Higher End Electronic Hearing Protectors

[444]

I would like to invest in a set of really nice quality electronic hearing protectors. Muff type. Something with replaceable parts.

I have owned at least a half dozen of the cheap $20, $30, $40................hearing protectors and eventually the ear cups crack and fall apart............... I am not really interested in buying another pair of cheap hearing protectors. I have been saying, for the last 25 years that I am going to buy something nice but in the end just buy the first thing I see because that is what is commonly available in retail stores. I could have easily bought a top end pair for the money I have spent on junk.

What is out there ?

 

[hq]

I've had a few mid-quality pairs. Peltor Sportac, Sordin Supreme Pro etc. They've been decent but still sound artificial and it's a bit difficult to pinpoint the direction of sounds with them. For range use they work great, for hunting not so much. I'm also looking for something better, not from durability but sound reproduction standpoint, providing that spending more than a couple of hundred bucks will bring a substantial improvement.

 

[GarySTL]

I won't mention the brand because I have no connection with the company, but the In-Ear hearing aid type of protectors are my favorites. My current set has a volume control as well as several programs enhancing various frequency ranges.

I can hear mouse farts, or maybe it's the dog, but rifle shots are suppressed to a safe level. No interference with rife or shotgun stocks either.

 

[Tirod]

Having a set of Peltors I can say that they have their limit on noise suppression. From conversations here most do - like a water resistant watch, if you go deep enough, you will exceed the gasket's ability to keep water out. Muffs are no different, sit under a canopy at a bench and you will find someone who's got enough gun to ring your ears right thru them.

This is why we need open purchase silencers.

I'm leaning toward in ear suppression as it has the hearing aid industry's technological history behind it and I suspect they can do a very good job. For hunting use they don't impede the wear of hats or other clothing in winter, either, and a properly fitted set can be comfortable for 24/7 wear, so the marketing suggests. Muffs and plugs are the usual prescription for high noise areas, adding a set of muffs over them will assist, and you could then adjust the gain to compensate, it would seem.

Looking forward to comments from those who do use them.

 

[GBExpat]

I won't mention the brand because I have no connection with the company ...

???

 

[Old Dog]

Huge fan of Pro Ears. I've one set (Dimension 1 Gold) I paid $289 for about fourteen years ago and they're still going strong. Have used them outdoors in the Arizona and Eastern Washington deserts in 100 plus degree weather and in the mountains as well as around the coast during cold and/or wet winters -- no degradation of ear cups, no replacement of parts (other than batteries) ever needed. (If you follow the pro shooting circuit, you'll note a lot of the big names sporting Pro Ears, so if the folks exposed to that much gunfire on a daily basis use a particular brand, that might mean something.)

My employer issued me some nice MSA muffs (with mic) that fit the helmets we use, but for general range use they're not necessary.

Incidentally, I have a couple sets of the Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs you can buy from Midway or Sportsman's Warehouse on sale for $49 (I think the NRR is only 22 db) and they are holding up well, work great for outdoor shooting, but for indoors, some may need to double up with foam plugs under the muffs.

 

[CapnMac]

I'm presently happy with my Howard Leights, which were circa $75.
Sadly, replaceable features were not offered. Not sure any price point protection has that level of modularity, per se. There are some companies that do sell replacement gel pads, that's generally it.
But, after many years around pro gear, I have a reflex which is "replace if broken." That's a specific to be and ought not be projected generally to all.

 

[DoubleMag]

''I won't mention the brand because...''

I'll say it! Starkey Labs wooot wooot!!

 

[Ks5shooter]

Peltor sporttac x2

 

[natman]

I have a set of Peltor Bullseye 6 that I've had for 30 years without any cracking. I also have a set of Peltor 6s electronic muffs that are at least 25 years old with hundreds of hunting hours that still work great.

 

[WyoShooter1]

''I won't mention the brand because...''

I'll say it! Starkey Labs wooot wooot!!

I looked them up but it doesn't appear that they offer devices that reduce sound or block high impact noises. They only show hearing aids on their site. Am I missing something?

I'd still like to find a good in ear shooting protector. The best I've been able to find with google is the 3M PELTOR TEP-100 Tactical Digital Earplug and that only seems to offer two volume levels to choose from. Anybody have any experience with those or with something better?

Ed

 

[hq]

I have a set of Peltor Bullseye 6 that I've had for 30 years without any cracking.

One of my Peltor pairs is 20 years old, they've seen more than their fair share of use and abuse and they still work great. Too bad the sound quality isn't that great by today's standards.

 

[GarySTL]

''I won't mention the brand because...''

I'll say it! Starkey Labs wooot wooot!!

No, Nitro Ears and I love them.

 

[444]

Thank you for the replies.
It gives me something to research.

I really have no idea why I haven't purchased a lot better set of hearing protection before now. I shoot a lot. I shoot 3-4 times a week, so it isn't like I wouldn't get my money's worth out of spending several hundred dollars on a nice set of muffs.

 

[cougar1717]

It took me a long time to purchase a pair of more expensive muffs - ended up with the Pro Ears 300 and I'm very content with them. They are not the top of the line Gold series - the 300's have a longer attack time and no "auto off" feature. Sound quality of the 300's is not as good as the Gold's but 10x better than a cheap set. The thing to remember about any electronic hearing protection is that the NRR is about 26db, unless you go with the full "recording studio" cups that make rifle shooting difficult. If you expect to shoot something loud (or will shoot next to others that are shooting something loud), you will probably want to use plugs under your muffs.

 

[GarySTL]

I normally shoot rifles and shotguns with my Nitro Ears, but yes, if I'm shooting next to a 338 or similar I put muffs on top.

 

[ny32182]

I've had MSA Sordin Supremes (about $250), and Howard Leights (I think I got them on sale for $39).

The Sordins lasted about 8 years before they fell off my head, hit the ground, and died. I looked into having them factory refurbished (expensive) and taking them apart myself (not very modular).

The biggest performance difference between the two is that the Howard Leights clip a little more during shots. Other than that I can't really tell a difference in the sound reproduction.

So I've kind of gone in the opposite direction; unless the HL's die every year or two, I don't see spending big money for top end muffs again.

 

[MifflinKid]

Earlier this year my Dillon Precision HP1 electronic muffs started having problems. The sound in the right muff began cutting out and in as I moved around. They served me well for many years but I knew they were on the decline.

I ended up buying Peltor Sport Tactical 300 muffs and a set of 3M Peltor Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80. They are somewhat larger then the HP1 muffs but still fold up and fit in my range bag. They have an NRR of 24 vs the NRR of 21 for the HP1 muffs. The sound quality is much better than the HP1 muffs. The sound restoration after a shot is smooth; the HP1 only gradually brought the sound back up. The gel rings are much more comfortable than the vinyl covered foam rings on the Dillon muffs.

I am very happy with them.

 

[Louca]

Huge fan of Pro Ears. I've one set (Dimension 1 Gold) I paid $289 for about fourteen years ago and they're still going strong. ... If you follow the pro shooting circuit, you'll note a lot of the big names sporting Pro Ears ...

Well, I guess mileage varies, and maybe my model is just not designed as well as yours. But I have the Pro Ears Predator Gold and I do NOT like them - at all. Not even a little. Although the NRR is 26, these muffs would allow enough sound pressure level (SPL) into my ears that they would ring a bit, even when shooting .45 and 9 mm pistols. It is nice to be able to hear things with the amplification they provide, but what good does that do when your ears ringing?

So, like others have mentioned, what I do now is wear a good set of plugs (HearOs NRR 33) under the muffs and crank the amplification all the way up so I can hear ambient sounds a little. It's sad the muffs cannot suppress the sound on their own. Now I tell everyone who asks, to wear in-ear plugs in addition to muffs if you want good protection. I even wear my ear plugs instead of muffs some of the time and they have worked perfectly for all types of SPLs I encounter.

 

[Legionnaire]

I've been wearing a set of Peltor Tac 7s for years. They may not be the best today, but they have served well. I double up at the range, but also wear them while hunting with a handgun. I probably ought to give some thought to replacing them with something better given technology changes, but it's hard to walk away from something that works.

 

[Jesse H]

For work I've used Peltor Comtac 3's and now MSA Sordins, paired with comms and helmets. Both are by far better than the $40-100 sets out there in terms of sound quality, but I'd say the MSA's are slightly better at amplifying ambient sounds. Both are very good at cutting out gunfire without clipping out everything else. Unfortunately, because they're low profile and meant to use for comms under a helmet the NRR isn't as good as a dedicated set.

I've got a pair of Peltor Sport Tactical 100's that I find better than the cheap Howard Leight. The 100's to provide more NRR than my Comtac's and MSA's but the sound quality isn't as great. Peltor recently came out with Sport Tactical 300 and 500's which I'd like to try out, they're supposed to be more on par with the Comtac line.