hearing aids

[Brian Pfleuger]

The problem with wearing hearing aides that are designed for everyday and constant use is really that they're very often not "occluded". That is, they have an "air hole" or vent that prevents what people describe as "echo" and makes sounds seem more natural. That air hole also lets the gun shot blast in.

A few other points:

1)The NRR rating on hearing protection is an average only. Some frequencies are a lot higher, some lower.

2)The decibel scale is logarithmic. Basically, every 10 dB is twice as "loud". So, a reduction of 29 dB isn't exactly small. 140dB is nearly 1,000 times louder than 111dB. (794 times, if I'm doing the math right).

3)As indicated, exposure time matters. A gunshot lasts 3-5 milliseconds. OSHA indicates 56 seconds daily exposure time at 112dB. At 4 milliseconds, 56 seconds exposure would require 14,000 gunshots.

4)You're still better off getting the highest NRR you cab get.