A question for those who haved used in-ear electronic hearing protection

[Rich M]

Glad you are thinking about that now. Part of keeping your hearing is keeping the nerves stimulated but not enough to damage them.

 

[Alaskanopolis]

I just don’t like anything unnatural about sound. For those of us without actual hearing deficits, I can’t see putting something in my ears that modifies (even “enhances”) my hearing. I like using my natural God given abilities. I hang these around my neck and put them in my ears when I am about to shoot.

Honeywell Banded Style Earplugs with Reusable Pods | Cabela's

Protect your hearing while out on the range or running the lawnmower with the Honeywell® Banded Style Earplugs with Reusable Pods. Boasting an impressive 25dB noise reduction rating (NRR),

www.cabelas.com

For those that have hearing loss already and need some help, I can see the need

That works fine until you’re going in the alders after a wounded brown bear. That’s why I got the in ear. The sound is pretty natural and so forget I’m wearing them after a little bit. They’re not perfect but they’re way better than shooting with naked ears.

 

[mike935]

Well I bit the bullet and ordered a pair of SoundGear instant-fit plugs

Looking forward to trying them out when I go hunting in August. I'll report back and let y'all know what I think!

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I won't wear anything when I'm hunting until the final stalk or if predator calling, turning on the Foxpro, then I pop these in. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3I35HY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Kaisermn]

Been using Walkers Silencer Ear buds for a few years for turkey deer and waterfowl. Do a great job of cutting decibels from the shot, but wind noise can be a problem. Amplify quiet sounds which can mess with distance, but no direction. Tried using them for pheasant hunting, but walking and wind was too much, sometimes just wear one in my right ear while walking to save my ears as much as possible. Know reviews on line are mixed, just depends on what you want to use them for.

 

[seawolfxix]

Pulled the trigger on a custom set today. Decided to try the Westone DX5 since they appear to be one of the newest designs

They said their current backlog is ~4 weeks.

I sure hope they’re worth 5x the cost of the non-custom options.

 

[Lookout85]

Have worn same pair of soundgear for last 5 years plus. Love them. Great for upland (can hear dogs in woods when out of sight) as well as big game. Solid on the protection end of the spectrum as well. Chew through batteries every few days of use so have to keep a couple packages in pack or vest. If they quit working or got lost I would buy again immediately.

 

[TheGDog]

Have worn same pair of soundgear for last 5 years plus. Love them. Great for upland (can hear dogs in woods when out of sight) as well as big game. Solid on the protection end of the spectrum as well. Chew through batteries every few days of use so have to keep a couple packages in pack or vest. If they quit working or got lost I would buy again immediately.

So which of their products have you been using?

 

[Lookout85]

I think they are called Instant Fit now. When i got them they were the only product they sold, so no real name.

 

[mike935]

Well I just got back from a hunt using my new Soundgear Industrial instant fit. I’m pretty impressed. They are much better than electronic muffs for retaining your natural / directional heating. Not perfect, not exactly like having nothing in your ears, but very close. I’ll be wearing them whenever I’m hunting with other hunters nearby, or on my own when I may need to take a quick shot (pigs).

for deer hunting alone, when I have a bit of time to plug in earplugs I might not use them.

only prob I’ve been having is getting them to seal in my ear properly. Might just be the shape of my ears. I really have to push them in hard, and even then they don’t always seal properly and the gun shot hurts my ear. Maybe one day when I get rich I’ll spring for the custom molded version from soundgear

 

[willidru]

I started wearing custom pair from esp a few years back. Very expensive but definitely worth it. Getting the fit properly is key, my first set wasn’t perfect and I got some back feed when moving or if it was windy. Had a 2nd set of molds made and they are great (no cost from esp to remake molds). My hearing isn’t something I’m willing to part with and for what I spend on guns, gear and everything else outdoors it was worth it to me.

ESP Apex - Premium Digital Hearing Protection For Shooting

Looking for a custom fit digital hearing protection? ESP Apex, a premium digital hearing protection, possesses the highest quality digital sound and speaker quality available.

www.espamerica.com

 

[NatefromVT]

Mayo Clinic cochlear implant audiologist here. We localize sound using interaural (between ear) time differences (below 1 kHz) and interaural level differences (above 1 kHz). So being able to tell where sound is coming from is a two ear task. A lot of the electronic muffs use one microphone two speakers since that's cheaper to manufacture. You will not get any localization from this set up. Some of them use two totally independent microphone/circuitry/speakers. This is better but not perfect because the microphone placement isn't correct. In the ear options are always independent circuitry and the microphones are close to the natural place (preserving pinna effects), so as long as you get your level set equivocally between your ears, you'll be mostly good for localization. Determining distance is going to be a level cue which again comes back to getting your volume set correctly.

Science aside, I've had good luck with my custom SoundGear and recommend them. I believe they are the most cost effective option, though that may have changed since I got mine a few years ago. Know that the non-custom options may or may not work for you depending on your ear canals.
My biggest complaint is that getting the volume set correctly can be a chore, and they have a "tinny" sound quality. Walking through grass is more noisy than it is to me naturally, for example. I have used mine on pheasant and goose hunts without a problem.

Good on you for wanting to protect your hearing. I have patients come though all the time who have significant hearing loss from shooting with ears unprotected "only a couple times a year while hunting." You're smart to prevent hearing loss in the first place. If you can swing it, get custom. You'll get a better fit and better sound attenuation, though I understand it can be quite pricey.

Hopefully that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.


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I'm coming late to this discussion but after looking at all of the options, I think I've come up with a cheaper solution for skeet and trap shooting outdoors. Curious to hear your thoughts, Westonadkins.

This is what I told a friend of mine when she asked what I was using for hearing protection:

You basically have two options. You can get the big, dorky over-the-ear muffs that are incredibly well reviewed and work great. The Howard Leights are 50 bucks and I've used mine for years.

HOWEVER... they are only good for one thing, and that's shooting. Also, you'll want shooting glasses with flat arms, so they fit under the ear muffs easily. Otherwise it creates a gap, and in my experience that gap lets in noise.

My second option, the one that I use 100% of the time for clay shooting nowadays, is to get a pair of Jabra 65t Actives, and pair them with specialized foam ear tips that are meant for running (ie: they are sweat proof). Pricing is $120 for the ear buds, and 20 bucks for three pairs of Comply foam tips. Please note this isn't an approved solution for hearing protection, but it has worked very well for me. YMMV.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H3DJXHZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_KDFFFbBBMGQD9

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RDZTYY/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_KzFFFbH03ED78

Here is why I like the latter option more:
1) The ear buds are multi-use. I use mine to listen to music, join conference calls, go mountain biking, go running, and on flights, I don't even turn them on - I rely on the squishy expanding foam tips to drown out the outside noise.
2) They sound great for music.
3) You can enable 'hear-through mode' by double-tapping the right ear button. This was meant for joggers to be able to hear sounds around them while running and listening to music, but in my experience, I toggle the sound on and off for shooting skeet and clays. (Note: for shooting rifle at the range, I want the most ear protection I can get, so I double up on foam ear plugs and over the ear protection).

Basically it works like this - while shooting the buds isolate the gunfire report, and as we walk to the next station, I'll double-tap the earpiece so we can all chat. Then I'll double-tap again as we resume shooting. I can still hear range commands, but the report of the guns is dramatically reduced.

The only problem with the latter solution is that the foam tips for ear buds are sticky, so they don't fall out while you're exercising. If you jam them into the charging case, they can be tough to pull out. My solution - I just take them off and put them back into the little plastic case the foam tips came in.

Hope this helps some folks!
Nate

 

[FWoodKyle]

I have the OTTOs. FYI, you can buy the knockoff foam replacements on Amazon. They get expensive on their website

 

[Kindo]

Pulled the trigger on a custom set today. Decided to try the Westone DX5 since they appear to be one of the newest designs

They said their current backlog is ~4 weeks.

I sure hope they’re worth 5x the cost of the non-custom options.

How do you like these so far? Narrowing down my search here in the coming months and it’s looking like Sound Gear and Westone are the two contenders for custom fit units. Thanks!

 

[seawolfxix]

How do you like these so far? Narrowing down my search here in the coming months and it’s looking like Sound Gear and Westone are the two contenders for custom fit units. Thanks!

They’re good, but I was a little underwhelmed by the performance. 5x the “non-custom” price does not equal 5x the performance. They seem to go for ~$600 internationally, but Westone is the exclusive USA distributor, and they charge ~$1400 domestically.

If I had to do it again, I think I would try another brand in the $500-$1000 range.

 

[Kindo]

They’re good, but I was a little underwhelmed by the performance. 5x the “non-custom” price does not equal 5x the performance. They seem to go for ~$600 internationally, but Westone is the exclusive USA distributor, and they charge ~$1400 domestically.

If I had to do it again, I think I would try another brand in the $500-$1000 range.

Thanks. Any brands/styles in particular?

 

[seawolfxix]

Thanks. Any brands/styles in particular?

I’d give WildEar a shot if I had an extra $1,000 lying around.

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

Does anyone have any experience with the Pro Ears brand? Looking at the Pro Fit Sport or the Pro Fit Classic