Thread: Recommended electronic earmuffs?

Any recommendations out there for good quality electronic earmuffs?

I've been using the bunnings tactix brand, but those aren't being sold anymore and my current pair are 6 years old and starting to show their age.
What I love about them is their bluetooth capacity to listen to music and take calls, long battery life, and external mic.

What they don't have that I would like is active noise attenuation, where the microphone can be active, but cut out if there is a loud noise. Years ago I got to try a set of muffs that had directional microphones and speakers along with noise cancelling, and that was absolutely amazing - could hear a person walking on gravel in a rain storm with the footfalls being crisp and the rain reduced to a background noise. This' excellent for the range where you can have a conversation but if there's an unexpected shot, the mic cuts out for a split second. I didn't catch the make/model of the pair I tried and I've been searching for them ever since.

So, any recommendations? I'd love to have the bluetooth feature in addition to the noise attenuation and directional mics, but that's a big ask, so mostly looking for a set of muffs that have decent mics/speakers and automatic noise cut-off.



I figure this falls under firearms accessories, but apologies if it's the wrong section.

These will be coming into NZ soon, I have a pair ordered and they look pretty good. You can use them as earphones and are small enough to use while hunting and give the same NRR as standard earplugs while also amplifying sounds.
https://goaxil.com/products/xcor

I'm using Peltor Tactical 7 Classic: automatic noise cut-off, stereo microphones, no bluetooth, etc. they are comfortable and work well. Battery is the 9v type which is easy to replace but seems to have a shortish life.

These would take some beating
https://www.sordin.com/products/sord...-x2bt-headband

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

The Honeywell sync ones are pretty good. I use them daily and can have phone conversations while running the sawmill/chainsaw or grinder no worries.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by MSL

The Honeywell sync ones are pretty good. I use them daily and can have phone conversations while running the sawmill/chainsaw or grinder no worries.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same with my 3m ones can talk on tractor run batten guns etc without any noise to the caller
Not noise canceling though.

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

My recommendation would be either the Sordin or 3M/Peltor products - these have models designed for the environment we have in hunting with the noise limiting feature (what we call cut out of the ambient listening feature).

These have the stereo ambient listening that we want that preserves our natural hearing setup in the bush with directional sense for where noises are coming from. A lot of cheaper models can suppress this and only pick up noise in both earcups without letting you know what direction it's coming from. It's not such an issue in industrial settings where things like connectivity are more useful.

Peltor Sport tac, Hunting and Fishing do a Chinese made pair for about $120 which are just as good

I have a set of Sordin Supreme Pro-x https://tacticaldistributors.co.nz/p...47378914246946
Perfect for my needs - love the gel ear cups, can keep them on all day and uses 2x AA batteries.

The gel ear caps add a lot of comfort with the Sordins.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not familiar with the electronic earmuffs concept - seriously, how can they possibly respond quick enough to shut out gunshot noise, while still allowing normal sound levels ??

OK, my understanding of it is like this the basic headset chassis is the same as a standard 'dumb' earmuff so has the same protection for external noise. The only way sound is supposed to get past them is via the electronics - the noise that is received from the microphones comes in as a set of sound waves as per normal hearing, then the sound waves are inverted or flipped which is the same to our ears but in the process the electronics (well in the good units) modifies the sounds that you are hearing. The electronics will amplify normal low level background noise, but anything that comes in over a preset level (normally about 90-92 or so decibels, normal speech level) gets the tops of the sound waves 'clipped off' to reduce the power the electronic setup allows through to your ears.

Cheaper units like some of the Chinese knockoffs have a noticeable delay in them (I brought a pair for $25 for my spectrum daughter when she was younger as an experimental thing, she did use them but prefers the JBL pink noise cancelling bluetooth hifi music ones for $120 surprise bloody surprise). The more expensive 3M/Peltor and MSA/Sordin brands offer instant limiting and normal directional hearing with amplification - they are very much like 'bionic' ears. You can hear a mouse fart at 20feet, and it sounds like someone ripped one out. One of my expensive Peltor headsets will let you hear a normal spoken conversation at 100 odd meters like your right there, this one is voice enabled and when I have it connected to a radio and the ambient sound amplification up I can join in to conversations spoken between people who are 50m away by using the radio like I was right next to them. It's quite unreal, and you can imagine what that does to your hunting. Stuffs it right up trying to work out what the hell that deafening crash was - until you see the next leaf drop!!!

Thanks @No.3 that well answers my question, also the difference between cheap vs expensive units.
I presume you can turn down the amplification to near-normal level, so you don't get distracted by falling leaves or mouse farting while hunting !?

MSA Sordins with the Gel Cups, great to have on for longer periods.

Originally Posted by luckey

Thanks @No.3 that well answers my question, also the difference between cheap vs expensive units.
I presume you can turn down the amplification to near-normal level, so you don't get distracted by falling leaves or mouse farting while hunting !?

Haha yep, full range from quiet to wtf?