Thread: Best Ear Protection for Shooting Range?

Originally Posted by Cyclops

I use Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones on both smallbore and fullbore rifle ranges.

They are a noise cancelling bluetooth stereo headphone.
Lightweight and comfortable.
USB-C charging, can be charged off a battery pack if flat at the range.

Not very water resistant, but if its wet they're worn under the hood of a raincoat.

They are the most comfortable noise cancelling headphones I've ever worn and have noise cancelling as good as any other I've worn.
I've worn them next to a noisy F-Open rifle without any issues.

The only disadvantage is when they've synch'd to my phone and my wife calls me in the middle of shooting.
It's happened. She forgets the instruction is to text not call when I'm at the range.

They also are a great stereo headset paired my TV, phone, laptop, tablet.

I wonder how well noise cancelling headphones work ?
Guessing they dont seal out ambient noise but create out of phase sound of similar intensity.
Presumably they have a limit like 90dB so you dont play music too loud.
Can they respond quickly and really cancel out even 20dB of gunshot ?

I came across a guy with noise cancelling headphones at our range day last month and leant him a pair of Sordins.

@Cyclops how do you find them ?
Any tinnitus after a day on the range ?

Originally Posted by Bagheera

I wonder how well noise cancelling headphones work ?
Guessing they dont seal out ambient noise but create out of phase sound of similar intensity.
Presumably they have a limit like 90dB so you dont play music too loud.
Can they respond quickly and really cancel out even 20dB of gunshot ?

I came across a guy with noise cancelling headphones at our range day last month and leant him a pair of Sordins.

@Cyclops how do you find them ?
Any tinnitus after a day on the range ?

I find the SOny WH-1000xM4 as good as, if not better than any "proper" electronic ear muffs I have used.
They are lighter weight and more comfortable to wear all day. Cheaper too.
The noise cancelling works on the range - when you've got shooters either side of you firing there is no problem.

No tinnitus, no aching head, after a day on the range.

Haven't tried them in the wet - this could be a problem.

The only problem is with them pairing to my phone then my wife rings me when I'm in the middle of a string.
Turning bluetooth off on the phone solves this.