electronic ear muffs

[pturner67]

hey guys, I'm looking to get a highly-rated set of electronic ear muffs...I bought Peltor a few weeks ago and they works nicely but the noise reduction isn't enough...I have to double up with ear plugs (which negates the whole idea of electronic)

is there another electronic set out there that has a high noise reduction?

not worried about the cost overall...just looking for something low profile and blocks the noise from my AR-15

thanks

[Brian Pfleuger]

You'll have to check for the "NRR" of each set. Generally, muffs are in the mid-20s. I think I've seen as high as 29 on a few pair. Foam plugs are usually 33, which is about as high as you can get.

You have to remember that they're still going to put out up to 85dB, which is quite loud. To find out if they're not blocking enough or if you're just uncomfortable with their output, just shoot with them turned off. If it's too loud, you need more NRR, if not, it's the volume of the electronics that's bothering you.

BTW, I often shoot with both foam plugs and electronic muffs. Believe me when I tell you that a 15" barrel 7mm-08 is L-O-U-D. I guess it's open to personal interpretation, but I don't find that it "defeats the purpose" of electronic muffs at all. I can hear just as well as having no protection and get much better protection than either mode can provide alone.

Oh, and "low profile" and high-NRR rarely go together (if ever).

[pturner67]

You'll have to check for the "NRR" of each set. Generally, muffs are in the mid-20s. I think I've seen as high as 29 on a few pair. Foam plugs are usually 33, which is about as high as you can get.

You have to remember that they're still going to put out up to 85dB, which is quite loud. To find out if they're not blocking enough or if you're just uncomfortable with their output, just shoot with them turned off. If it's too loud, you need more NRR, if not, it's the volume of the electronics that's bothering you.

BTW, I often shoot with both foam plugs and electronic muffs. Believe me when I tell you that a 15" barrel 7mm-08 is L-O-U-D. I guess it's open to personal interpretation, but I don't find that it "defeats the purpose" of electronic muffs at all. I can hear just as well as having no protection and get much better protection than either mode can provide alone.


Oh, and "low profile" and high-NRR rarely go together (if ever).

thanks for the input...I will test with and without earplugs but also turn up the volume...and also volume on/off to test

is there a badass low profile non-electronic headset?

[johnbt]

Pro Ears has a variety of muffs and sizes, but the ones with the higher NRR numbers are huge.

The Pro Tac Mag Gold (2nd on the list that's linked) is NRR 33, but they're really big. Sort of similar to my usual Peltor Bullseye 10 muffs that I've used for indoor shooting.

I ordered the Pro Ears the other day at 25% off and they were just delivered a few minutes ago. I can't wait to try them after work. You can look at the relative sizes and profiles of the models that are NRR 25, etc., such as the sporting clay model.

http://www.proears.com/Pro-Ears-Shoo...Mag-Gold-Muffs

Low profile means less insulation.

John

P.S. - they have a comparison chart. http://www.proears.com/Law-Enforceme...mparison-Chart

[k4swb]

I shot guns and did other things for years without any hearing protection so now i have bad hearing loss.

Finally when it was too late I started wearing muffs/plugs or anything else I could. Recently I bought a set of Caldwell low profile electronic muffs just to see how they did.

All along when shooting I could hear nothing after the shot with or without the protection. What a jolt when after the first shot with the electronic muffs I heard the ricochet sound reverberating down through the woods.
NEVER heard that at all. A little unnerving to say the least.

I can now actually hear people talking when there are no guns going off and I just leave them on all the time at the range.

The wife caught me watching TV with them on the other night and said I looked more goofy than usual.

[johnbt]

"I can now actually hear people talking when there are no guns going off"

I was told the (much) more expensive muffs will let you hear every word said even while there are guns being fired. We'll see.

I'm stuck at work with the new muffs still in the box. Grrr. And it's dark outside. I guess I'll try them out at home with the vacuum cleaner and maybe try beating a sledgehammer on an anvil with a song playing in the background. Grrr.

John

[Merad]

I use these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T7QJ9O

Work great, price is reasonable.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Most all models supposedly "compress" loud sounds rather than shut-down. Of all the ones I've used, none really allow normal hearing during gunfire or other loud noises. They don't shutoff completely but since they basically "equalize" all the sounds so you still can't really hear very well. Still, much better than being plugged.

[k4swb]

I was told the (much) more expensive muffs will let you hear every word said even while there are guns being fired. We'll see.

My hearing is so bad I can barely hear and understand people talking without the muffs and the ones I was using I couldn't even tell they were talking at all even when no one was shooting. With these, I can not only hear them talking but can understand most of what is said as long as it is one person at a time.

[johnbt]

"My hearing is so bad I can barely hear and understand people talking without the muffs "

Me too, but I normally shoot alone or with one other person so it hasn't mattered.

And then on Black Friday a guy at work invited me to shoot with him for the first time and there were two other men in the group and four young teens. You take my bad hearing, add foam plugs and NRR 30 passive muffs and I was totally out of touch. That's what finally moved me to order electronic muffs.


"Of all the ones I've used, none really allow normal hearing during gunfire or other loud noises."

My new Pro Ears seem to, but I was only playing with them at home last night. They compress the loud noise and amplify the quiet ones. It's very strange and will take some getting used to.

Okay, according to Pro Ears, it's a combination of 1.5 millisecond reaction & recovery time and an 8x amplification.

"Fast 'Attack Time'
With a reaction and recovery time of 1.5 milliseconds, less than a typical pause between words in normal conversation, the system greatly enhances your awareness of your environment while simultaneously protects your hearing from loud noise.

Automatic & Programmable Gain Control (AGC™).
Harmful noise levels are kept to within 80 dB. The incredible 50 dB of gain allow the faintest sounds to be magnified up to 8x. Hear clearer, hear further. Two separate settings in each cup allow the user the ability to further adjust each circuit board to meet specific hearing requirements.
"

But what's it mean?

John

[dyl]

you know those double sided rubber ear plugs?

The ones that have a baseline setting to reduce ALL sounds and the other side only reduces strong impulses. (must have a sensitive valve of some sort)

Maybe you could double up with those and would be able to hear the muff-amplified sounds but perhaps the plugs would kick in (along with the earmuffs) upon gun fire.

[Rifleman1776]

Not asked, but worth tossing into the discussion.
The low priced in the ear hearing aid types that (supposedly) also suppress sound are worthless. Constant loud electronic noise, almost no suppression and equally almost no sound enhancement for conversation, etc.
Good thread, I'll be looking into high end muffs. I currently use plugs but it is a nusiance to pull them out between relays and using standard muffs with plugs I cannot hear the range officers commands. Not good.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I'll throw this in too...

A couple of week ago, my old set of Radians muffs were no longer usable. I went to Bass Pro to get a new set because I didn't have time before deer season to order on-line.

I get to Bass Pro and the mall has a fire alarm so we can't shop.

Go to Dick's instead, all they have is a set of $29 Caldwell muffs. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. I figured that for $29 they'd work until I could get something "real".

Well, guess what? They actually work very well. They do, occasionally, make a few funny noises, nothing serious, the amplification is not as much as I'd like (brings you up to "normal", no "amplification" really) and they have a red light in the side of them, which is odd, but all in all, for $29, I'm very impressed.

[RUT]

>>I shot guns and did other things for years without any hearing protection so now i have bad hearing loss.<<

Ah yes, that applies to me as well!

73,

K1HS

[FireForged]

I have never been able to use electronic muffs with my AR.. I wear proear33 muffs and double up with canal plugs with no problem hearing people as long as they talk loudly.

[gofast1320]

I did a fairly comprehensive write-up the next page over about the plugs and muffs deal.

Caldwells work great with plugs in by letting you hear range commands even with the plugs in.

I've used the peltors the same way with plugs.

Most important thing is to wear them.