Ear Pro- Walkers Silencer earpro / Eytmotic GS Elite

[mrtoyz]

So rather than wait for the new Etymotic Elites I ordered a couple pair of the new Walker Silencer electronic earbuds. Thought I’d give my impressions.

Walker advertised the new Silencers to have an on/off switch and 80hr battery life. Sounds goods. Not so much.
Cons:
I got a maximum of 4.5 hrs of battery life. Having not had experience with these hearing aid batteries, I was not aware that the clock starts as you remove the battery cover. I had the batteries installed about 1 month total, used the on/off switch but got only 4.5hrs max.

The foam earplug tips that come with the Walkers do not seal for me when prone behind a rifle. I found some silicone tips on Amazon that did create a nice seal however this just highlighted a bigger problem. The electronics.

The sound suppression and amplification are not satisfactory for an electronic ear pro IMO. Even with a good seal in my ear, while shooting pistol or rifle outdoors I did not feel comfortable with the suppression. I also noticed that with shots going off near and far, it was very difficult to hear voices of people right in front of me even with the volume turned all the way up.

My frame of reference for electronic ear pro are the Peltor Tac 100’s. Overall I really like the suppression and amplification they offer. They do a good job of toning down shots while still offering the ability to amplify voices. Just wish I could find these features in an in the ear ear pro.

Needless to say the Walkers have been returned. Bummer...

That brings me back to the Etymotic GS Elites. Last I read these were coming very soon. Offered best in class performance and were to be rechargeable. Are there any updates on these? I believe someone on the Hide had tried them. Love to hear more.

 

[6point5CM]

Do you recall what tips you got off Amazon for a better seal? I wear these when hunting. I too don't think it offers a level of protection needed for a match/range day, but think it would be sufficient for a one or two shot hunting situation.

 

[mrtoyz]

Yes sir.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JRNCK9..._.NOxAbCVE7HPW

 

[Scotch_egg]

I haven’t seen anything about the etymotic elites. The the GS-15.

Thanks for the heads up on the walkers. Will avoid.

 

[snarkscarbine]

Thanks for the feedback! Ive been waiting on the Elites but almost pulled the trigger on the Walkers back when midway had them on sale. Glad I waited. Hopefully the Etymotics are all they're cracked up to be.

 

[tna9001]

I've got the Etymotic GSP-15 which use the disposable hearing aid batteries. I wear hearing aids that use the same batteries and I've been impressed with the battery life, I used them for an entire day (9hrs) plus another couple of hours over a month or so on one set of batteries. I prefer throwaway to rechargeable because I can just insert new batteries instead of waiting for the rechargeables to charge.

As far as noise attenuation, first a disclaimer, my hearing is 60% of normal in the left ear and 20% in the right so my perception is different than someone with normal hearing. I was using earplugs and an MSA when I shot by myself but I couldn't hear anyone talk with that set up which is what drove me to the Etymotecs. Using the Etymotecs and the MSA headset I can hear speech well and noise attenuation is fantastic. I tried the Etymotec's by themselves (outside with a 6.5CM with a brake) and the attenuation is similar to earplugs by themselves, for me that means good enough but not for an entire day of shooting.

One thing I noticed about using the Etymotecs with the MSA headset is, I couldn't hear the shot timer when I was doing some drills with a friend, I think this has something to do with double active noise reduction as I could hear the shot timer with the headset and earplugs.

 

[6point5CM]

Yes sir.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JRNCK9..._.NOxAbCVE7HPW

Much appreciated!

 

[earthquake]

I'm hoping we get some more info about the Etymotic Elites this week at SHOT. I used them at a PRS match in early November and they were excellent. The engineers are still perfecting the design, and they have undergone some modifications since last SHOT show. They stated they WILL NOT release junk.

 

[mrtoyz]

@earthquake, Based on the companies history, I'm confident they will block sound sufficiently and with the number of ear inserts, fit shouldn't be a problem. I'm more curious how they sound and what actual battery life will be. Can you compare them to any other formats?

 

[earthquake]

@earthquake, Based on the companies history, I'm confident they will block sound sufficiently and with the number of ear inserts, fit shouldn't be a problem. I'm more curious how they sound and what actual battery life will be. Can you compare them to any other formats?

I cannot compare battery life, as they are still being worked on, but one charge lasted all day at the PRS match in which I used them.
Sound reproduction is superb, and they moved the mics to eliminate wind noise.

 

[Navy Chief]

The GS Elites have been “Coming Soon” for the better part of a year if I am remembering correctly. Hopefully they actually come soon and are not just vaporware.

 

[vh20]

The GS Elites have been “Coming Soon” for the better part of a year if I am remembering correctly. Hopefully they actually come soon and are not just vaporware.

I actually called the company today. I figured since SHOT has already started, if there were any announcements forthcoming at SHOT they would be at liberty to answer questions now...
Bottom line - no news. They said "maybe" they'd be ready by 2nd Quarter, but "don't hold us to it."
I'm going forward with buying the 3M TEP-100s. No more waiting.

 

[mrtoyz]

earthquake or anyone used the new Elites and the Peltors and can compare and contrast?
Not sure I want to wait that long...

 

[mrtoyz]

Can’t seem to figure out how edit my posts...
Meant Peltor TEP-100’s above...

 

[alicea8541]

The new Elites are in production and will go on sale on May 1.

 

[mrtoyz]

Good stuff. Thank you.
Curious how the Peltor TEP’s will stack up to the Elites. Bummer to have to wait even longer...