Huh? Speak up.
ear protection
- Thread starter skeetlee
- Start date
CatShooter
LHSmith said:
No... 60db is 10 times louder than 50db.
53db is twice as loud as 50db.
Look it up.
I always found it to be an cumbersome and difficult to understand measuring system.
Like the Richter scale....a 5.0 is 10 times greater earthquake than a 4.0
There have been a number of posts in the past on ear protection in and one thing I feel for sure is normmatzen has a wealth of knowledge on the subject which he has shared.
Like the Richter scale....a 5.0 is 10 times greater earthquake than a 4.0
There have been a number of posts in the past on ear protection in and one thing I feel for sure is normmatzen has a wealth of knowledge on the subject which he has shared.
Cat shooter,
You are mixing up sound energy and sound pressure.
Sound Pressure Level ( SPL ) is the standard loudness metric and a 10 dB increase in pressure is a 3.16 times increase, not 10 times. A 10 dB increase in sound energy is 10 times.
An increase in volume of 2 times is 6 dB for SPL, and 10 times is 20 dB.
Sound energy is used to indicate energy related effects.
You are mixing up sound energy and sound pressure.
Sound Pressure Level ( SPL ) is the standard loudness metric and a 10 dB increase in pressure is a 3.16 times increase, not 10 times. A 10 dB increase in sound energy is 10 times.
An increase in volume of 2 times is 6 dB for SPL, and 10 times is 20 dB.
Sound energy is used to indicate energy related effects.
VaniB said:
I am interested in the answer to that question !
My latest muffs, Howard Leight Impact Sports (electronic) are about as good as they get for minimal contact with the stock - but I also use Sonic 11 ear plugs which have zero contact.
http://www.earplugstore.com/sonicvalveii.html
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
Google ZEM hearing protection, and then be prepared to think outside of the box. A few years back someone showed up with a version of the design by Allen. I tried them on, and was amazed at how well they worked. The latest version by this other manufacturer is rated at 31 db, the previous design, still available, is rated at 26db. They look like it would never work, but for me, they did. They also allow you to hear conversation and range commands, and have no electronics. The original patent was abandoned by the inventor, so I am under the impression that there is no restriction on who can manufacture them.
Interesting Boyd,
I traced the patent by Dr. Zwislocki and it wasn't abandoned, it simply ran out. If you notice on the first page of the patent, it references two Patents by Killion and Killion et al. That would be Dr Mead Killion, my boss at Etymotic Research for the last 10 years of my career as well as my friend and employer since retirement on various contracts.
The latest of those two patents refer to a device sold by Etymotic called ETY-PLUGS or previously ER-20. The claim to fame of these is that they reduce the noise level by 20 dB as well as maintaining high fidelity. This is not an easy task! These plugs are great for rock concerts or practicing musical instruments. Note, the attenuation is not 20 NRR, but 20 DB. They are easy to fit and the 20 dB was a design goal.
I don't know how they work for shooting as I have other plugs with better attenuation including my Etymotic GSB-15.
I did sell these on the net a few years ago as "The EarPlugGuy" mainly to motorcycle riders as the ER-20 is an ideal hearing protection under a helmet. And, it still allows hearing lower level sounds.
The ZEN device uses the same physics as the ETY-PLUG just bigger for more attenuation. I don't have a clue how it allows hearing soft sounds! But, it sounds like a good alternative to muffs!
I traced the patent by Dr. Zwislocki and it wasn't abandoned, it simply ran out. If you notice on the first page of the patent, it references two Patents by Killion and Killion et al. That would be Dr Mead Killion, my boss at Etymotic Research for the last 10 years of my career as well as my friend and employer since retirement on various contracts.
The latest of those two patents refer to a device sold by Etymotic called ETY-PLUGS or previously ER-20. The claim to fame of these is that they reduce the noise level by 20 dB as well as maintaining high fidelity. This is not an easy task! These plugs are great for rock concerts or practicing musical instruments. Note, the attenuation is not 20 NRR, but 20 DB. They are easy to fit and the 20 dB was a design goal.
I don't know how they work for shooting as I have other plugs with better attenuation including my Etymotic GSB-15.
I did sell these on the net a few years ago as "The EarPlugGuy" mainly to motorcycle riders as the ER-20 is an ideal hearing protection under a helmet. And, it still allows hearing lower level sounds.
The ZEN device uses the same physics as the ETY-PLUG just bigger for more attenuation. I don't have a clue how it allows hearing soft sounds! But, it sounds like a good alternative to muffs!
These will change your life:
http://hear-pro.com/shop/activeguard/
I wish I had bought them earlier. I use them all the time now when working with power tools, mowing the lawn, hunting and shooting(obviously). You only have one set of ears. If you get these, I promise you won't regret it.
http://hear-pro.com/shop/activeguard/
I wish I had bought them earlier. I use them all the time now when working with power tools, mowing the lawn, hunting and shooting(obviously). You only have one set of ears. If you get these, I promise you won't regret it.
Yes, I did. I am unable to wear ear muffs when shooting rifles or shotguns. Due to the shape of my face, they come in contact with the stock and lift up. I used the cheap molded plugs for a few years before going this route. They were worth every penny. They are basically hearing aids that cut off any noise above a certain decibel.
There are lots of things that we purchase for competition that are hard to justify the expense. Is the Nightforce Competition that much better than the Weaver scope I used to have on my rifle? I think so, but when you consider that the difference between those two scopes is less than what I paid for professionally fitted hearing protection, its not hard to see what is the better purchase. In 20 years when I'm not deaf from pulling out an ear plug to hear range commands, I will look back and be just as happy about the purchase as I am now.
If you would rather spend 2X as much for the same exact thing, ESP is another option:
http://espamerica.com/
You get one set of ears. How much are yours worth?
There are lots of things that we purchase for competition that are hard to justify the expense. Is the Nightforce Competition that much better than the Weaver scope I used to have on my rifle? I think so, but when you consider that the difference between those two scopes is less than what I paid for professionally fitted hearing protection, its not hard to see what is the better purchase. In 20 years when I'm not deaf from pulling out an ear plug to hear range commands, I will look back and be just as happy about the purchase as I am now.
If you would rather spend 2X as much for the same exact thing, ESP is another option:
http://espamerica.com/
You get one set of ears. How much are yours worth?
Or, pay 1/3 as much here;
www.etymotic.com
And look at EB-15, GSB-15 or any of the protectors they have. The cheapest one for musicians gives the same protection for less money!
PM me and I'll tell you why analog hearing protectors are better than Digital.
By the way, I use GSB-15's.
www.etymotic.com
And look at EB-15, GSB-15 or any of the protectors they have. The cheapest one for musicians gives the same protection for less money!
PM me and I'll tell you why analog hearing protectors are better than Digital.
By the way, I use GSB-15's.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.