New Ear Protectors

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BCFred

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It looks like I'll be buying some new ear protection fairly soon and I wondered if anyone had any information they cared to share. I've been using the same system for 4 or 5 years so I'm not too aware of any changes that have happened either positive or negative. I want an electronic muff this time around because I'm getting tired of not hearing what people are saying while we are standing around the fire and everytime I take my ears off my cap goes with it and my glasses move down on my nose. My history with electronic muffs is not positive and I've owned three pair. I ordered the first pair through my audiologist who said he liked testing shooters because he liked abusing himself:confused:. They worked well but they eventually broke down and the company making them couldn't repair them or replace them ($400 down the tube really.). I bought some cheapies from Princess Auto (The boy's home away from home.) one year and they didn't last until I got them to the range. This seemed remarkable at the time because of the price:rolleyes:. In other words there is no free lunch. I had another pair, forget the brand name, also pretty cheap, which played wonderful squeals and were too fat for comfortable gun mounting. So, I have kind of committed to spending at least $20 this time around (joke). The only thing I'm sure about at this stage is I want something with a fairly low silhouette so it won't interfere with the gun. While these experiences seem to fit with many areas of my life (I still think I can buy cheap wrenches, for example, against all evidence to the contrary) I'm a little scared going in on this project. Any help, comments, apocryphal tales, strong opinions, weak opinions, downright lies even...would be appreciated! Fred
 
Sponsor to the top right of this page SRS tactical sells some top quality stuff, expensive, but products meant for shooting. Great sound reduction and durable electronic muffs, I have a set of peltors from SRS and they are top notch!

This is the set I got: http://www.srstactical.ca/communications/electronic-ambient-listening-headsets/peltor-tactical-pro-hearing-protection-headset/mt15h7f-sv.html

They are great, best noise reduction rating, you only get your hearing once, when it's gone it's gone.
 
I am very impressed with Pro Ears Gold. They get a lot of use on the range and also during hunting season.
What impressed me most is the customer service. I lost one ear piece(long story) and they said that since it came off the headband that it was under warranty. They have dealt more than fairly with me.
 
I can check with the guys at the club. I don't personally wear muffs as I find they get in the way. I can't imagine they'd be very comfortable in the summer (although in the winter that could be a better alternative than freezing my ears). The complaint I've heard with the electronic ones is that you still miss out on a 'pull' when you are on the buttons, and a shot from an adjacent field goes off at the same time the shooter calls and the sound protection kicks in.

Brad.
 
bmcrae said:
The complaint I've heard with the electronic ones is that you still miss out on a 'pull' when you are on the buttons, and a shot from an adjacent field goes off at the same time the shooter calls and the sound protection kicks in.

Brad.
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That is true of the cheap ones like the Peltor SoundTrap that shut off in response to loud noises. The better ones like the Peltor ComTac that I use or Sordin models suppress the noise and sound so natural that it's easy to forget you have them on. Another poster mentioned the Howard Leight which are low in price and quality. I have a pair that are my loaners and find they do not respond as quickly as the higher-end Peltors and the sound quality isn't nearly as good.

I've had my Peltor ComTacs for almost 10 years. They are used at least once a week and all I've done to them is change the batteries every few months and the ear cups every couple of years.
 
Claybuster said:
That is true of the cheap ones like the Peltor SoundTrap that shut off in response to loud noises. The better ones like the Peltor ComTac that I use or Sordin models suppress the noise and sound so natural that it's easy to forget you have them on. Another poster mentioned the Howard Leight which are low in price and quality. I have a pair that are my loaners and find they do not respond as quickly as the higher-end Peltors and the sound quality isn't nearly as good.

I've had my Peltor ComTacs for almost 10 years. They are used at least once a week and all I've done to them is change the batteries every few months and the ear cups every couple of years.
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I've had the peltor swattacs (comtacs without the mike) for a couple years and I find they do shut off completely, and for too long after a shot so I do miss words when people talk. Also, some small noises like crinkling of paper can be amplified to an uncomfortable level or produce a loud snapping sound followed by them shutting down as though a shot were fired. I bought mine on eBay and often wonder if they are counterfeit. I would like to try another pair to see if they're the same but I haven't yet.
 
Thanks for that video, very enlightening. Now I'm curious as to what other brands provide this "compression" function. My Peltor Tactical-7 electronic muffs are the clipping type - they just turn off and that's a bit annoying. I'm thinking some kind of custom plug with electronics would be the ultimate, but the muffs are pretty convenient.

Houndog said:
Pro Ears work very well, especially when it's cold. For warmer weather custom Noise Brakers may be a better choice.
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Gee, I've just looked and there are some really good comments here. Thank you very much to all. I should have mentioned that I double up on protection with a set of muffs and a set of inserts into the ear canal. I do this because I used to use a set of industrial muffs many years ago with a sound attentuation reported to be 32 db. I still ended up with a knotch in my left ear and have doubled up ever since. The muffs I currently use are a low silhouette kind that don't seem to interfere with gun mount and hold, at least for me, and I think they suppress bone conduction to some extent. I'm not sure how many db of sound are added by bone conduction, certainly it changes the quality of what you hear, but I seem to be quite sensitive to this. At any rate, I'm hoping I can have my cake and eat it too with electronic muffs over inserts. I can recall hearing line commands and so on quite well with this kind of system many years ago with my first pair of electronic muffs. From the comments here it sounds like things may even have improved and it should be possible to get a good pair. I'm going to research them in the morning. Thanks again for the information. Fred
 
lowest profile i ever came across and have are the howard leight. but still they are muffs and not as good as the pro ears but only 50 vs 300. even being the low profile i find them to still be annoying. the HL do have auto shutoff which is a nice feature.
Just this winter I tried the electonic plugs from Etymotic Research called the GSP15. I really enjoyed these as the are not in the way, have 2 settings for standard hearing with shutoff as well as amplified hearing with shutoff. I do not know how they compare to a few of the other electronic brands (pre ears custom fit electronic plugs) but at 499 it is much cheaper than the 1800. with that said, it was a windy day and i was getting wind noise which i did not have a the windsock over mic.
downside with these is to shut them off you have to take out the battery, vs a switch and there is no volume either 5x amplification or no amplification. also they are NRR of 25
here is the link.
http://www.etymotic.com/hp/gsp15.html
 
These muffs have good protection rating, but they seem to be big. Do they contact rifle stock ?

gwagen said:
Sponsor to the top right of this page SRS tactical sells some top quality stuff, expensive, but products meant for shooting. Great sound reduction and durable electronic muffs, I have a set of peltors from SRS and they are top notch!

This is the set I got: http://www.srstactical.ca/communications/electronic-ambient-listening-headsets/peltor-tactical-pro-hearing-protection-headset/mt15h7f-sv.html

They are great, best noise reduction rating, you only get your hearing once, when it's gone it's gone.
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Anyone else find that their glasses hold the muffs away from forming a proper seal against their head? I wear plugs and muffs for that reason.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Anyone else find that their glasses hold the muffs away from forming a proper seal against their head? I wear plugs and muffs for that reason.
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It helps if you go with the optional gel earcup seals, but then again thats an additional $50. They do make a noticable difference.
 
with respect to glasses, yes that can be a bit of an issue. my bigger issue with the muffs was that sometimes the bottom of the muff with touch the stock pushing up on it slightly which then moved my glasses enough to change my vision which is not good.
I suppose it also has to do with your glasses frames.
 
officework13 said:
with respect to glasses, yes that can be a bit of an issue. my bigger issue with the muffs was that sometimes the bottom of the muff with touch the stock pushing up on it slightly which then moved my glasses enough to change my vision which is not good.
I suppose it also has to do with your glasses frames.
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Don't have that problem with the Leight's as they are very slim
 
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