Hearing Protection Recommendations, please

[cohland]

I need some recommendations for hearing protection. Currently I shoot USPSA regularly, and when I'm doing RO duty I have some specific hearing requirements: I need to hear well enough to identify the unique sound of a "squib" round, to hear normal conversation, and yet have enough protection for a full day of shooting.

The hearing protection I currently use, the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic ear muffs, perform perfectly, with one exception: comfort. I wear prescription shooting glasses, and after about three hours of exposure the pressure of the earmuffs against the temples of the glasses pressing against my head becomes very uncomfortable. I wouldn't call it painful, because I can block it out temporarily, but I find myself taking my earmuffs off at every opportunity late in the day to get some relief. I have been using these earmuffs for three years, and they show no sign of wearing out, but the comfort is now an issue.

What I think I want is something with the same noise reduction and voice amplification capability as my current earmuffs, but with much softer ear cups. Today I tried foam plugs, and they block out too much sound for my purposes.

Has anyone on the forum encountered the specific comfort problem that I have, and if so, how did you solve it?

Thanks,

Chris

[pjb45]

Look into Clark's offerings of Gel pads. I put them on my MSA's and have not regretted it. In fact, I put them on a friend's pair also.

The idea is to also provide protection for the bones surrounding the ear also. I can use my SV (read: very noisy) Open gun without having to double plug.

http://www.davidclark.com/HeadsetPgs/accessry.htm

[rishii]

Peltor tactical pro

The nrr is 25, great electronics, and the come with the gel seals

Very comfortable to wear all day, well as confortable as can be for earmuffs

I got mine from amazon, last time I looked they were about 200 bucks

I've got a set of the Howard leight's also and just plain hate them, the ear cups are too shallow and squish my ears

[Jaxshooter]

MSA Sordin Supreme they are pricey but will outlast most of the rest. I have had mine 6+ years and they are as good as new. Definately get the gel ear pads. I shoot two very loud open guns with just my earmuffs.

[gng4life]

How big are you eyeglass temples and temple covers? If they are an odd shape or too large, no matter what pads you get, there will never be a good seal. The key is to get glasses that have a very thin or narrow temple and cover. Finding the right combination of glasses and ear protection is tough sometimes but like it was mentioned before, protect the small bones in that area and get the best seal possible with the highest NRR you can find. What prescription shooting glasses do you wear now? Of course, having electronics for hearing is important. I was just RO'ing last week and a lady had a squib on the line. The electronics in my ProEars are excellent and I had no problems identifying that sound. And I don't walk away with ringing in my ears after a full day of RO'ing.

[cohland]

How big are you eyeglass temples and temple covers? If they are an odd shape or too large, no matter what pads you get, there will never be a good seal. The key is to get glasses that have a very thin or narrow temple and cover. ....What prescription shooting glasses do you wear now? .

I've about given up on using temple covers, they just add too much bulk. I have some prescription safety glasses that are heavier than I would like. I have tried using Bollé Vigilante wraparound prescription glasses and three different pairs of wire-framed prescription glasses, two of which are aviator-style. At the moment I'm using a pair of aviator-style glasses from CostCo.

Chris

[cohland]

MSA Sordin Supreme they are pricey but will outlast most of the rest. I have had mine 6+ years and they are as good as new. Definately get the gel ear pads. I shoot two very loud open guns with just my earmuffs.

Thank you, I had never heard of them until your post. I will put them on the list to try if the Peltor Tactical Pro doesn't work out.

Chris

[cohland]

Peltor tactical pro

The nrr is 25, great electronics, and the come with the gel seals

Very comfortable to wear all day, well as confortable as can be for earmuffs

I got mine from amazon, last time I looked they were about 200 bucks

I've got a set of the Howard leight's also and just plain hate them, the ear cups are too shallow and squish my ears

This is the one I settled on after some research. I have them on order from Midway, so if they don't work out for any reason I can return them. Thank you for the feedback.

Chris

[cohland]

Look into Clark's offerings of Gel pads. I put them on my MSA's and have not regretted it. In fact, I put them on a friend's pair also.

The idea is to also provide protection for the bones surrounding the ear also. I can use my SV (read: very noisy) Open gun without having to double plug.

http://www.davidclark.com/HeadsetPgs/accessry.htm

After looking at their website I was not sure that I could fit Clark's pads to any shooting earmuffs. Thank you for the lead, I will keep them in mind.

Chris

[ramairbrc]

I used the biggest Pro Ears for years, linear elite. But recently one of the battery leads broke and it was too old for Pro Ears to fix. So, I bought the Peltor ears for $60. My ears have been ringing for several months, so I used my Pro Ears yesterday, though only one side "worked". My ears did ring any louder last night, they actually ring less today.

So, I'd buy Pro Ears, or something with a 30 SV db rating or higher.

[eric nielsen]

Gel ear seals are the way to go for pilot headsets - they just go around your temple-pieces instead of pressing on them. Sporty's Pilot Shop or Gulf Coast Avionics usually have replacement seals for any headset or earmuffs.

[Mark R]

I use the Hear-Pro electronic ear plugs. 39 dB rating and they work great. They are comfortable and have 4 settings. Set on 4, you can hear a lot of things far away. Good for hunting in the woods. I use setting 1 for shooting. I shoot an open 38 SC gun and no issues to date.

I would have never tried them unless I was offered a slot on the 2013 Hear-Pro shooting team. Now that I have a set, I'm glad I got them. I used Dillon electronic muffs, but like you, after a few hours of wear my ears and head would begin to hurt from the constant pressure.

The plugs also make it great for rifle and shotgun shooting. No big muffs to get in the way.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Mark R

[Hello]

I used the biggest Pro Ears for years, linear elite. But recently one of the battery leads broke and it was too old for Pro Ears to fix. So, I bought the Peltor ears for $60. My ears have been ringing for several months, so I used my Pro Ears yesterday, though only one side "worked". My ears did ring any louder last night, they actually ring less today.

So, I'd buy Pro Ears, or something with a 30 SV db rating or higher.

My ears ring horribly, sounds like when the TV station does the emergency broadcast… only all the time. The doc’s I’ve been to think medications, like Advil, or medication in combination with caffeine are the main contributors not noise, all though I worked flight line for years.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Hello

[HeinrichDerLowe]

What's the scoop on the gel pads? Is it a primarily a noise reduction or comfort benefit, or both?

[cohland]

What's the scoop on the gel pads? Is it a primarily a noise reduction or comfort benefit, or both?

I have seen Peltor gel seals advertised on pilot websites (http://www.marvgolden.com/peltor-gel-seals-hy80.html?gclid=CMPuyv2x-LYCFaU5QgoduAQAjQ) where the main benefit cited is comfort.

Having bought the Peltor Tactical Pro electronic earmuffs, I can report that they perform as advertised, with better sound amplification and better sound protection than what I was using previously. They are also MUCH more comfortable, but I'm still considering buying the Peltor gel seals, mainly because I don't think there should be a limit on comfort.

Chris

[Eyefly]

I have a set of MSA with their gel pads. Super comfortable and they keep my ears warm in the winter. Their noise rating is 28 db. And there is a jack to connect to an iPod if you want.

[Zeke013]

I have a set of MSA with their gel pads. Super comfortable and they keep my ears warm in the winter. Their noise rating is 28 db. And there is a jack to connect to an iPod if you want.

I think they are 18 . . .

ETA - They are, at least the Sordin Supreme Pro Xs are.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Zeke013

[HeinrichDerLowe]

Thanks for the info. I'm in the market for some better earpro after my Peltor Tactical 6s' failed on their second match.

[furyalecto]

You can take this with a grain of salt, but althought the NRR rating of the MSA's may be lower, I think the MSA's are subjectively comparable to earmuffs with higher NRR ratings. I slightly prefer my MSA's to my big Pro Ears.

I could be wrong, but if you search I think you will see that a lot of people are happy with their noise reduction in comparison to other muffs.

I double-plug regardless of what muff I am wearing. I RO a bunch of loud open guns and shoot one on occasion. I don't want to lose any more hearing than has already gone away.

[my00wrx1]

MSA Sordin with the gel ear seals are the go.

[Brian Payne]

MSA Sordins with Gel Pad gets my vote as well. I have tried Peltors and Pro ears, while very nice, these are better for me. I have been in the rain with these without problems but I can't attest to if they are actually "waterproof".

[Zeke013]

I am taking a leap of faith based on consistently good reviews. Sordins with gel pads are on their way!

[P.E. Kelley]

I am taking a leap of faith based on consistently good reviews. Sordins with gel pads are on their way!

Why did you buy?

[cohland]

I am taking a leap of faith based on consistently good reviews. Sordins with gel pads are on their way!

Why did you buy?

(deleted)

Edited May 6, 2013 by cohland

[Zeke013]

I am taking a leap of faith based on consistently good reviews. Sordins with gel pads are on their way!

Why did you buy?

1) They are waterproof - a requirement in Portland. 2) They get great reviews for relieving pressure from eye wear, an essential for a guy shooting two three-day matches this summer. 3) I haven't read a bad review yet.