AKT1 SPORT Blackout Safety Earbuds Instruction Manual

: June 1, 2024
: AKT1 SPORT

BLACKOUT

SAFETY EARBUDS

USER INSTRUCTIONS

The Blackout Earbuds are designed specifically for shooting sports.

KEY BENEFITS

Provides hearing protection from impact noise induced hearing loss while allowing critical communication and Bluetooth connectivity.
Range Noise Suppression (RNS) technology provides enhanced noise cancellation for superior situational awareness.
Superior fit, flatter attenuation for better communication, control system intuitiveness, long term comfort, long battery life, better indoor and outdoor range use, and an excellent general use lifestyle earbud.
Can be worn UNDER an earmuff to increase hearing protection in indoor shooting ranges and other situations where necessary or desired.

Note: You should ALWAYS “double up” at an indoor range for maximum hearing protection.

FIT

Fit and comfort are the most important part of use with all hearing protection. Fit is determined by the design of the earbud combined with the choice of the proper ear tip. Each user’s ear canal is a different shape & size, try all the sizes to find the fit for you.

Foam ear tips are for hearing protection.
Silicon ear tips are for lifestyle usage only, not for impact noise protection.
Green core foam tips are affixed when you take the product out of the case.
Choose the largest size that fits most comfortably for a secure fit:

Blue = Large
Green = Medium
Yellow = Small

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT FIT

The earbuds are marked R for the right ear earbud and L for the Left ear earbud.

The recommended fitting procedure is to start with the affixed green core foam tips. Take the earbud marked R and with your right hand insert fully into the right ear canal with back and forward twisting motion, simultaneously pointing the tip slightly upward so that the foam tip is completely inserted INTO the ear canal, as shown in the adjacent illustration. This is important. When inserted properly, the earbud will be pressed against the ear until it stops via the plastic part of the earbud nested gently but firmly into place within the ear. Slight twisting of the earbud will facilitate insertion of the earbud until it is fully in place.

EARTIP IN THE CANAL

Repeat this for the left ear.
If after a few minutes you feel that the earbud is too loose, you should change to the blue tips, they will be a little larger and provide a more secure fit. If you feel the earbud is pushing out of your ear you should try the yellow tips, they will be a little smaller.
Press the tips INTO the ear canal.
Twist the earbud about ten degrees back and forth while inserting until the plastic part of the earbud bottoms out and nestles into the ear comfortably as shown. It should look like this when you are finished.

OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

PAIR YOUR BLACKOUT EARBUDS WITH YOUR DEVICE

On your device, go to Settings > Bluetooth, turn on Bluetooth.
Confirm your device is not paired with any other Bluetooth speaker or hearing devices for audio.
Open the case with your Blackout earbuds inside, then hold it near your device.
Click “AKT1 BLACKOUT” in your Bluetooth device list.
If an initial dropout or disconnection occurs, replace the Blackout earbuds into their case, close the lid briefly to initiate reconnection. This will automatically reboot the earbuds and override interference from previous connections.
The earbuds will flash red initially when the case is opened, Green for one second upon start-up and finally only the right earbud will flash green to indicate it is discoverable. Bluetooth/Hear through and Range Noise Suppression are auto-on when the case is opened.
Once you have connected the earbuds to your device, they will auto connect each time they are removed from the case and are in range of the device.
To disconnect the earbuds from your device completely, you will need to FORGET the earbuds on the device where they have been discovered first.

HEAR THROUGH VOLUME CONTROL

Use your finger, tapping at the center of the earbud on the logo for all functions.
Double tap the right earbud for volume up.
Double tap the left earbud for volume down.
There are 3 volume increments, and they are indicated by voice prompts, Low, Medium, and High. After the highest volume is reached, the prompt will change to a high-pitched double chime indicating that the highest hear through volume has been reached.

RANGE NOISE SUPPRESSION CONTROL

RNS is auto-on with Hear Through when the case is opened.
To turn Range Noise Suppression off, triple tap either earbud.
To turn RNS back on, triple tap either earbud.

PHONE CALLS

Answer call with double tap, disconnect call with double tap. Phone calls take priority and pause Bluetooth streaming content, Hear Through (HT) and RNS.
Call volume is controlled via phone/device volume controls.

SIMULTANEOUS FUNCTION USE

Hear Through (HT), RNS and Bluetooth (BT) streaming do work simultaneously. However, when there is a phone call, HT, RNS and Bluetooth streaming are paused. All will resume when the call is ended.
If your Bluetooth streaming volume is high, the Hear Through volume will need to be turned up to be audible. This is achieved via double tap on the right earbud to raise the volume and double tap on the left earbud to lower the volume.
The Blackout earbud is a hearing safety device and not designed to provide sounds at or above the range that causes hearing damage. If you find that the Hear Through level is not loud enough while streaming music, turn the music down. With hearing protection, less is more.

CHARGE INDICATORS

EARBUDS

At low voltage, the red-light blinks twice every 30 seconds and an announcement is played every 5 minutes. When the earbud is charging, the red light is steady on and off until

CHARGING CASE

The red light is on during charging and off when the charging is complete.
When the charging case is open or closed, the green light on the rear of the case is steady on for 5 seconds. The red light is steady on for 5 seconds at low voltage.

INSIDE THE BOX

– 1 Set of Earbuds
– Charging Case
– 3 Pairs of Foam Eartips (S,M,L)
– 1 Pair of Silicone Eartips
– Carry Case
– Type-C USB Charging Cable
– User Instructions

DOUBLING

BENEFITS OF DOUBLING UP

Typical shotgun impact dB level is about 155 on average and pistols are about 140.
Don’t get caught up in the exact numbers here, what is important is that they are both crazy loud and when you add in echoing from an indoor range, hearing protection becomes real serious, real fast.
Using earmuffs and earplugs for shooting is always recommended. The benefit is more than simply an increased Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). While increased NRR is important, doubling also protects your hearing when you unconsciously move your earmuffs to the side to communicate or to adjust and someone near you fires a round. Impact sounds that are too high along with the concussive effect will both be reduced. Earplugs alone will not protect you from the concussion effect of an impact blast because they do not have enough mass, especially indoors.
How much protection does doubling up give?
The increase in NRR is about 3 to 5 dB more than the highest rating, depending on the combination you use. With the combination of the AK earmuff and the Blackout earbud, your Noise Reduction Rating will increase 5 dB resulting in an impressive 30 dB NRR. This is very impressive since the scale that dB is measured is exponential, meaning that for an increase of 5 dB, the amount of energy that is dampened is more than double. This does not happen with every pairing so please do not apply to every combination of earbuds and earmuffs. The Blackout and the AK earmuffs have been designed to work together acoustically.
Why is the AK brand the right choice?
100% designed for shooting from the cup design, headbands of the earmuffs to the eartips and earbud designs of the earbuds. The AK earmuff, Cadre earmuff, Strike PRO lanyards, and Blackout earbuds have all been designed from the ground up as shooting sports hearing protection. We did not sacrifice stereo for mono, headbands that don’t really fit for standard, or cushions that deteriorate and don’t work anymore, or assembly processes that sacrifice quality for cost. Each earmuff, lanyard, and earbud are performance tested before it is packaged.
100% inspection. 100%. Safety equipment is serious and worth investing in.

To learn more about the BLACKOUT visit:
WWW.AKT1SPORT.COM

TECHNICAL DATA: AKT1 Sport™ Blackout
Earbud body: ABS, Ear tip Material: Polyurethane Foam, Thermoplastic Elastomer core.

WARNING: The output of the electrical audio circuit of this hearing protector may exceed the daily limit sound level if worn for more than 8 hours.
When exceeding the specified limits, a risk of hearing impairment exists. The audibility of warning signals at a specific workplace may be impaired while using the hearing protection without the hear through technology engaged.

WARNING: Listening to music, or any other sound, at a high volume over time can cause permanent damage to your hearing. Noise-induced hearing loss can occur when you are enjoying music on a personal listening device.
Exposures to high volume over time can cause permanent damage. Please listen responsibly. If you listen at a lower volume, you can listen for a longer time. Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% permanent, but 100% preventable.
The user is responsible for the proper selection, use, care and maintenance of this device. Improper selection (including under/over protection), use or maintenance may lead to serious hearing loss.

WARNING: The output of the level-dependent circuit of this hearing protector may exceed the external sound level when low level sounds are amplified.

APPROVAL
Tested and approved in accordance with ANSI S3.19-1974 Standard at Michael & Associates, Inc.
(in passive mode, electronics switched off)

Frequency Hz

| 125| 250| 500| 1000| 2000| 3150| 4000| 6300| 8000| NRR
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Mean Attenuation
dB| 31.5| 32.9| 33.1| 33.6| 34.9| 36.1| 34.3| 39.1| 44.0|

25 dB

Standard Deviation
dB

| 4.3| 4.4| 4.7| 4.4| 3.4| 3.5| 2.6| 4.6|

2.7

The level of noise entering a person’s ear, when hearing protection is worn as directed, is closely approximated by the difference between the A-weighted environmental level and the NRR.

Example:

The environmental noise level at the ear is 92 dB (A).
The NRR is 25 decibels (dB).
The level of noise entering the ear is approximately equal to 67 dB (A).

WARNING: For noise environments dominated by frequencies below 500 Hz, the C-weighted environmental noise level should be used Improper fit of this device will reduce it effectiveness in attenuating noise Although hearing protectors can be recommended for protection against the harmful effects of impulse noise, the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is based on the attenuation of continuous noise and may not be an accurate indicator of the protection attainable against impulse noise, such as gunfire. Constant or repetitive exposure to impulsive noise may lead to serious injury, including temporary or permanent deafness. The Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) calculated from the attenuation data is 25 db. Ear tips must be properly chosen and earbuds must be properly fit to attenuate noise effectively. Refer to instructions.

FCC STATEMENT

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference.
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

-Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
-Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

RF warning statement:
The device has been evaluated to meet general RF exposure requirement. The device can be used in portable exposure condition without restriction.

MODEL : BLACKOUT
FCC ID : 2A5PL-BLACKOUT
BLUETOOTH DID :

THE BLACKOUT AND BLACKOUT HT EARBUDS CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF LASER FOCUSED SHOOTING SPORTS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. YOU WILL FIND THESE EARBUDS THE MOST INTUITIVE IN TERMS OF FIT, OPERATION AND FUNCTION MAKING THEM ULTIMATELY SAFER AND MORE USABLE THAN ALL OTHERS.

THE POSSIBILITY TO INCREASE ATTENUATION WITH USE UNDER AN EARMUFF IS SIMPLY UNMATCHED BY OTHER SHOOTING SPORTS EARBUDS AND COMBINING THIS WITH RANGE NOISE REDUCTION AND BLUETOOTH IN THE BLACK-OUT VERSION RESULTS IN AN EXPERIENCE THAT NO OTHER SHOOTING SPORTS EARBUD CAN DELIVER.

WE KEEP THE USER IN MIND AND MAKE EACH DECISION WITHOUT COMPROMISE, AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU BUILD PRODUCTS THAT WAY. WE THINK YOU WILL SEE IT IN HOW WE PERFORM.

TEAM AKT1 SPORT

PERFORMANCE WITHOUT COMPROMISE

WWW.AKT1SPORT.COM