 20dB of passive volume reduction. If you want to protect your hearing, the MIXX Adaptive Earplugs are for you.