Electronic Ear Protection???

H

huskerbob

Guest
I'm in need of some help in selecting Electronic Ear Protection for use at my local range. I wear hearing aids so I need something that will provide protection but still allow me to hear instructions/commands from the Range Safety Officers when I'm not wearing my hearing aids. I'm currently using Howard Leight "Impact Sport" model electronic earmuffs. They work OK but I would prefer something that would provide additional amplification. I don't want to spend a fortune but am willing to invest in a pair that better meet my needs.

If there are any 'hearing impaired' folks out there who have solved this problem, I would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks in advance for your input!!
 
Bob,
While I cannot speak to what you should buy, I can tell you that the Howard Leight Impact Pro model will definitely NOT meet your needs. I had a pair of the impact sport and the amplification was much better. To be fair to the company I purchased my set of impact Pro's 5 years ago or so and maybe they have fixed the issue since then, but I am unable to hear well when I put plugs in and have the muffs over the plugs. I would consider having the plugs in equal to what a hearing impaired person might deal with as "normal" levels of sound. With the impact sport model I could hear the commands much more clearly.
I am following this thread with interest as I have been wanting for a more amplified set of muffs as well. In the meantime I still feel good about my hearing protection levels with the howard leight products. I use the HL soft fluorescent orange plugs whenever I wear muffs.
 
huskerbob said:
I'm in need of some help in selecting Electronic Ear Protection for use at my local range. I wear hearing aids so I need something that will provide protection but still allow me to hear instructions/commands from the Range Safety Officers when I'm not wearing my hearing aids. I'm currently using Howard Leight "Impact Sport" model electronic earmuffs. They work OK but I would prefer something that would provide additional amplification. I don't want to spend a fortune but am willing to invest in a pair that better meet my needs.

If there are any 'hearing impaired' folks out there who have solved this problem, I would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks in advance for your input!!
Click to expand...

"Noise Reduction Rating (NRR): 22"

Only thing that worries me.
 
Not cheap but I use Pro Ears Gold NRR 30. I wear them with plugs and can hear range commands. I wish I had spent the money for a really good pair 40 years ago.
 
walker excell

I bought a set of walker excel 100s. Wear earplugs too and I can hear people talk. Wished Id done that years ago. I guess they didn't have electronic ear protection back then. I think I gave around 70 bucks for them. Doug
 
mike clayton said:
Msa
Click to expand...

I also use MSA Sordin's with foamies. If I put the foamies in to their full extent, as designed, I cannot reliably hear range calls or my scorer and it is very quiet. If I loosely fit the foamies, the sound attenuation is better than muffs alone and I can increase the volume to hear/communicate normally. This combo has resulted in zero loss of hearing since instituted as evident in my annual audiologic testing; I cannot afford ANY additional loss at this point. I like the low profile of the MSA Sordin muff; it does not touch my cheekpiece at all when in position. I don't like the price....

Robin
 
I wear hearing aids also, and had the same problem as you OP. Tried various types, and with the aids in ear or removed, Pro Ears (like Dave said) work the best for me. Not cheap.
 
Br549

We use to stay at a motel in Fayette, Alabama when we shot there twice a year. The motel, "Journeys Inn" I think it was, offered us a dry place to sleep and that's about all. One night me and, I think, Bill Saxton got there very late and while checking in the lady (about 200 years old) asked for my license tag number. I didn't want to go look so I told her BR549. Without pause, she said..."That's the same as Junior Samples number". I said I'd go look and she replied that it didn't matter anyway as they just had that space on their registration form and she really didn't know why because they never needed it for anything!
 
I purchased the walker xcel after reading Doug's post, and they work as described. I was able to fully insert the howard light orange plugs, set the muffs to "power boost", and have a conversation with the Mrs.. I did get the gel foam inserts for the cups and then wore them for the next 2hrs while I was mowing. The walkers have a fairly strong inward force on my head, and I found my jaw getting a little tight after about an hour, but re-positioning the muffs slightly every so often helped. The NRR is 26 for these muffs, and I was not able to find the suppression chart like the MSA or howard leight's have. If the HL impact pros had better amplification I would have gladly purchased another set, but the Walkers will do nicely for now.
 
walker xcel

I really like mine. I slammed the slide on a auto the other day and thought the slide didn't close. Oh yeah, I got my Walkers on. I still wear plugs when I mow maybe I don't have mine set right but all they tune out is a sudden blast like a gunshot. I don't know how they react that quick but they do. Too much for an old country boy to figure out. Money well spent. Doug
 
Funny you should mention the mower as I needed to wear plugs as well. There was a droning sound that crept in so I had to put plugs in, too.
 
I am very happy with my new purchase.

Dave Tooley said:
Not cheap but I use Pro Ears Gold NRR 30. I wear them with plugs and can hear range commands. I wish I had spent the money for a really good pair 40 years ago.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I ordered a pair of Pro Ears Gold NRR 30 from Amazon after searching what was on the web and they work just great. With my hearing aids out and with ear plugs I could not hear anything. now I can hear clearly the sounds around me, yet the gunshots are muffled at least as much as with the earplugs.

Dave, you were right on.
 
Bill Wynne said:
Thanks for the advice. I ordered a pair of Pro Ears Gold NRR 30 from Amazon after searching what was on the web and they work just great. With my hearing aids out and with ear plugs I could not hear anything. now I can hear clearly the sounds around me, yet the gunshots are muffled at least as much as with the earplugs.

Dave, you were right on.
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THAT looks like a great pair.

I always try to avoid shooting at the last position on indoor ranges against a wall.

It is not to bad with a .22 RF, but a large gun (.45 Win mag in my Wildey) is a no go against the wall.
The extra noise reflected from the hard surface puts a real premium on ear protection.

If I really must be there, in go the EAR plugs under some 30 dB muffs.
 
Electronic Ear Protection

I use electronic hearing protection as well as use hearing aids.

I also spent a career designing analog integrated circuits with the last 10 years in the hearing industry.
I am an Electrical Engineer and I took the graduate program in Audiology so I would understand the hearing process a bit better.

I use Etymotic Research (now Lucid Audio) GSP-15 electronic protection. I use these for a couple reasons, 1. they are analog amplifiers which aid dramatically in maintaining situational awareness where digital protection degrades situational awareness due to delay in the hearing signal that may not be the same in both ears.
2. The GSP-15, while rated at 26NRR, actually will yield high 30's with careful insertion. Actually, 38 dB which is about as good as any plug will do based on the leakage through the mastoid bone.
3. The main reason I use these is because I designed the amplifier in them and I am very prejudiced!

There are other electronic protection but most that are as good as GSP-15's are more expensive as well as being poor in situational awareness. The GSP-15 was designed to be used by soldiers and law enforcement where there is a demand for maintaining situational awareness. The GSP-15 has great fidelity due to its Analog amplifier as well. I often drive away from the range and don't realize I am still wearing my protection as they sound so good.

Any questions, give me a call.
 
Normmatzen said:
I use electronic hearing protection as well as use hearing aids.

I also spent a career designing analog integrated circuits with the last 10 years in the hearing industry.
I am an Electrical Engineer and I took the graduate program in Audiology so I would understand the hearing process a bit better.

I use Etymotic Research (now Lucid Audio) GSP-15 electronic protection. I use these for a couple reasons, 1. they are analog amplifiers which aid dramatically in maintaining situational awareness where digital protection degrades situational awareness due to delay in the hearing signal that may not be the same in both ears.
2. The GSP-15, while rated at 26NRR, actually will yield high 30's with careful insertion. Actually, 38 dB which is about as good as any plug will do based on the leakage through the mastoid bone.
3. The main reason I use these is because I designed the amplifier in them and I am very prejudiced!

There are other electronic protection but most that are as good as GSP-15's are more expensive as well as being poor in situational awareness. The GSP-15 was designed to be used by soldiers and law enforcement where there is a demand for maintaining situational awareness. The GSP-15 has great fidelity due to its Analog amplifier as well. I often drive away from the range and don't realize I am still wearing my protection as they sound so good.

Any questions, give me a call.
Click to expand...

You are a man who knows something about this subject. We should listen to what you say. Thank you for your input.

I wish I had waited before buying my new ear muffs with amplification. Due to my occupation using power tools and my hobby of shooting I have serious hearing loss. Seriously, earmuffs bother me more than earplugs. In the ear types are less of a problem as I wear in the ear hearing aids all the time. For what I have read, hearing aid batteries are used. They are not expensive and easy to buy at drug stores so that is not a problem for me.
 
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