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Electronic ear protection ?

deersniper

Protecting the Sheep
Banned !
Minuteman
  • Feb 22, 2007
    13,722
    19,916
    Northeast
    What gun shot blocking, noise amplifying eat protection/muffs have you had good luck with? Thanks
     
    Howard Leight Sport

    They have directional sound and are great after I put gel cups in.
    I have a pair of those they don’t seem to provide much sound reduction.

    I have couple pairs of these and they really cut down the noise but I can’t hear steel impacts with .223 past 500 yards





    I run suppressed on everything too but nothing supersonic is hearing safe. I already have the constant ringing in the ears. Don’t want to Ben completely deaf by 40
     
    I really liked my peltor Sport tacs. Very fast cut out/in so it's easy to hold a conversation at the range & matches.

    Lost mine out in a field though so I'll probably try the peltor 500s cause they've got a 3.5mm headphone Jack.
     
    I really like my Peltors (not sure which model, but they do have the headphone jack). Bought them last summer.

    But, they are my first pair of any sort of electronic ear pro. After 30 years of cheap muffs, or cheaper plugs, anything would have been a Godsent revelation. Wish I hadn’t waited so long.
     
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    I have used 3M/Peltor stuff for many many years.
    I just bought the 500 series and they are fantastic.
    The Bluetooth makes hooking you phone to them easy so you can talk on phone or listen to music
    The system is tunable to your needs.
    Most of all,they are lite and comfortable


    This is a pretty good site about what's involved in the hearing protection process.

     
    Last edited:
    I've always needed in-ear plugs for rifles. Over ear muffs get pushed up by rifle stock for me. Wont be much longer and I can just turn my hearing aids down...
     
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    I've always needed in-ear plugs for rifles. Over ear muffs get pushed up by rifle stock for me. Wont be much longer and I can just turn my hearing aids down...

    Lol too true. I have heard (but haven't looked into much) that over ear hearing protection also dampens the noise passed through the stock and into your jaw bone.
     
    The ops core ones are next level. Expensive, though.
     
    Wasn't there a thread on this just . . . . . . . . . 2 weeks ago or was it 3?? :):eek::)

    For me, having owned and used the HL, and the Sordins, I'm in love with my Otto Noizebarriers with Comply foam tips.
     
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    I use a combo of Howard Leight Sport and yellow foamies.
     
    Walker silencer buds with Bluetooth. Best I’ve used and I’ve tried a lot. Muffs give you a headache after while and they are hot as hell in the summer and get gross
     
    3m Peltor EEP-100, with Skull Screw tips, in ear electronic protection with 30db noise reduction
     
    I personally run the 3m headset out in the woods. I recently picked up some Walker electronic ear buds for IDPA comps, because like said, the muffs give me a headache after awhile and just aren't comfortable with eye pro.
     
    purchased a pair of Howard Leight sport digital last week, seem pretty nice with what i shot over the weekend. Digital are supposed to suppress the sound quicker than conventional according to the description. Wished they had the bluetooth capabiltiy, they do have a cord to connect to my iphone or ipod though. I like to listen to audio books when i'm out by myself shooting, guess i'm weird
     
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    I personally run the 3m headset out in the woods. I recently picked up some Walker electronic ear buds for IDPA comps, because like said, the muffs give me a headache after awhile and just aren't comfortable with eye pro.
    Do you think the Walkers provide enough amplification to detect sound direction. I love to hunt with my Howard Leights but like you they give me a headache. I tried the grizzly ears and they were horrible for amplification. They did ok and would be great for matches but not for hunting.
     
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    My Peltor Comtac IIs blocked more noise than my TCI/Sordins, but clipped the loud noises instead of decreasing the volume. The Peltors also have more of an adjustment range, but they're bigger & heavier. I'll usually use the Sordins with a pair of Surefire plugs with the little canal plug out. Seems to give a good level of protection and still lets me hear what's going on around me.
     
    Do you think the Walkers provide enough amplification to detect sound direction. I love to hunt with my Howard Leights but like you they give me a headache. I tried the grizzly ears and they were horrible for amplification. They did ok and would be great for matches but not for hunting.
    IMO, no, they do not give enough directional imput for hunting. on a closed course, i can see what happening. i dont think you can beat cans for hunting ;-)
     
    I have had less than stellar results from my Howard Leights and dropped the coin yesterday for a set of comtac 3’s. I’ll be trying them out this weekend and hopefully get better performance.
     
    IMO, no, they do not give enough directional imput for hunting. on a closed course, i can see what happening. i dont think you can beat cans for hunting ;-)
    Thanks for your feedback, I have extensive hearing loss and sever tinnitus from meiners disease. It’s really tougher for me to distinguish sound direction, was kind of hoping they would drowned out some of the ringing and pick up more of the ambient sound around me. I do hunt suppressed and wish I would’ve done it much sooner!
     
    Has anyone ever used in-ear buds on the range? I never have but wondering how well they would do. Some prob better than others. I have a few sets from Bose and JBL that fit tightly into the ear and really seal well. Others like the Airbuds not so much..
     
    Has anyone ever used in-ear buds on the range? I never have but wondering how well they would do. Some prob better than others. I have a few sets from Bose and JBL that fit tightly into the ear and really seal well. Others like the Airbuds not so much..

    Been using the Etymotic rechargeable (now Lucid, Saf-T-Ears) in ear buds for 5 years at PRS matches. They are very comfortable and perform very well in all aspects. The foam tips provide the most noise reduction, and the Comply foam tips are the most comfortable. The Otto Noise barriers are the Etymotic/Lucid product, just sold under license by Otto.
     
    Been using the Etymotic rechargeable (now Lucid, Saf-T-Ears) in ear buds for 5 years at PRS matches. They are very comfortable and perform very well in all aspects. The foam tips provide the most noise reduction, and the Comply foam tips are the most comfortable. The Otto Noise barriers are the Etymotic/Lucid product, just sold under license by Otto.
    Thanks. Seems like a good all around type option.
     
    Have been using MSA Sordin Supreme Pro-X now for some time and wish I gotten them sooner. Spend a few bucks and get the gel seals for the ear cups, very effective and comfortable. Choose either head band or neck band, and you can also get the comms kit.
     
    I've been following this thread looking for muffs with individual volume controls. I have used the HL Sport Impacts for a number of years with the gel cushions and they've done well. When shooting noisy stuff with brakes I add a pair of Lee-Sonic ear plugs. I've used the Lee-Sonics since the early Sixties when I started shooting trap.

    My mind went to a search for the Lee-Sonics which I pursued and low an behold, not only no longer produced but now in a museum display as the first active device designed to moderate loud noises but allow the user to hear normal conversation. They probably cost about $4.00 at the time. That was pretty expensive. It would by forty bottles of Coca Cola out of the machine at the hardware store or thirteen cheeseburgers at DQ not to mention the same number of gallons of gas. You get what you pay for! Buy the best you can afford! I was a frikken" visionary. Or, maybe, I'm just old. Naw, I prefer visionary.
     
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    I use Walker Razor electric ones with foam ear plugs. I turn the volume up to max so regular conversations I can hear like normal but blocks all the loud shit really well.
     
    Howard Leight Sports with Valholl Gear Gel Cups for me
    Holy crap!
    I didn’t know gel cups were available for the HL sports!
     
    ESP or go be poor somewhere else.


    I go elk hunting I forget they are in and sleep with them. After matches I usually still have em in on the drive home.

    If I had to go back and buy one thing that would do me the most good, it would hands down be these.


    GL
    DT
     
    I’ve been running Otto Noizebarriers the last couple years at matches and really like them. I don’t have to worry about my ear pro getting in the way of my cheek weld.
     
    For those that use the in ear such as the Otto’s. How are they when it is windy, do you get much wind noise?
     
    I have an odd shaped head and my Howard Leight impact sports just don't cut it, even with gel cushions. I use foam ear plugs with the impact sports turned up all the way.
     
    ESP or go be poor somewhere else.


    I go elk hunting I forget they are in and sleep with them. After matches I usually still have em in on the drive home.

    If I had to go back and buy one thing that would do me the most good, it would hands down be these.


    GL
    DT
    Couldn’t agree more. It’s unlike anything out there. If one is getting into the high spectrum of Sordins or OpsCore these are really worth a look.
     
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    Reactions: D_TROS
    Sordin Supreme's since 2004. I've had others in that time, including a set of Tactical Hearing (the $5000 model) in ear that were professionally molded, but the 2 pair i've had over 15 years have been great. I don't care for in ear protection because it makes me feel like I have a head cold with my ears plugged.
     
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    MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X LED with gel caps, very efective and comfortable. LED is nice for hunting when searching your equipment.
     
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