Do Heathen breaks have a little less noise and concussion as there advertising says. I have an Area 419 now, it is very good at controlling recoil, but very loud.
Yes they do, check out the orientation of the ports. The first main port is perpendicular to the bore, while the last two are slightly raked back on the Heathen. The majority of the gas that exits the brake will leave the main port, and what gas is left exiting the last two ports will be disrupted by the gas exiting the main port.
Contrast that to some of the other main brakes, such as APA and Area 419 (I own both), where the ports are all directed back to the shooter. This definitely makes blast and concussion more noticeable at the shooter position.
All brakes are going to be somewhat obnoxious to shoot, but the Heathen does a better job then most at mitigating blast and concussion to the shooter.
As far as noise, I don't have a decibel meter to quantify that. It makes sense to me that it may be
slightly less with the Heathen, but I bet it's minimal at best. All brakes are going to be loud - suppressors are a better bet if you place more value on noise reduction, while still reducing blast/concussion and recoil.
Insite Arms Heathen (first main port perpendicular to shooter):
Area 419 Hellfire (ports all directed back to shooter):
