Do you double up on ear protection?
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I didn’t for a long time, and it’s so insane I haven’t damaged my hearing (did a test last year). Let’s talk about it.
Wearing foam plugs everything get muffled since you lose the high end of the spectrum. I felt like my mental performance suffered since I misheard things and required way more focus, even while using the plug-mode on the Peltors. A cheap and effective way to combat this is getting filtered plugs from Surefire (a very cheap investment from @terrang_sverige). But about a year ago I learned about the Ops-Core Amps and their NFMI in-earplugs which acts like active ear-pros using magnetics. I saved up and finally invested in a pair since shooting is such a huge part of my life. It’s quite incredible how much mental capacity you free up by not limiting your ability to hear and reducing the perceived concussion (besides it makes it ALMOST bearable to shoot the TMB @withoutwarningcorp #concussiongang ��
The superduper-short review of the Amps is this: They’re awesome, but not worth the price. The fact is the Peltor XPI (standard SAF ���� issue) are absolutely fantastic with - in my opinion - clearer sound than the Amps.
You also need to consider the foam/gel inserts. Gel inserts feels great, but you lose about 2db of reduction, which don’t seem like alot but is actually significant. In the end we want to reduce as many db’s as possible without sacrificing the high end of the spectrum which brings a lot of clarity. For most people Surefire’s with a quality set of ear-pro’s that don’t break the bank (peltors, sordins etc) is probably the way to go, that way running gel-inserts are not going to compromise your hearing either. You can double up on active ear-pros (in-ear and over-ear) but you’ll quickly run into the same problem as the Amps being cost.
But you really should double up on ear protection, even shooting ARs and pistols, and don’t skimp and get the cheapest pairs you can find. Never be cheap when it comes to protection, sleep and toilet paper. Especially in this case where Surefire plugs are cheap and effective. Your future self will thank you.