Ringing ears. fuuu

notsorichguy said:
Don't waste your money on muffs with a NRR of less than 33......
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That sounds a bit condescending in someway....... I was in a rush to get to supper so I cut it short.

I don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but if you are buying muffs from princess auto or some such you may want to re-think your spending.

Double up your ear protection, really it does make a differance.

Here is the reason why you shouldn't waste your $$ on muffs with a NRR or 32 or less. According to my 'ear doctor' (I can't for the life of me remeber what their profession is called, I was going to say proctologist..... But that taint right!:)) The effect of double ear protection is not 'double'. If you have a set of standard foam plugs (usually a NRR of 17 or so generally)and a set of muffs with a NRR of 29 the effective NRR is 31, not 46 as would be reasonable to assume. There is a differance but not much IMHO or my doctors either. If you start with a set of plugs, a good set of rubber re-useable ones the NRR is usually 24. Add to that a set of GOOD quality muffs with a NRR of 33 (35 is the the best I have ever been able to find) and your effective NRR is just about 38. If you step up to a pair of custom fitted plugs from your ear care proffessional the NRR is 29 add to that a pair of good muffs (33 NRR) and you can achieve an effective NRR of 41.

Just FYI a good pair of;

Good rubber plugs will run you $7 to $15

Custom fitted plugs will run you $220+

A good set of muffs (NRR of 33) will run you $80 to $225 (depending on brand)

A good set of electroic muffs with a NRR or 33 will run you $300+

Beware of cheap muffs that claim a NRR or over 28 and cost less than $65. If the deal seems too good to be true it probably is. NRR can be measured several differeant ways. The 'cheaper' muffs will usually use a different scale. ie; muffs from Pricess auto claim a NRR of 30. In actual tests here in Sask at the U of S they achieved a NRR of 19.

Cheers!

***Disclaimer***

The above info is from my healthcare proffessional, if it is flawed please feel free to set me straight. But I do belive everything he told me is/was correct.
 
@notsorichguy

Link me to your EE listing for the earbuds your selling.

Also, I have foam earbuds that have a NRR rating of 29.
 
If your tinnitus doesn't go away in a week or two, it will probably stay for good. I talked to my doctor about it and he said there is nothing that can be done. All you can do is manage it. I have an air purifier running beside the bed when I go to sleep. Double up on your hearing protection. Wear protection when you go to a concert or a club. Keep the volume on the stereo down at home and in the car. Hearing loss is cumulative. If your tinnitus is permanent, the 9mm round wasn't the cause - just the straw that broke the camels back. My guess is it's temporary. Heed the warning or be prepared to pay the price.
 
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It is too bad they can't fix the ear like they can with the eyes. Lasik is like a miracle.
I had my hearing checked recently and it is fine but I have tinnitus fairly bad. It would be nice to have that fixed.
 
notsorichguy said:
Here is the reason why you shouldn't waste your $$ on muffs with a NRR or 32 or less. According to my 'ear doctor' (I can't for the life of me remeber what their profession is called, I was going to say proctologist..... But that taint right
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Who is an audiologist or Ears, Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist. I read an article that ototoxic drugs can also worsen tinnitus and hearing loss. Apparently, they cause constriction of the blood vessels resulting in damage to the nerves. Loud noise stimulates a chemical to be released into the cochlea which also causes the constriction of blood vessels. Scientists are working on a drug to block this chemical release so hearing damage can be prevented.
 
Interesting. I just use hand me down earmuffs or cheap earplugs. They don't make my ears ring, even with the 8.5 inch Grizzly or the 9mm. I know there are better products, but the cheap ones are logarithmically better than nothing!

What is really weird is when you forget to put the one muff back on after talking to somebody, and only one ear rings.
 
windage said:
It is too bad they can't fix the ear like they can with the eyes. Lasik is like a miracle.
I had my hearing checked recently and it is fine but I have tinnitus fairly bad. It would be nice to have that fixed.
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I believe the only way it can be fixed is by getting a cochlear implant or by administering a highly ototoxic drug over a period of time - essentially destroying your natural hearing.
 
I was using standard muffs. I don't know the rating but they're the big yellow muffs with the name Browning stamped on it. They were okay for the occasional shooter (perhaps not even). After going to the range 3 days in a row, my ears started to ring at night.

Anyhow, like another poster said, just double up. That is what I do and it's much better for the ears. I do this outdoors and indoors. It's a little hard to hear other people talk but that's fine, I just say "pardon me?".
 
djmay71 said:
Here's an experiment my friend found from his doctor, who had temporary tinnitus: Go to your bathroom/kitchen sink, and turn on the water. If the sound of the water falling drowns out the ringing- your in luck. Its tinnitus, but its temporary, and BONUS- its not as bad as you think.

EDIT: And have sympathy too- because nearly everyday I play with my band- and the bassist insists that he play on 10.
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Well I tried your doctors experiment. I could not hear the ringing. Im glad the ringing in my ears for the last 8 yrs is temporary.;)
 
Home Depot sells Ryobi electronic muffs for about $80, can't remember what the rating is, but they seem to work fine, amplify speech and deaden the loud noises. They take a rechargeable 4V battery that fits a lot of other Ryobi tools. From years of construction, diving and shooting I have some hearing loss in the same frequencies as my wife's voice. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!
 
caustic said:
why would you do that with no ear pro??? their practice rounds after all , when i was in they made us double (up plugs and muffs) when on the carl g range
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These were HE, no blue concrete warhead on these puppies; just pure black ###y death.

woodchopper said:
well I bet that sucked the snot out of you, just in time for the RAP to kick in and kick everything back into your face.
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I was good...my #2 on the other hand...
 
I had my regular muffs on at the outdoor range and the dude beside me fired his high powered rifle. No idea what caliber but I sure wish he had the decency to just warm me. :(

The guy was there for a few hours and shot nothing, then all of a sudden, BOOOM and my right ear went deaf. Thanks a lot!

Another reason why I double up with ear plugs and muffs.
 
Something that hasn't been said yet (if it has and I missed it, sorry for the redundant post) - if the ringing hasn't gone away by now (I realize this is a few days old), go see your doctor. I missed the OP's home base, but if you're in college, there's probably some sort of medical benefit included. Take advantage and get your hearing checked. Then save your pennies (or earn a few extra somehow) and buy REALLY good hearing protection. Don't be like me at 29 and with hearing loss that really pisses people off. I just refuse to get hearing aids.
 
I was lucky enough to shoot beside someone with 300WSM. Even when doubled up, it doesn't feel comfortable. Fortunately, no ringing in my ears afterwards. Next time, I will move away (which I did later on).

I'm going to looking into custom ear plus. My last batch of bulk ear plugs (50 pairs) are no good. It doesn't stay compressed long enough to properly fit in ear.
 
It is true that exposure to a single round fired without hearing protection will result in hearing loss. However, such loss is not measurable, with the measurment techniques in use today. (Unless it was fired with the muzzle beside or behind you!) Most our veterans pre-dating the eighties fired hundreds, or thousands of rounds without hearing protection, and served on two way ranges where tens of thousands of rounds were fired. Most of these veterans have been able to communicate with others without resorting to hearing aids. I wouldn't sweat one round!! Like many others, I didn't use any protection as a youngster, and none when hunting, even after owning good electronic muffs. While I have some hearing loss, its onset has been decades after I started the electronic muff over plug routine. (I understand one round from the Ohio's main guns not only results in hearing loss, but flash burns, and concussion. So reports the U. S. Navy photographer's mate who naively took a beautiful photo of such an event, having failed to understand the warning order to man firing stations!)

But, doubling up on protection is still a good idea. Electronic muffs over plugs is safest, as it allows you to hear what is going on around you, while still reducing the sound of gunfire. Dumb muffs over plugs blocks out all but the loudest range commands, strange reports, and people moving or talking around you - not a good plan.
 
I'm a musician by trade, but feel your pain. When at the range, I'll double plug using custom molded silicone and ear muffs. One round shouldn't be too bad, assuming previous damage hasn't been done. Tinnitus is weird in that it can make all sorts of sound and show up whenever. Just to be safe, I'd make an appointment with and ENT and audiologist (probably take a few months). They can tell you right away if you've suffered hearing loss, have tinnitus, and if it's due to noise exposure.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and highly sugared foods as these can make the ringing drastically worse ;)
 
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