Work can get really dull and boring at times, especially if you work in construction, or landscaping, or another manual labor job that doesn’t require deep thinking. You can spend your day listening to your favorite radio stations on the best AM/FM radio headphones and the workday will go by much quicker.
But finding these headphones can be a real chore.
Instead of spending hours of your day searching the Internet, realize that you’ve already found exactly what you’ve been looking for.
I’ll share info about the top 5 AM/FM radio headphones with you below, so keep reading to discover your next great set of old-school headphones.
Quick List: Top 5 AM/FM Radio Headphones In2024
- 3M WorkTunes AM/FM Headphones – Best Overall
- Walker AM/FM Radio Headphones – Best Budget Option
- PROTEAR Digital AM/FM Radio Headphones
- ZOHAN EM042 AM/FM Radio Headphones – Highly Rated
- PROTEAR Bluetooth AM/FM Radio Headphones
Researching AM/FM Radio Headphones
Everyone has different wants and needs when it comes to researching AM/FM radio headphones, but at the same time there are certain critical aspects that everyone should be searching for.
Although you might be buying them to listen to the radio while at work, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have Bluetooth capabilities or a 3.5 mm jack that you can use to plug into a smartphone or another smart device.
Instead of only being able to use these headphones for their radio playing capabilities, you can use these durable, comfortable, and ergonomically designed digital earmuffs to listen to audio on your phone or tablet, use them the play your favorite MP3s, and listen to audio on YouTube videos and other digital streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
Noise reduction is also of the utmost importance with headphones of this type. In many situations, you’ll want to use these while working and there may be loud power tools, lawn maintenance equipment, or other loud noises in the background. With noise reduction capabilities, these headphones will make it possible to hear your favorite talk radio programs and music stations while protecting your hearing.
I focused my research on these areas and more. Continue reading about my favorite AM/FM radio headphones to learn the reasons why I made the specific choices.
The Best AM/FM Radio Headphones In2024
1. 3M WorkTunes AM/FM Headphones – Best Overall
- Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 24 dB*
- Great AM/FM radio performance and bass boost option for enhanced listening experience
- Audio Assist Technology provides operational and set-up guidance¬–without having to take off the headset
The 3M WorkTunes AM/FM Headphones are the overall favorite because of the auto scanning feature, the audio assist technology, and excellent AM/FM radio performance.
✔️ What we like: Simple to use controls
❌ What we don’t like: One speaker stopped working after a year
Standout Features
- Operational and setup guidance
- Program up to 50 stations
- Connect to mobile devices
The beauty of these headphones from 3M is they are ideal for people who work in loud environments. Not only will these headphones block out the noise with their noise reduction rating of 24 dB, but they will also withstand the beating you might give them on a construction site if they fall off your head or accidentally get stepped on.
I personally enjoy wearing these headphones on the construction site that I go to Monday through Friday. Why? As I’m running the table saw or hanging sheet rock, I get bored and tired of listening to my co-workers tell stories of how they got drunk at the bar and made fools of themselves.
One unlucky and unhappy reviewer was very upset with these headphones, but in my opinion he really shouldn’t be. They lasted for an entire year before one of the speakers finally blew out.
While it stinks that he has to buy new headphones, he also got a lot of mileage out of his headphones since they worked for an entire year. But you want to get the most out of anything you pay for, so I guess he found it upsetting. Just know that the 3M WorkTunes AM/FM Headphones are good headphones that are designed to last.
2. Walker AM/FM Radio Headphones – Best Budget Option
- ENJOY YOUR FAVORITE TUNES - Listen to your favorite radio stations while enjoying daily activities; Equipped with a built-in radio, complete with a switch key, volume adjusting key & antenna, these...
- PROTECT YOUR HEARING - With a noise reduction rating of 25 dB, these electronic earmuffs offer reliable protection against harmful sounds; These muffs are perfect for shooting ranges or in other...
- HIGH PERFORMANCE - Crafted with a rugged housing, these earmuffs are built to withstand the demands of active lifestyles; Designed with an extra wide padded headband, this shooting muff offers all-day...
The Walker AM/FM Radio Headphones is our top pick for anyone on a budget. It’s inexpensive below $40 and it has built-in hearing protection and a channel memory function.
✔️ What we like: Digital display screen and low battery indicator
❌ What we don’t like: Volume wouldn’t adjust with brand-new headphones
Standout Features
- Built-in antenna
- 3.5 mm input jack
- Extra wide headband
The exciting thing about these headphones from Walker is the channel memory function, which allows you to save your favorite radio stations so you don’t have to constantly keep searching for them on the job site or at home.
The auto search and frequency scanning function is also a nice feature. You do not have to constantly keep pressing the button to search through stations because the radio frequency scanning will handle all of the searching for you.
On a somewhat negative note, one reviewer bought brand-new Walker headphones and the volume wouldn’t adjust on the headphones from the moment he took them out of the box. But oddly enough, this reviewer wasn’t even upset that the volume didn’t work.
He plugged them into his smartphone and used the audio on his phone to adjust the volume and everything was fine. If you were to use these headphones for the built-in radio and the volume didn’t work you would definitely have a problem, so keep that in mind.
In the end, I feel great recommending the Walker AM/FM Radio Headphones because of the easy-to-read digital display, the eight pre-set channels that let you add your favorite radio stations, and the noise reduction design with the ultra soft headband and cushiony padding.
3. PROTEAR Digital AM/FM Radio Headphones
The PROTEAR Digital AM/FM Radio Headphones are not only incredibly comfortable, but they have noise reduction capabilities and electronic ear protection for your safety.
✔️ What we like: 8 AM and 8 FM pre-set stations
❌ What we don’t like: The power randomly disconnects
Standout Features
- Designed for lawn mowing and landscaping
- Digital AM/FM radio tuning
- 25 dB noise reduction
I’m a big fan of these headphones because they’re so comfortable that it’s hard to ignore. They have these really large and soft cushioned ear pads that cover your entire ears. Some people find this discomforting because they don’t like to have their whole ears covered up, and this is especially true if your ears get hot really quickly. But at the same time, if you’re working in landscaping or mowing lawns or in the construction business you need this type of ear protection.
The bad news is that according to one reviewer, the power has a tendency to disconnect at random times. Not only will you lose the ability to hear your favorite radio stations on and off throughout the day, but because the power disconnects entirely, you’ll also have input the time again and add all of your favorite pre-set radio stations if this happens to you.
On the other hand, I didn’t notice this complaint from any other reviewer so this is probably an isolated incident. I wouldn’t shy away from these awesome headphones because of this one weird random problem that some person suffered from. All he had to do was send them back to the manufacturer to get a replacement.
All in all, the PROTEAR Digital AM/FM Radio Headphones are awesome because they are comfortable, lightweight, convenient, and run on two AA batteries.
4. ZOHAN EM042 AM/FM Radio Headphones – Highly Rated
- Unrivaled Performance: Chip is the “brain” of an electronic product. The ZOHAN EM042 AM/FM radio hearing protector features a brand new internal chip which offers the stablest and the most...
- Distinguished Comfort: We redefine the headband of muffs, and it’s wider, thicker, softer, and much more comfortable. The muff’s ear cushion are snap-in design, and we make them easy to replace....
- Unbelievable Durability: Customers always complain some “BRAND” (literally) products always lost their volume control knob and tuning knob. These will never happen to ours, for our tuning system...
The ZOHAN EM042 AM/FM Radio Headphones have an LCD display, 24 dB of noise reduction capabilities, and digital AM/FM radio tuning.
✔️ What we like: Stores 10 FM and 10 AM radio stations
❌ What we don’t like: Digital display broke in three weeks
Standout Features
- 1 year warranty
- Excellent for woodworking and yard work
- Blocks out loud noises
If you work in a loud environment like a machine shop or on a construction site, you have to protect your hearing at all costs. These headphones provide the ideal protection, but they also given the option to listen to the radio at work as well which is certainly a nice additional feature.
Another cool feature is the 3.5 mm headphone jack. While this might not be a big deal to some people, it’s always nice to have extra options available when you need them. Your regular headphones may suddenly break one day when you least expect them to.
One reviewer completely admits that he unfortunately purchased a faulty device. He opened his headphones and started using them for about three weeks, when suddenly the digital display no longer worked out of nowhere.
Since he only owned them for three weeks, he was smart enough to contact the manufacturer for a replacement. So many people come online and complain but never take action.
On the whole, the ZOHAN EM042 AM/FM Radio Headphones are an absolute joy because of their awesome noise reduction to protect your ears from the loud noises, the 20 pre-set stations – 10 AM and 10 FM – and the easy listening in the loudest of environments.
5. PROTEAR Bluetooth AM/FM Radio Headphones
- 25dB NNR NOISE REDUCTION&SOFT CUPS- Noise reduction rating NRR 25dB (ANSI S3.19 CERTIFIED) effectively reduces outside noise and protects your ears from harmful sound levels, durable ABS material and...
- BLUETOOTH 5.0 VERSION&HANDS FREE- Built-in Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology for phone, hands-free calling, seamlessly stream entertainment from your mobile phone and any other Bluetooth-enabled...
- DIGITAL AM/FM RADIO HEADPHONE- With digital LCD display, Store up to 20 AM and 20 FM stations in memory. Auto-scanning helps you quickly find and save your favorite stations.
The PROTEAR Bluetooth AM/FM Radio Headphones are similar to their digital headphones except they have Bluetooth connectivity capabilities along with an AM/FM radio and noise reduction.
✔️ What we like: 25 dB of noise reduction
❌ What we don’t like: Headphones died in 2 ½ months
Standout Features
- Lightweight design
- Soft and comfortable ear cushions
- Adjustable padded headband
Do you like listening to the radio at work? Do you work in a noisy environment like a construction site or for a landscaping business? These headphones give you the best of both worlds because they act as ear protectors to preserve your hearing from being destroyed from the loud noises given off of the machinery that you use each day.
They also allow you to listen to the radio throughout the day, and with Bluetooth connectivity you can also get streaming music through your phone along with listening to MP3s, podcasts, and even YouTube videos.
Do you know what else? The lightweight design of these headphones means you aren’t going to feel a heavy burden on top of your head at work. It’s bad enough that you have to stress and strain your body while working a physically demanding job.
One unlucky person bought these headphones and loved them at first, but they broke and about 2 ½ months. Obviously that is the last thing that anybody wants to happen but it does happen from time to time. They need to contact the manufacturer or the store that they bought them from and return them for a new pair.
At the end of the day, the PROTEAR Bluetooth AM/FM Radio Headphones are a great choice because of the built-in Bluetooth, the eight hours of rechargeable battery life, and the frequency scanning and auto search functions.
A Guide to Choosing the Best AM/FM Radio Headphones
How did you like my recommendations? Did they meet your needs? I spent many hours searching through the best AM/FM radio headphones for your benefit and my benefit as well. But my hours of work don’t mean you walk away from this review article 100% satisfied. It’s unfortunate but it does happen from time to time.
Are you thinking about searching for new AM/FM radio headphones besides the ones that I recommended?
If so, I think you should focus on the following areas because buying any old headphones isn’t good enough. You need to get the best features at the most affordable price and the information that I’m about to share will help you accomplish this goal.
Durability
If you intend to wear these headphones on a construction site, you better buy a pair that is not only comfortable, but also really durable as well. You never know what could happen on the job site and your headphones will break very easily if you aren’t careful or if they aren’t made very well.
By durable I mean you should buy headphones that are made of strong plastic or they can even have a metal headband to make sure they never break. Because the odds of you dropping them or having them fall off your head throughout the day are definitely not in your favor, meaning they’ll fall off at some point. And if you have cheap headphones they’re bound to break, so make sure you focus on picking durable headphones that are built to last.
Comfortable Design
Comfort is also incredibly important when choosing new headphones that you plan to use for ear protection and entertainment purposes.
Why is comfort so important?
Well, if you work an eight or nine hour day like the average person in North America and other parts of the world, you will want your headphones to feel comfortable throughout the entire day so you can put them on whenever you want and not have to worry about feeling uncomfortable or out of sorts.
By comfort I mean focus on headphones that are ergonomically designed, made with soft ear cushions, and choose those that have a very soft cushion on the headband. Padded headbands are necessary because the unpadded ones become very uncomfortable on top of your head after a while and we don’t want that to happen.
Make the Workday Fly By With AM/FM Radio Headphones
Every one of these headphones is an excellent choice because of all of the great things I mentioned in the review. But if you attempt to find your own, make sure they are comfortable, ergonomically designed, durable, and deliver great audio quality.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with the best AM/FM radio headphones selected above.
Further Reading:
- 10 Best Headphones Under $500 In 2024 (Open Back & Closed Back)
- 5 Best Surround Sound Headphones For Movies
- 12 Best Planar Magnetic Headphones In 2024 (From $200 to $2000)
- 5 Best Skullcandy Earbuds In 2024
- 4 Best Headphones For Kids (Under $20 to Over $50)
Trent is a music lover, musical instrument player and passionate audio afficionado.