In ear hearing protectors - Recommendations

Hi all,

I’m looking for recommendations on in ear hearing protectors. The type I’m looking for are the electronic ones which block sound as you fire the rifle to protect your hearing.

I’ve seen some of the prices here in New Zealand and wonder if anyone recommend any particular brands and models. Also, there seem to be knock off products (Temu etc), which also reduced decibel levels and maybe just as good for a lot less money.

Any information appreciated. Cheers


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I've tried the Peltor Sport Tac liked them but found they interfere with your cheeks to stock positioning. Tried a set of Howard Leight Impact Sport and found the same issue they both do the job but I liked the Peltor more.

Fine for bird shooting, but will find when walking with them in, sweat can be an issue.

had axill ghost stryke? in ears, great for hunting as they also amplified general sounds. On the range they suppress the shot noise on your rifle/shotgun very well but...................
on a range not so good. When I used them for sporting clays they tend to amplify the shot noise from those shooting on other stations. Quite annoying.
Enough to stop me replacing them when I broke them.

these ones
https://goaxil.com/products/gx-extreme

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Originally Posted by sjjs

I've tried the Peltor Sport Tac liked them but found they interfere with your cheeks to stock positioning. Tried a set of Howard Leight Impact Sport and found the same issue they both do the job but I liked the Peltor more.

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Great feedback re the stock hitting them, I hadnt thought of that thx.

Peltor do an electronic earplug, two volume settings, a little case that recharges them and they come with different sized earbuds. Very good, haven't used them much but they have been good so far.

The sporttac and Howard Leight ones are over ear earmuffs, not earplugs so if you are looking for electronic plugs you shouldn't have an issue with the stock? To be fair as well, I use the full size Grade 5 Tactical earmuffs from Peltor and have no issues with stock clearance.

Post #4 in this thread gives my experience which you might find useful: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....arplugs-62842/

One of those did stop working in 2023 (12 years) and I looked around the options again before replacing them with a set of Starkey Soundgear Platinum. These are better than my originals in terms of battery life, otherwise very similar. I don't tend to use the extra modes much.

In-ear are not protection. A lot of damage comes from pressure around the ear

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Originally Posted by caberslash

In-ear are not protection. A lot of damage comes from pressure around the ear

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'Protection' is not binary - it's a question of degree. Nothing is perfect, but to equate in-ear protection with no protection is just silly.

Noise attenuation through bone transfer (around the ear) is about 40dB anyway as far I know. Putting that aside, a shot with and without plugs in will quickly demonstrate a significant difference!

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Originally Posted by caberslash

In-ear are not protection. A lot of damage comes from pressure around the ear

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Sorry, you're barking up the wrong tree there.

For std shoulder-fired arms, air conducted ( ie through the ear canal) sound is what does the damage. Bone conducted sounded is irrelevant as there is a good 50dB impedance mismatch at the skin/bone interface.

I use custom-moulded electronic plugs made from high end hearing aids. These aren't a commercial item. I fire thousands of rounds a year and cop a far greater number of close reports from F-Class shooting. These plugs provide quite adequate protection for me.

BTW, I'm a retired clinical audiologist

This is part of the reason really noisy environments use shields over the mouth when you are expected to talk to someone else a lot while in the noise - airline aprons and the like are a good one. If you have a look the guy marshalling and on the headset has a mouth shield containing the mic just to drop the noise going into your gob down a bit over the course of a shift. That's continuous noise, constant exposure which is way more than the average shooter experiences as each gunshot is as loud as a really noisy aircraft but only an impluse, where the aircraft is continuous noise.

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Originally Posted by 6x47

Sorry, you're barking up the wrong tree there.

For std shoulder-fired arms, air conducted ( ie through the ear canal) sound is what does the damage. Bone conducted sounded is irrelevant as there is a good 50dB impedance mismatch at the skin/bone interface.

I use custom-moulded electronic plugs made from high end hearing aids. These aren't a commercial item. I fire thousands of rounds a year and cop a far greater number of close reports from F-Class shooting. These plugs provide quite adequate protection for me.

BTW, I'm a retired clinical audiologist

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Great post could you supply details on your ear protectors they sound very good.
I play drums and used musician ear plugs -I think 25db? They had a filter so I could still hear the singers but they saved my hearing big time from my drum kit (it’s LOUD back there).
Also what’s your opinion on the fb level minimum to look for re electronic ear plugs? I want to be able to speak quietly and hear people close by me, but save the damage from shooting.


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As I said, the plugs I have (two pairs actually) are entirely custom built from high-end hearing aid components. Not only were they one-offs but the custom shell fabrication was another challenge. The mics were shifted from their normal place to give far greater wind protection.

Before I retired, I tried to get some more made for a mate but even by calling in some favours, it just wasn't possible. Without getting into the specifics, ironically the current electronics lack a feature necessary to handle that sort of impulse noise.

There are clearly some current options for electronic plugs but getting these built into decent custom shells is the real problem. Many of the "fit-all" proprietary options use multi-flange soft tips that either don't seal well and/or don't anchor securely.

Good luck in your search. I'm guessing the musician's plugs you mention are the Etymotic Research ones? I don't understand what you mean by "fb level minimum".

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Originally Posted by 6x47

As I said, the plugs I have (two pairs actually) are entirely custom built from high-end hearing aid components. Not only were they one-offs but the custom shell fabrication was another challenge. The mics were shifted from their normal place to give far greater wind protection.

Before I retired, I tried to get some more made for a mate but even by calling in some favours, it just wasn't possible. Without getting into the specifics, ironically the current electronics lack a feature necessary to handle that sort of impulse noise.

There are clearly some current options for electronic plugs but getting these built into decent custom shells is the real problem. Many of the "fit-all" proprietary options use multi-flange soft tips that either don't seal well and/or don't anchor securely.

Good luck in your search. I'm guessing the musician's plugs you mention are the Etymotic Research ones? I don't understand what you mean by "fb level minimum".

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Meant fb (decibel) level.

My stunning ones were an older brand called Earsavers.

Will keep looking in the market to see what suits -Pelotor may have to be the option


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by 6x47

There are clearly some current options for electronic plugs but getting these built into decent custom shells is the real problem. Many of the "fit-all" proprietary options use multi-flange soft tips that either don't seal well and/or don't anchor securely.

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FYI, the ones I mentioned in my post above are custom shells and readily available. Just not particularly cheap!

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Originally Posted by Mrfants

Meant fb (decibel) level.

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Will keep looking in the market to see what suits -Pelotor may have to be the option ...

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Decibels is abbreviated to dB. "fb" is possibly feedback but that's of no relevance here.

I think you're actually asking about attenuation, ie, the effectiveness of blocking out sound. I only once measured my plugs on a "real ear" probe mic system and from rough memory, they were giving a good 35dB attenuation from 1K up. You will only get that outcome from a good fit and this is the result of high-quality impressions and correct treatment by the shell lab. If either of those isn't good, the fit will be hopeless and the electronics won't save you.

I've only had experience with Peltor muffs so can't comment on any in-the-ear options.

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Originally Posted by 6x47

Decibels is abbreviated to dB. "fb" is possibly feedback but that's of no relevance here.

I think you're actually asking about attenuation, ie, the effectiveness of blocking out sound. I only once measured my plugs on a "real ear" probe mic system and from rough memory, they were giving a good 35dB attenuation from 1K up. You will only get that outcome from a good fit and this is the result of high-quality impressions and correct treatment by the shell lab. If either of those isn't good, the fit will be hopeless and the electronics won't save you.

I've only had experience with Peltor muffs so can't comment on any in-the-ear options.

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Great point - yes attenuation is what Im after. I have seen some of the electronic in ears but they come with harder plastic earpieces, which would do nothjing to seal the eardrum. The other thing Im looking for though is the ability for the earpiece to allow me to hear people nearby and understand what theyre saying. Some non electronic ones I had years ago allowed that, but that was in loud on stage band interractions, so I could hear the vocalist while I was drumming.
Not sure you can get anything like that?

For your interest, here's the attenuation of my latest set. Red line is right ear without plugs, blue is left ear without plugs, grey is with plugs in but turned off. Vertical axis is dB, horizontal axis is frequency (Hz). My audiologist and I did this for interest I picked up my new set. It's just done with standard tones rather than simulated gunshots or anything, and it's a test of the fit effectiveness rather than the electronics. But as you can see, they block pretty darn well (and they're made of the hard plastic which you mention).

Attachment 273280

And a picture of the plugs themselves.

Attachment 273284

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Originally Posted by PaulNZ

For your interest, here's the attenuation of my latest set. Red line is right ear without plugs, blue is left ear without plugs, grey is with plugs in but turned off. Vertical axis is dB, horizontal axis is frequency (Hz). My audiologist and I did this for interest I picked up my new set. It's just done with standard tones rather than simulated gunshots or anything, and it's a test of the fit effectiveness rather than the electronics. But as you can see, they block pretty darn well (and they're made of the hard plastic which you mention).

Attachment 273280

And a picture of the plugs themselves.

Attachment 273284

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Thx for posting v interesting and ear pieces look very well made


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https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/...s-anz-2023.pdf

These are the Peltor ones.

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Originally Posted by 6x47

As I said, the plugs I have (two pairs actually) are entirely custom built from high-end hearing aid components. Not only were they one-offs but the custom shell fabrication was another challenge. The mics were shifted from their normal place to give far greater wind protection.

Before I retired, I tried to get some more made for a mate but even by calling in some favours, it just wasn't possible. Without getting into the specifics, ironically the current electronics lack a feature necessary to handle that sort of impulse noise.

There are clearly some current options for electronic plugs but getting these built into decent custom shells is the real problem. Many of the "fit-all" proprietary options use multi-flange soft tips that either don't seal well and/or don't anchor securely.

Good luck in your search. I'm guessing the musician's plugs you mention are the Etymotic Research ones? I don't understand what you mean by "fb level minimum".

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Sounds like a market opportunity for someone...

There is a very limited market for these type of plugs given the cost would be well over $1000/pr. I sold maybe 40-50 pairs of these true customs like PaulNZ just showed. In fact, I still have my -old- Starkey Sportsmasters that look near identical but the "soft acrylic' shells are a bit broken down and irrepairable.

Those multi-flange tips on those Peltors that No.3 put a link to are exactly what I was referring to in an earlier post. In a good 20% of cases, the acoustic seal will be poor because the ear canal is partially "collapsed" on the first bend, as well as several other issues. The security of fit is also very tenuous in many cases and it wouldn't make your day to lose one out hunting...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 6x47

There is a very limited market for these type of plugs given the cost would be well over $1000/pr. I sold maybe 40-50 pairs of these true customs like PaulNZ just showed. In fact, I still have my -old- Starkey Sportsmasters that look near identical but the "soft acrylic' shells are a bit broken down and irrepairable.

Those multi-flange tips on those Peltors that No.3 put a link to are exactly what I was referring to in an earlier post. In a good 20% of cases, the acoustic seal will be poor because the ear canal is partially "collapsed" on the first bend, as well as several other issues. The security of fit is also very tenuous in many cases and it wouldn't make your day to lose one out hunting...

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Correct, but having said that they come with a cord. Also, the tips come in several sizes and styles including multi flange and soft solid more like a disposable - if you follow the fit instructions and sort out the right size and right tip they work well. I guess the problem with that is that good 20% of cases come about because the wearer/user doesn't read the instructions and understand how to fit them and check for the correct fit. It does take a wee bit to learn to do this correctly, but once you have it sorted it's quite easy and obvious when they aren't fitted right.

I would go one step further and say that the majority of cases where the plugs aren't working right, it's due to the fact the wrong size or type of tip is fitted and the wearer finds them too uncomfortable when the plug is in the right place. So they leave them hanging half out of the ear and relying on two or one flange out of the three which is never going to work!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 6x47

There is a very limited market for these type of plugs given the cost would be well over $1000/pr. I sold maybe 40-50 pairs of these true customs like PaulNZ just showed. In fact, I still have my -old- Starkey Sportsmasters that look near identical but the "soft acrylic' shells are a bit broken down and irrepairable.

Those multi-flange tips on those Peltors that No.3 put a link to are exactly what I was referring to in an earlier post. In a good 20% of cases, the acoustic seal will be poor because the ear canal is partially "collapsed" on the first bend, as well as several other issues. The security of fit is also very tenuous in many cases and it wouldn't make your day to lose one out hunting...

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Would it be fair to say that the seal over the ear canal should be fully enclosed ie with a moulded plastic basically covering the main part of the ear? (I don’t know what I’m talk about just trying to explain).
All the models only seem to have rubber of foam plugs and if the foam bounces back to quickly, apparently it’s hard to get a seal?
The older ‘ear protectors’ I had made for music years ago in Chch were great - audiologist took my ear mould and made them and they fitted tight and snug every time.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by No.3

...- if you follow the fit instructions and sort out the right size and right tip they work well. I guess the problem with that is that good 20% of cases come about because the wearer/user doesn't read the instructions and understand how to fit them and check for the correct fit. ..

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If you read what I said again, you will see it is an -anatomical- reason the acoustic seal will never be acceptable for this small proportion of users. No amount of intelligence/persistence/reading will get past this. This issue is largely why plugs are never as well rated as muffs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mrfants

Would it be fair to say that the seal over the ear canal should be fully enclosed ie with a moulded plastic basically covering the main part of the ear? (I don’t know what I’m talk about just trying to explain).
All the models only seem to have rubber or foam plugs and if the foam bounces back to quickly, apparently it’s hard to get a seal?
The older ‘ear protectors’ I had made for music years ago in Chch were great - audiologist took my ear mould and made them and they fitted tight and snug every time.

..

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Yes, just as I was saying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 6x47

If you read what I said again, you will see it is an -anatomical- reason the acoustic seal will never be acceptable for this small proportion of users. No amount of intelligence/persistence/reading will get past this. This issue is largely why plugs are never as well rated as muffs.

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I'm not too sure what the issue is here but I recall this discussion before - if you are stating that some people can't use earplugs because they don't work on them then yep 100% agree. What I'm saying is that if you don't set earplugs up right, even if you can use them - you aren't going to put in place the conditions that they need to work regardless of and before any other reason that they won't work for you. Step one is get them fitted right and if it's needed getting assistance to ensure that you have the correct components to allow this to happen, and if you can't get them to work going to see a specialist to find out why as everything else you try will likely not work. If you don't go through that part of the job, even if earplugs could work for you they just won't - and by far the largest number of people that have issues with earplugs will be in this category.

You also could add to this that there are a certain number of people out there with skull shapes that mean that they cannot get earmuffs to seal - usually mastoid process but occasionally the configuration of the lower jaw bones and hinges and the way the skull dips away under the ear causes this too. Also like people that spend hundreds on flash-as earmuffs then chuck them on their head over their cap and sunglasses...

Some people just can't do noisy environments.