Electronic hearing protection

[Gryff]

Pro Ears are the best, but you pay out the nose for them.

[-hanko]

Thats exactly what i use

Same hear

-hanko

[Experimentalist]

I have a set of Pro Ears Dimension I's that I've worn for literally 8 hours a day, four days straight and they're quite comfortable. I also double them up with the foamy ear plugs, even when outdoors. I've always had sensitive hearing, and am paranoid about long term damage. Only real down side to the over-ears style of hearing protection is the limitation on the style of hat you can wear with them.

I've heard that it's important to keep the batteries fresh on any brand of electronic head phones. The phones transmit (or amplify depending on the setting) ambient noise, and cut out when the sound rises above some threshold. In theory, the speed with which the cut out happens slows when the batteries get tired.

In the interest of full disclosure I heard this while taking a seminar on firearm suppressors, so it's possible the source had a profit motive.

Either way, it's your hearing. The cost of two sets of batteries (one set for each ear) is worth it every couple of months, depending on use.

[mm1]

+1 Peltor Tactical 6s

[maxicon]

When buying any muffs, electronic or regular, it's important to look at the base NRR rating, as that's as good as it gets.

The electronics don't cut loud noises, they just amplify softer sounds. The basic hearing protection is the same whether the electronics are on or off, so be sure to get muffs that have what you need. Many popular electronic muffs only have an NRR or 17-19, which isn't enough for some people (like me).

As many have suggested, a good compromise is to double up with plugs and muffs, which gives you the approximate equivalent of the higher rating of the two plus 3 dB. By turning up the volume on the muffs, you can still hear soft sounds through the plugs, but get extra protection from the damaging sounds.

[Vectrexer]

I have a set of Pro Ears Dimension I's that I've worn for literally 8 hours a day, four days straight and they're quite comfortable. I also double them up with the foamy ear plugs, even when outdoors. I've always had sensitive hearing, and am paranoid about long term damage. Only real down side to the over-ears style of hearing protection is the limitation on the style of hat you can wear with them.

How is the noise reduction while wearing glasses. Some of the muffs I have worn have high leakage with glasses on.

[Toolbox X]

Also keep in mind that there is a lot more to a set of ears than just the NRR rating. The NRR rating definitely has its place, but it's also a clever marketing tool, making the consumer think that higher is better and the NRR is the only thing that matters.

Headsets respond differently to different frequencies. They can have excellent protections from some sounds, but not work well for other sounds. This data sheet shows a little of what I'm talking about:

http://www.csuk.us/pdf/supreme_pro.pdf

More little things to consider are battery life, how many batteries they require, and does the set power off automatically.

To me, the most important qualities in a set of ears is how comfortable they are when worn for long periods of time, and how much they interfere with the rifle stock when I rest my cheek on the stock to look through the sights.

There's nothing quite like shooting .308 when the rifle stock accidentally knocks the cup off your ear when you fire.

Of course everyone is very different and what works or doesn't work for one person can be fine or awful for the next person.

[Experimentalist]

How is the noise reduction while wearing glasses. Some of the muffs I have worn have high leakage with glasses on.

Actually, that's a good point.

I wear prescription glasses, but because I double up with the foamies I don't really know what impact the ear pieces have on the protective qualities.

[paradox]

Try to get a pair of electronic ear muffs with input jacks so you can plug in your iPod. It makes spending the day weedeating or grinding on a fender much more pleasant. I've used my ProEars more for loud work around the house than I have for shooting.

[Booshanky]

Well I picked up some of those peltor 6s's and I'm going to try them out at the range tomorrow.

It was pretty funny at the office when I got them in the mail though. Everyone was putting them on and then clapping like idiots next to their head yelling "WOW!"

[PLINK]

Howard Leight Impact Sport

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=671923

+1

These work well for me.