Electronic ear defenders

[Popsbengo]

Thanks to Chris-NZ; always good to get a professional opinion.

This is a useful data sheet for those that want more information (that also lists the popular Howard Leight shooting sports ear muff)

http://www.howardleightveripro.com/images/pdf/0000/0212/Howard_Leight_Catalogue_UK.pdf

[Popsbengo]

Also worth noting that the ear pads deteriorate with use over time.  There are kits available (Amazon).  I, like many of us I expect, hadn't given my ear defenders any thought after buying them.  £10 certainly worth spending to return them to comfortable and effective use.

You can get stick-on cotton anti-sweat pads from Arco too - nice on hot days

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007RFFIYO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[lapua]

16 hours ago, Chris-NZ said:

??  Pray tell

I got the advice from a professional deer manager who is suffering from hearing problems associated with years of both shotgun shooting clays at national level, unmoderated rifle shooting etc. Its what his specialist told him. You obviously know more about the topic. Cheers

[Triffid]

With the Howard Leigh ones, when you get them make sure they are the genuine ones, not fakes. See here how to identify the fakes:

https://canadianfirearmsblog.ca/identifying-counterfeit-impact-sport/

I bought a pair from Amazon for my wife: when I checked them out they were fake. They had no padding inside the shells at all, so were about as effective as holding a plastic cup over your ears. Amazon refunded no question.

Assuming you've got genuine ones, you can get gel ear pads for them: I've tried these and found they make a big difference to the comfort of the ear defenders.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-ZOHAN-Replacement-Defenders-Protectors/dp/B07G9BNFY4

 

I've tried the CENS in-ear ones electronic ones which ate batteries and I found uncomfortable. I wear a pair of Peltor SportTac's which are comfortable and effective, but they don't deal with indoor shooting well. I also keep a pair on Sonic Aid ear plugs in the car in reserve and a pair of Decathlon own-brand electronic ones as loaders for when I'm coaching. 

Triffid

[TJC]

Very happy with these. I’ve used them all this year and have only had to charge them a few times. The battery life is terrific. Super comfortable and seem to work very well. No whistling in the wind and they’ve also been drenched a good few times already. 

https://www.otto-comm.com/noizebarrier-active-hearing-protection

 

[No i deer]

I've not considered ones that insert in your ears..

I had operations on my ears when I was a kid..

Grommets then skin grafts and to be honest I'm not fond of things being inserted in them. Definately going with muffs...

[One on top of two]

9 hours ago, Chris-NZ said:

What I think you are alluding to is transmission by bone conduction. I can tell you that is a complete red herring. All damaging noise from small arms is delivered to the cochlea (inner ear) via air conduction, ie, down the ear canal then through the middle ear system to the cochlea. You simply need to sufficiently block sound energy from getting to the middle ear and the cochlea will not be exposed to damaging levels.

The two problems with plugs is that firstly, many users simply don't insert them properly/deeply enough. It amuses me to see shooters with 2/3 of a closed cell foam sticking out into their concha (ear bowl). You can stake your life on the plug giving very little protection if you see this.  In the case of custom-moulded plugs, the quality of the ear impression and post-impression processing can easily be poor, and you'll end up with a leaky plug. I've seen many "instant plugs" made at shows/ events/ fairs that are just plain pathetic in execution. Some I saw were downright scary- spotted a pair curing where the impression material had skirted the too-small cotton dam and had actually been pressing on the drum. This is one small step from disaster. The other risk is people who don't know what they're doing injecting down canals where they haven't the knowledge or illumination gear to see what's down there. Some people have badly necked canals which increase markedly in diameter further down. End result is a trapped impression that can't be removed other than by a surgeon under GA, and believe me, the surgeon won't thank you for being called in for that.

If you're in the market for custom plugs, either passive or electronic, please make sure you get someone with proper training and extensive experience to take the impressions. The end product is only as good as the impression, and you don't want your ear written off by an "accident" during impression taking.

I can't really comment on actual brands of electronic plugs as the vast majority are what we in the audiology profession call house brands, ie, built from relabelled and/or fairly generic chipsets/transducers. The requisite design feature is that the circuitry is able to respond fast enough to control the transient, and we're talking here of less than 3-4 milliseconds. This is far quicker than the main processing (full dynamic range syllabic compression) hearing aids use for their routine volume adjustments .

I have at least three different sets of custom electronic plugs but I had these made from expensive hearing aid amps, def not a commercial proposition..

Like I said  I knew there was a lot of info available on the subject, as always it’s down to the individual to decide what they want to believe , personally it doesn’t bother me , nor have I any interest in what someone else does , that mucker is there call . 
coming from a pigeon shooting background ( and still very much part of my shooting life ) I have always worn full over ear defenders mainly to keep the cold winter mornings out when shooting over OSR .

im too old to start learning new tricks nowadays Chris 🤔👍

[Machinexl]

In the forces i used the issue peltor over ear passive type but you end up lifting one off so you can hear people talking etc- then you end up with tinnitus!

when i started civi shooting i bought some peltor s6 tactical which are fairly comfortable, affordable (£70ish) and fairly low profile.

about 2 years ago i upgraded to some MSA sordin supreme pro x- in my opinion the best there is! I recommend them to all the new shooters i teach. However they arnt cheap at about £200. 
 
as some others have said, in the ear types leave you open to hearing damage still

[Killfish1]

I’ve recently purchased “Cens digital” and instantly thought to myself why haven’t I done it before...simply put in my own personal opinion because I know everyone has their own....it’s more convenient and practical less faff and flawless clarity and safety at same time, I’ve got hearing issues from years of crap ear Defense and youth of the past!!! I used a local Hidden hearing centre and off you go simple, not the cheapest admittedly but really can you put a cost on your own health?? But I do think overkill if your not a regular shooter  

[Killfish1]

And as above....I used Howard Leigh ear defenders for years and they too are brilliant!! And I still use them now on occasion, best over ear...again my opinion, but to be fair like most and even the “best” they run out of batteries and do we ever replace them??!! Lol 

[Re-Pete]

I've been using these for a couple of years now: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-PELTOR-Level-Dependent-Earplug-LEP-200/?N=5002385+3290832991&rt=rud

Found the over-ear type always got dislodged slightly when on aim.

Pete

[No i deer]

I got some sportac ear defenders 👍

[KABOOM]

On 11/10/2019 at 10:43 AM, One on top of two said:

I believe there is a small bone behind the ear drum ,  or something along those lines . That does not get covered with plugs , however ear defenders that encompass the whole ear and surrounding area behind the ear offer better protection. There is plenty of info on the web that has been available for years on this subject.

Ear protection works best when doubled up, as in muffs plus plugs, that said I despise muffs as they don't seal over my glasses.

I undergo annual exams mandated by the govt in the USA, coal miner and its required in order to work. Im in my 9th year with noise levels that make gunfire seem pleasant I use plugs and to date no reduction in my hearing. In a perfect world some means of muff that would total seal, be cool when hot and warm when cold over plugs would be what I want.

[Barrelsniffer]

I was in same position few weeks ago looking for new and better ear defence and was using the howard leights for quite a few yrs, i posted similar post on here to see what the guys suggested were good, i recently bought the MSA Sordin with gel pads, but as yet due to lock down unable to try them out but heard good reviews from guys on here.

[Webley]

I use 3M Peltor ProTac Hunters and find them very comfortable to use and effective. I tend to forget I am wearing them quite quickly. They make it easy to have conversations at the range even when others are shooting.

Matt