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highest quality hearing protection?
- Thread starter Cody S
- Start date
The "best" in ears are custom molded by an audiologist. I use the Sound Gear Platinum but Westone makes some too - called DefendEar. Either way, if you have good health insurance, you're likely covered for a large portion of this. All said and done, I was about half of what you're talking about spending.
I believe the "best" outer ear pro is going to be the MSA Sordin line.
I believe the "best" outer ear pro is going to be the MSA Sordin line.
No way. The new ops core is light years better than sordid. Tragically they are like 800 bucks.
while I cannot say they are the best I sat next to a guy firing a 50 cal barrett last weekend at the range and had no problem hearing conversations with a set of walkers over ear muffs and i do not think they cost over 180. no ringing or sharp crack , I felt the concussion enough to have to pause before shooting my self but no hearing problems and still heard steel hits at 600 yards . not sure on just how much protection you are looking for but if you add the foam plugs as well as over the ear headsets you should be totally covered unless you really want to spend crazy money good luck either way .
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ESP Dynamics - if you can swallow the $2,400 price tag.
www.espamerica.com
Sordins last about 5 years before the wiring becomes a gelatinous mess. Surprisingly the gel cups outlast the wiring. Don't like the ComTac's due to the bulged design. Makes cheek weld a SOB on some rifles.
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www.espamerica.com
Sordins last about 5 years before the wiring becomes a gelatinous mess. Surprisingly the gel cups outlast the wiring. Don't like the ComTac's due to the bulged design. Makes cheek weld a SOB on some rifles.
This is good to know. I have a set of Peltors that required a replacement wiring harness after a few years when the electronics got dodgy. The gel cups are still in decent shape. It wasn't a big deal to replace but I just thought the Sordins to be top notch.
Tactical Hearing. They’re full blow hearing aids with loud noise shutoff. They work with 300 WSM and a muzzle brake. I’ve never shot next to anything larger or noisier, but I’m sure I could add muffs if I needed to.
I have hearing loss so my standards are a little different.
www.tacticalhearing.com
I have hearing loss so my standards are a little different.
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What features dictate different price points? Prices go anywhere from $500 - 2k+. I was looking at NRR rating but they seem to be somewhat consistent across all price points. I'm not law enforcement, just a guy who RO's shoots in PRS (generally at the range once a week). My hearing is not the best and i don't want it to get worse. Im not sure what data to collect that will help make my decision?
I have tried a number of in ear solutions from older AXIL's, Etymonic, Sylinx and wound up getting molded in the ear Sport Ear (now AXIL) ear pro and they were about $3700. Honestly they are flat out the best ear pro I have ever used and I would buy another pair tomorrow! Remember hearing aids run up to around $4k+! Which would you rather spend money on? Trying to hear after you have screwed your hearing or spending bucks now to preserve it and make shooting that much more comfortable. Unless I am in a vehicle with an SBR or in a concrete room with 16" .308 gas guns I never need to double up. The lack of fatigue that I would normally experience while wearing over the ear muffs like Peltors and Sordins (still have them both), has been a game changer for me in competition.
I’ll second this. Mind effing blown when I used them for the first time.ESP Dynamics - if you can swallow the $2,400 price tag.
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Explore our range of electronic hearing protection plugs here. With our collection, you can find the ideal product to enhance your safety, comfort, & overall auditory experience. Shop now!
Sordins last about 5 years before the wiring becomes a gelatinous mess. Surprisingly the gel cups outlast the wiring. Don't like the ComTac's due to the bulged design. Makes cheek weld a SOB on some rifles.
Otto Noisebarrier, at $399 are really tough to beat. I have used them for 4 years now, and can't bring myself to use anything else.
Etymotic makes them, and just rebrands them for Otto to sell. Etymotic was bought out by Lucid Audio last year. Lucid kept the name Etymotic (huge music industry market) but shit canned the entire staff. They have a non-compete claus in effect for anything gun related for another year, which is why you don't see the Etymotic Gunsport Elite (rechargeable) on the market yet, except through Otto as the "Noisebarrier".
Etymotic also made and holds the patent for the electronics that are inside all of Sport Ear's (now Axil) ear pro. Etymotic was a massive brand for decades in audiology, music and recently shooting sports. Their influence and patent line is huge in all aspects of hearing protection and sound engineering.
Etymotic makes them, and just rebrands them for Otto to sell. Etymotic was bought out by Lucid Audio last year. Lucid kept the name Etymotic (huge music industry market) but shit canned the entire staff. They have a non-compete claus in effect for anything gun related for another year, which is why you don't see the Etymotic Gunsport Elite (rechargeable) on the market yet, except through Otto as the "Noisebarrier".
Etymotic also made and holds the patent for the electronics that are inside all of Sport Ear's (now Axil) ear pro. Etymotic was a massive brand for decades in audiology, music and recently shooting sports. Their influence and patent line is huge in all aspects of hearing protection and sound engineering.
I see a lot of complaints on the electronics going out on the sordins/peltors. I suspect this is due to sweat and moisture build up so I store mine with the cups flipped inside out so they can air out. I've been using my set for 10yrs now and they still work granted I only use them 2-4x a month.
I ordered a set of the new Sordins and hope I am not disappointed. They do have a 5 year warranty and are water resistance. I will never buy another set of Walkers. I had a problem with XCels and left emails, voice mails, and left my number in que to be called back. Well I waited about two weeks and still haven't heard anything from them.
+1 to the Otto Noizebarriers. I cant recommend them enough. I've also had them for about 4 years.
I use the large flanges and have had no fatigue. Longest I've worn them straight has been about 8 hours, and I regularly forget that they're in until I'm driving home. They do come with a variety of earpieces, but YMMV here.
I'll also note that the aforementioned 8 hours was on a single charge bringing it down to about 20% IIRC.
Lastly, I end up recharging the case (which charges the earbuds) maybe 2 to 3 times a year, with almost weekly range trips lasting 2 to 5 hours.
There is zero white noise/distortion. I hardly ever use the "high" setting as I can hold a regular conversation on the "low" setting as if I had no ear pro in at all.
I use the large flanges and have had no fatigue. Longest I've worn them straight has been about 8 hours, and I regularly forget that they're in until I'm driving home. They do come with a variety of earpieces, but YMMV here.
I'll also note that the aforementioned 8 hours was on a single charge bringing it down to about 20% IIRC.
Lastly, I end up recharging the case (which charges the earbuds) maybe 2 to 3 times a year, with almost weekly range trips lasting 2 to 5 hours.
There is zero white noise/distortion. I hardly ever use the "high" setting as I can hold a regular conversation on the "low" setting as if I had no ear pro in at all.
SRS in Florida can repair MSA Sordins. I've had a couple re-done for exposed electric cable sun-UV dry rot exposure (the sheathing gave way while the core and electrics still worked). They also added extra heat-wrap to prevent it from happening again. They're very fast on the turn-around.
Thanks to all for the great info on this thread. Has anyone here owned both the Otto as well as the ESP product(s) and can compare the 2? Some of the lower ESP models are priced similar to the Otto just curious the pros and cons of each.
I've spent thousands on rifles and scopes and it's time I spend some money on good hearing protection(I double up) while I still have my hearing.
I've spent thousands on rifles and scopes and it's time I spend some money on good hearing protection(I double up) while I still have my hearing.
I've doubled-up whenever I can (been shooting for a long, long time). Besides the standard exposure directly to the tympanic membrane (your eardum) you also have noise conducted through your jaw bone.
I’ve been using the Etymotic GSP15’s all this season. If you can get over them not being rechargeable (batteries are cheap), they work excellent. I can fire and be around braked rifles all day with no discomfort. I did have to purchase some aftermarket foam earpieces for them to work well though. I put a new pair of Peltor shotgunners over them once. I couldn’t hear a damn thing.
At $300, the comfort and performance have been great.
At $300, the comfort and performance have been great.
In the ear or over the ear? In the ear is fine and dandy but it won't protect your ears from bone conduction like over the ear will. I've had Sordins break consistently over the years, Comtacs are far more durable in my experience and I think they have slightly higher audio quality. Plus the battery compartments are easier to use. TEP 100's are excellent for in the ear.
If you go over the ear make sure you have gel cups if you will be wearing the headset for any length of time
If you go over the ear make sure you have gel cups if you will be wearing the headset for any length of time
3m Peltor EEP-100, they are exactly the same as TEP-100 but are lime green, the charging case is different, add some Skull Screw tips and you have 30db noise reduction in ear electronic hearing protection, I love these things, the longest I have worn mine is 10 hours, my Sordins are now collecting dust. 170 bucks from Amazon, the tips are 20 bucks for 10 pairs.
Do you guys feel that the in ear custom Axils and similar products provide similar protection to foam plugs or more similar to over the ear protection? Plugs obviously work way better than muffs for me so I usually double up with electronic muffs to get some hearing back
I've tried a heap of them and found, for me, the best all rounder was the TEP-100's. Great NRR with the skull skrews, good quality audio. Just found one of my buds stopped working a while back. Now I have a case and spare bud to try to sell to a non-existant Aussie market lol
My swatcom Active 8 came in and they are great. When you take a shot or someone shoots next to you they cancel out the shot but not someone talking. That was strange to say the least at first. But once I got use to it it is great. I recommend them if you have the money. They are not cheap but well worth the money.
For in Ear I have custom sound gear ear pro and it’s awesome. Hard to go back to anything else. For over ear I have had good luck with peltor Comtacs. My MSAs stopped working after a thunderstorm and the warranty repair didn’t fix the problem so I am avoiding them in the future
Can anyone please explain or show me how to calculate what my hearing protection is? I use squishy orange foamers(32dB) + Walkers Electronic(23dB). I know I've read where it's not simply adding the 2, but some other formula. And to further that.....is what I have adequate?
I use a set of ESP Dynamics (Approx $2400)
Give Jack a call and he will walk you through it - My order below. They're the best if you're willing to spend the money.
SoundGear might be worth a look if you're on a budget (Approx 1k)
Give Jack a call and he will walk you through it - My order below. They're the best if you're willing to spend the money.
SoundGear might be worth a look if you're on a budget (Approx 1k)
