In-Ear Hearing Protection

[Doc Holliday]

I have tried all of them, and have not had success with them staying in my ears. One too many shots with a muzzle brake with them not seated just right and my left ear has been ringing ever since. 3M Skull screws for me from here on out. They go in, stay in, are comfortable, can be reused many times, and I can still hear with them in. And they are also cheap.

 

[scattergun]

@Doc Holliday

3M has the EEP-100, which is active in-ear setup that can be used with those plugs. Works great!

 

[Quadzilla32]

@Doc Holliday

3M has the EEP-100, which is active in-ear setup that can be used with those plugs. Works great!

Have you tried them with a brake? have a 300 WM with a brake and want something that will let me hear during hunting but will protect

 

[scattergun]

Have you tried them with a brake? have a 300 WM with a brake and want something that will let me hear during hunting but will protect

Yes, I’ve used the in-ear set for spotting a braked .338 Lapua to the side and they were more than enough. I brought over-ear Sordins with the gel pads just in case I needed to double up, but found I didn’t need them.



I wouldn’t have done that without these tips, though:



I tried out some different ear guards using calibrated test noises, and found that the EEP-100s with the big foam tips gave better isolation than any over-ear set when properly fitted. The silicone and smaller foam tips aren’t as effective.

 

[BigE]

I bought the Axil GS 2.0 Extreme two pack and split with a buddy. My plan is to use them elk hunting this year and see how they are in the woods. I have not yet worn them for more than an hour or two at a time, so not sure on the all day comfort or the ability to hear noises directionally while hunting. Also I have not yet tried to quickly insert the ears effectively. Planning to do this in the next few months.

While testing during target shooting days, the performance of noise cancellation is good if you get them in your ears right. The included instructions are lacking. What worked for me is to squeeze the foam as much as I can on one ear then get it situated in the ear before it expands back to full size, repeat for the other side. While they are in your ear with the device off, check to see if you can hear noises normally in both ears or if it is muffled as you'd expect. If they aren't situated repeat until it's right. This is somewhat fiddly for me.

My buddy wears foam hearing protection at his job all the time and wasn't impressed by the Axil foam. He plans on taking a pair of his work devices and drilling out the center to retrofit on the Axils to see if he can get a better and easier fitment.

After we adjusted them in our ears, the performance was good but not as great as the electronic muffs like our peltor or walker ears, but that wasn't expected. We were shooting pistols and rifles with several others using 22lr on up to 30-06 and 300 win mag with a brake.

We felt that the Axil's were good enough hearing protection for a day of shooting without issue.

 

[deltadukman]

Meateater just had a hearing specialist on, worth a listen!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am assuming the podcast with Dr. Grace Sturdivant at Oto Pro. She used to work with my wife as an audiologist in their ENT department. She knows her stuff and is a great person. She and her products are getting big time but before they went national a lot of people in Mississippi started using them. I never worried about my hearing until I married my wife who is a nurse practitioner in an ENT clinic. Had sudden ringing in my ears one day and had a hearing test done. I am basically deaf in my left(barrel forward) ear from years of shooting unprotected. I now wear hearing protection 100% of the time. Take care of your ears because once damaged, they are as good as they will ever be as there is no way to make them better. If interested I implore you to look into OtoPro's products.

 

[willidru]

I use ESP Dynamics

 

[2ski]

I am assuming the podcast with Dr. Grace Sturdivant at Oto Pro. She used to work with my wife as an audiologist in their ENT department. She knows her stuff and is a great person. She and her products are getting big time but before they went national a lot of people in Mississippi started using them. I never worried about my hearing until I married my wife who is a nurse practitioner in an ENT clinic. Had sudden ringing in my ears one day and had a hearing test done. I am basically deaf in my left(barrel forward) ear from years of shooting unprotected. I now wear hearing protection 100% of the time. Take care of your ears because once damaged, they are as good as they will ever be as there is no way to make them better. If interested I implore you to look into OtoPro's products.

Anyone have any experience with these?

I'm thinking of getting some for bird hunting but everyone's experience with a lot of these and wind doesn't seem positive. Wind kind of goes along with upland birds....

 

[deltadukman]

Anyone have any experience with these?

I'm thinking of getting some for bird hunting but everyone's experience with a lot of these and wind doesn't seem positive. Wind kind of goes along with upland birds....

2ski. Give her a buzz. She is pretty easy to get in touch with and super friendly and helpful. Look on her website and shoot her an email, she'll probably answer any questions you need. I have a friend who goes all over the world wing shooting and he loves them. I know several people who have them and they love them. I am getting a pair sometime soon when I can slow down long enough.

OtoPro Technologies

OtoPro is an efficient, high end service delivery model for individuals at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. We provide unparalleled customer service, audiological expertise, best-in-class products, and local relationships with hearing care providers for early diagnosis and treatment of...

otoprotechnologies.com

 

[EastHumboldt]

I’ve heard it said somewhere that without earmuffs, sound travels through that bony protuberance behind the ear and can damage the delicate bone structure inside. Meaning that “in ear” plugs are not quite enough for shooting and other hi dB situations. Muffs cover that bone. Is this an old wives tale?

That being said, I realize that muffs are not practical for the field. I won’t even get out of my truck at the range unless I’m wearing them. Our range has a metal roof over it, and one rifle shot under that thing causes physical pain.

 

[405winash]

I’ve heard it said somewhere that without earmuffs, sound travels through that bony protuberance behind the ear and can damage the delicate bone structure inside. Meaning that “in ear” plugs are not quite enough for shooting and other hi dB situations. Muffs cover that bone. Is this an old wives tale?

That being said, I realize that muffs are not practical for the field. I won’t even get out of my truck at the range unless I’m wearing them. Our range has a metal roof over it, and one rifle shot under that thing causes physical pain.

I can’t use walkers in the ear with muzzle brake

 

[HandgunHTR]

Anyone have any experience with these?

I'm thinking of getting some for bird hunting but everyone's experience with a lot of these and wind doesn't seem positive. Wind kind of goes along with upland birds....

I just had my ears "moulded". I expect to have mine within a month or two. For most of my hunting, I use a suppressor and the neck-band foamies. However, I have a couple of bird hunts coming up this year and a moose hunt in Canada next year that I won't be able to use a suppressor on, so I am going to go with these rather than wearing electronic muffs.

 

[2ski]

I just had my ears "moulded". I expect to have mine within a month or two. For most of my hunting, I use a suppressor and the neck-band foamies. However, I have a couple of bird hunts coming up this year and a moose hunt in Canada next year that I won't be able to use a suppressor on, so I am going to go with these rather than wearing electronic muffs.

Which ones did you get? The $1200 ones or the $275?

 

[2ski]

2ski. Give her a buzz. She is pretty easy to get in touch with and super friendly and helpful. Look on her website and shoot her an email, she'll probably answer any questions you need. I have a friend who goes all over the world wing shooting and he loves them. I know several people who have them and they love them. I am getting a pair sometime soon when I can slow down long enough.

OtoPro Technologies

OtoPro is an efficient, high end service delivery model for individuals at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. We provide unparalleled customer service, audiological expertise, best-in-class products, and local relationships with hearing care providers for early diagnosis and treatment of...

otoprotechnologies.com

Which ones are you thinking? The super expensive ones or just the couple hundred $ ones?

 

[Theringworm]

I just purchased this last week and tested it this last weekend at the range which worked great: https://www.otto-comm.com/NoizeBarrierMicro

I did change the ear tips to Comply tips though for added comfort as I run Complys on about any earbud I wear. They are the most natural-sounding ear protection I've used so far. On low mode, I would not say it is as loud as without ear protection, but maybe 80% volume so I ran them on high which felt about 120% volume.

Here is a review of these earbuds on this forum as well: https://www.rokslide.com/otto-noizebarrier-micro-ear-protection-review/

I run the exact same setup. They work extremely well. I took them on my Alaska bear hunt last Sept shooting a 375 H&H without a break and had no issues. Also wore them all deer season this past fall/winter and also to the range. About 4 weeks ago I took them out to recharge and still had around 60% charge left in the battery case. I was impressed. For the price they work better than expected.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Which ones did you get? The $1200 ones or the $275?

I went with the Sound Gear Phantom ones ($1400). They are Bluetooth enabled, and rechargeable. As I already have about 45% hearing loss in my left ear, it is a small price to pay to protect what is left. Also, since they are Bluetooth, I can use them instead of ear-buds for calls or streaming while doing yard work.

 

[2ski]

I went with the Sound Gear Phantom ones ($1400). They are Bluetooth enabled, and rechargeable. As I already have about 45% hearing loss in my left ear, it is a small price to pay to protect what is left. Also, since they are Bluetooth, I can use them instead of ear-buds for calls or streaming while doing yard work.

Ok. Thats what I was afraid of. Those are a little outside my price range.

I left a message with them so hopefully they get back to me today.

 

[Novahunter]

I had a pair of the Walker RAZORs, they didn't even last 1 season. First time they got really wet, they shorted out and were ruined.

I've had a pair of 3M Peltor TEP 100s for a few years now. Probably shot 8 to 10 PRS matches with them in various weather conditions, and I use then while hunting as well. They work quite well. The rechargeable case is also quite nice for storage and travel.

I would say battery life is decent, not amazing. Usually, I get about halfway through a match with them on 100% of the time and at the high setting. Lower setting will give longer battery life, and I have started toggling down volume when not talking to someone, and that gives me a couple more hours. They charge quickly though.

 

[deltadukman]

Which ones are you thinking? The super expensive ones or just the couple hundred $ ones?

Probably some of the higher end ones. I am about deaf in my barrel forward ear as evidenced by a hearing test and my wife's clinic. Had no idea I was and I turkey hunt a lot and never seemed to not notice anything or have directional confusion. I woke up one morning with ringing and she said I had what's called a sudden hearing drop in my left ear.