In ear, electronic hearing protection recommendations please.

[SteveOak]

Drs (Oncologist, not wife. LOL) orders I must wear a hat with a wide brim. This obviates the use of ear muffs with an over the head band.

I have a pair of fitted ear plugs that work good but I would like to find electronic earplugs to make it easier to hear range commands and hold conversations without removing them.

Kudos to Peltor. I RO'd at the Monday at the Range for the Shot Show in 2015. One of the things they gave us was a pair of Peltor 300 electronic ear muffs I have been using ever since. The ear surround is about a half step less torture than waterboarding but since I replaced the ear surrounds with some aftermarket surrounds with nice, cushy gel inside, they've been great, even with glasses.

What is your experiance with electronic in ear hearing protection?

Thanks!

 

[DLT]

Etymotic gun sport pros. I have had the same pair for 4 or 5 years now. Only wish they were rechargeable

 

[cavedweller60]

I know several people that use the OTTOs and they love them. I haven't worked up the nerve to pay that much yet but, I probably will eventually.

 

[Greg Y]

I bought these on a group buy for $100 and feel that's a great deal. They work excellent and I can hear almost better with them on the loud setting.

https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Reduction-Construction-Manufacturing-Maintenance/dp/B0C488WFCV?tag=accuratescom-20

Forum Boss: Note these are rechargeable.

 

[Rank Amateur]

OTTO and don’t look back. Quiet, comfortable, expensive. Different response than other electronic buds/muffs I’ve used. Most cut sound when a shot is detected. OTTOs substantially diminish the sound. So you still hear the shot (including the tone/character of the sound) but quietly. OTTOs have two selectable sound levels (normal and enhanced). You can hear conversation/commands with either, but with enhanced everything is louder so you don’t even have the urge to raise your own voice (as most commonly do when wearing electronic hearing protection). I don’t recommend using the enhanced level when actually shooting since the muffled shot sound is also louder in the enhanced mode. As an aside, I purchased the Etymotic Gun Sport Elite buds (rechargable versions of the Gun Sport Pro), and I bought the OTTO NoizeBarrier Micro for my wife as they looked similar and the Etymotics were out of stock. Other than the case color (OTTO case is brownish and Etymotic case is black) I believe these are actually identical. I suspect the Etymotics are made by OTTO and just rebranded. Both offer up to 40db impulse reduction with the foam tips. I have been using the triple flange tips for ease of insertion and they also produce perfectly acceptable sound levels (though I’d recommend the foam tips if you are shooting next to someone with a muzzle brake).

 

[fx77]

Custom fit to a mold o your ear canal

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www.espamerica.com

 

[Emmett Dibble]

https://www.amazon.com/ISOtunes-Sport-Caliber-Shooting-Earbuds/dp/B09SGRC8S5/?tag=accuratescom-20

I’ve had these for over a year. They work “OK”… I don’t feel they squelch large rifle blasts fast enough. Handgun/smallbore/(mowing the yard) they work great. Battery life is 6-8 hours.

 

[rr2030]

I purchased AXIL 2.0 Ear Buds. While bird hunting I am unable to hear the Quail flush soon enough to get on target. I also wanted ear protection that had a lanyard so I don't lose them in the field. These work well for the intended purpose, and I have been using them for IDPA also. Surprisingly, they work for Rifle shooting with all but the heaviest, or annoying of calibers.

 

[DiRTY DOG]

Walker Rope works excellent and cheap. They also have a bluetooth version if you want to listen to podcasts/music while shooting. I own both and they work great. 29dB is better than regular e-muffs. The biggest fault is there is no foam over the microphones so wind noise can be annoying if it's windy. Glueing a thin piece of foam on it would likely fix that.