Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuff Help?

[MrMysterio13]

Well thanks everyone for all the posts; please keep posting opinions/info.

And JeffCinSac, thanks for the offer I will consider it.

[iareConfusE]

Had them and hated them with a burning passion.

- They didn't feel circumaural as the cup was too small, so they were probably supraural. - They didn't fit well with my eye protection which even had thin and flat arms, and because they were supraural, the seal on my ear was broken by the eye protection, so it let plenty of noise in.
- The noise cancellation was far too delayed for me. Even though it would block out the resonance of the bang, the initial explosion was still incredibly loud, and I still had to wear earplugs underneath them, which defeated the purpose of wearing noise cancelling hearing protection...
- In blocking out the majority of the loud bangs, it also blocked out conversation. I had hoped that the headphones would be able to discern between a gunshot and someones voice, but apparently it can't when both are happening simultaneously, and that's usually what goes on in a shooting range... I could hear conversation just fine if people stopped shooting and I was talking to someone, but the instant someone started shooting, the headphones would cancel out ALL noise, including conversation, so it was actually even worse than wearing passive, thick hearing protection.
- In the end it was just a terrifyingly uncomfortable headphone, and I asked for an RMA to Midway less than 24 hours after I received it. I hear good reviews about the product all the time, but I just didn't experience that. Maybe my ears are more sensitive and pick up sounds better than other's, I don't know.

[Vlad 11]

I have a pair that I've worn exactly one time. They seem to work fine but don't fit me well, plus I prefer a greater degree of protection. I currently wear a set of NRR 29 earmuffs from Peltor instead.

Had them and hated them with a burning passion. .................

I was going to say the basically the same ... i don't like how they fit at all and the degree of protection is , in my opinion, inferior... buyers remorse here

[nagorb]

Even outdoors I double up. With plugs in as sound on I can hear almost as well a no headphones.

[ZNiner]

I wear mine with ear plugs and turn up the amplifier. I get all voices in clear as crystal without any of the loud booms from the guns.

I wouldn't run these without the ear plugs. Even with the amp off, the first time I ever walked into an indoor range with these on and no earplugs I jumped at the first couple of shots from the lane next to mine because their loudness startled the heck out of me.

[sundayduffer]

wouldnt it defeat the purpose if you still have to wear ear plugs? Im in search of a pairs also. What would be a good one without wearing ear plugs?

[sevensix2x51]

wouldnt it defeat the purpose if you still have to wear ear plugs? Im in search of a pairs also. What would be a good one without wearing ear plugs?

Not really, the muffs amplify regular noises above their actual levels, pushing normal sound levels through the earplugs. It sounds to me like I don't have any hearing protection on at all until a shot breaks. Then I have double ear protection. It may not be quite as good as some multi-hundred dollar muffs, but with my tinnitus, who cares. They work well enough for me and the girls I know.

[rabagley]

About the cutoff happening in time... the little amplifiers in the earmuffs will never amplify ambient to a level that can harm. So even if they are just clipping the sounds of the gunshots, it won't hurt you. But they are smarter than that and not only don't amplify gunshots, you'll stop hearing everything else and just hear the attenuated gunshot.

I've used them with and without plugs. With magnum rifles nearby, I add plugs. Otherwise, I just use the muffs.

Basically, they're awesome and you should have several pairs now.

[sundayduffer]

Cool. Thx for the feedbacks. Couple weeks ago Amazon had it on sale for $44..it is now back at $53. I'll prolly pick a pairs up soon.

[NokSuCow]

These things are awesome. I have not had any issues with the sound not cutting out...and no more pain in my ears from jamming in plugs for 2-5 hours.