I duck and dove hunt and don't like wearing ear muffs. Can someone recommend a good set of noise canceling ear buds? Thanks

Noise canceling anything won’t protect your hearing against gunfire. As they don’t block the noise.

Muffs or plugs all have a db reduction rating on them.
The foamie ones usually reduce 30-36db.
Adding muffs over top of them is the best coverage.

TTBOMK* the only in-ear electronic hearing protection that works is the expensive kind that is custom-molded to your concha cavum (or "concha bowl") by an audiologist.

* To The Best Of My Knowledge

Here's what I use and like a lot. Amplified ear plugs. I have 2 pair and use them for indoor rifle, handgun and outdoors for Sporting Clays and Skeet.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018342050

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Here's what I use and like a lot. Amplified ear plugs.

I tried a pair of those. Didn't do diddly for me. Then one of them died an early death. To their credit: Midway took 'em back.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Here's what I use and like a lot. Amplified ear plugs.

I tried a pair of those. Didn't do diddly for me. Then one of them died an early death. To their credit: Midway took 'em back.

Must have been factory defective. I use them twice a week and have for over a year. Both pair work perfectly.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Must have been factory defective. I use them twice a week and have for over a year. Both pair work perfectly.

The one that died: Yes. But, as I wrote: They didn't work well for me, anyway. One of them going south simply finalized my decision to return them and allowed me to do so w/o being charged for return shipping (IIRC*) or re-stocking fee.

That product is designed to seal in your ear's concha cavus (aka: "concha bowl"), rather than your ear canal. That's superior to in-canal fitting if they seal well. These did not, for me. I have a larger-than-average "bowl," so the largest of the "cushions" was still way too small to form an adequate seal.

There were a lot of complaints about that when I bought mine. Maybe they've since added an additional, larger set? (Though, when I called Walker at the time they acknowledged the problem but had no plans to do so.) Or maybe the OP has more normally-sized ears and they'll work for him.

All I can relate is what I experienced.

* If I Recall Correctly

I use these and they work well. They last a long time without charging too, I've used them for 4 hours and still had over half the battery left.
https://www.brownells.com/shoo...5.aspx?sku=100039255

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
I use these and they work well. They last a long time without charging too, I've used them for 4 hours and still had over half the battery left.
https://www.brownells.com/shoo...5.aspx?sku=100039255

Ohhh... I'm gonna have to look into these! Kind of spendy, but a lot less than $700-$1,000 custom-fitted earpro.

I have a pair of passive noise-suppressing in-canal ear plugs that work for mowing the lawn and other high-noise-environment protection. They're not suitable for shooting, but they are for their intended use.

I really need something for rifle and shotgun that's better than foam earplugs. I can't use over-the-ear earpro because I've large ears that sit low on my skull, so even the low-profile models interfere with cheek weld.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Must have been factory defective. I use them twice a week and have for over a year. Both pair work perfectly.

The one that died: Yes. But, as I wrote: They didn't work well for me, anyway. One of them going south simply finalized my decision to return them and allowed me to do so w/o being charged for return shipping (IIRC*) or re-stocking fee.

That product is designed to seal in your ear's concha cavus (aka: "concha bowl"), rather than your ear canal. That's superior to in-canal fitting if they seal well. These did not, for me. I have a larger-than-average "bowl," so the largest of the "cushions" was still way too small to form an adequate seal.

There were a lot of complaints about that when I bought mine. Maybe they've since added an additional, larger set? (Though, when I called Walker at the time they acknowledged the problem but had no plans to do so.) Or maybe the OP has more normally-sized ears and they'll work for him.

All I can relate is what I experienced.

* If I Recall Correctly

I think I discovered what your problem was with them. I saw a video somewhere before I used mine that there were some ear buds that worked better than the ones that came with the Walker Silencer, so I bought them and that's all I've ever used.

Here they are:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How the hell do you get those ^^^ in your ears?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
I use these and they work well. They last a long time without charging too, I've used them for 4 hours and still had over half the battery left.
https://www.brownells.com/shoo...5.aspx?sku=100039255

Ohhh... I'm gonna have to look into these! Kind of spendy, but a lot less than $700-$1,000 custom-fitted earpro.

I have a pair of passive noise-suppressing in-canal ear plugs that work for mowing the lawn and other high-noise-environment protection. They're not suitable for shooting, but they are for their intended use.

I really need something for rifle and shotgun that's better than foam earplugs. I can't use over-the-ear earpro because I've large ears that sit low on my skull, so even the low-profile models interfere with cheek weld.

Due to the cost I bought from brownells since they warrantee them. Since they claim "guaranteed forever" theoretically I should never need another pair. They also hold their charge well when not in use.

I prefer the old yellow 3M foam plugs. It’s what I hunt with as well as shoot shoot competitive sporting clays with.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa...BAgBECo&dct=1&adurl=

Order for OTTO NoizeBarrier Micro Ear Plugs placed!

I've been looking for something I could use with rifles and shotguns for a long time. They're spendy, but these things get rave reviews literally everywhere. Not many products I've seen so positively reviewed so consistently.

Thanks for pointing these out, mrvmax!

I'll let y'all know how they work for me after I get 'em and get a chance to run 'em through their paces.

ETA: Which may be a while, now. Have to find someplace reputable from which to order them that will actually ship them.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ensigmatic,

Also, check this parallel thread: https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/3870000584

Was reading through to see if anyone had recommended the Otto Noizebarriers. I think you'll be happy with them, but if at a rifle range, I still do muffs with foam plugs.

quote:

Originally posted by BadDogPSD:
... but if at a rifle range, I still do muffs with foam plugs.

A couple reviewers and several users suggest using the Comply Professional tips improves comfort and increases the NRR to be at least as good as straight foam plugs.

I've been using foam earplugs for rifle and shotgun, but then you may miss commands from the RSO.

As I noted, above: I can't use muffs. Even the low-profile ones interfere with my cheek weld

I have custom molded in ear plugs, cost was 60 dollars for the pair and the fitting took about 15 minutes. As for function, they reduce the noise of gunshots by a minimum of 36-38 Db and it may be even higher. They are effective enough that I have to remove at least one before any conversation. Used to be with plugs I could still hear someone speaking at a normal conversational volume.

The downside is they are just a bit uncomfortable, so they come out as soon as the shooting has stopped. What happens is that they sort of start itching and sweat does make them more uncomfortable.

Got my OTTO NoizeBarrier Micro in-ear earpro yesterday afternoon. (I ordered mine directly from OTTO after Brownell's bungled my order.)

Put 'em in and headed over to the local DNR-operated range today. Sat next to three different guys shooting center-fire rifles. The shooting positions at this range are covered, with barriers above and below, and to either side of each shooting position, forward of the muzzles. Good test environment

I also wandered over to the shotgun clays area and hung out for a bit with a couple guys shooting 12 ga. One of them insisted I give it a go with his shotgun, so I did. (I missed. Low and behind. No surprise there, as I'm way out of practice.)

The NoizeBarrier Micros performed well. The sounds of the shots were loud, but not uncomfortably so. Even with shooters all up and down the line I was able to easily converse with the RSOs and other shooters. Others, with other earpro, had to ask me to repeat myself more often than I did they.

Of the provided ear tips, only the foam ones were usable for me, and I have difficulty getting those inserted easily, so I have three sets of Comply Professional ear tips on the way.

I had these in my ears for 4-5 hours. When I put them back in their charger they had 70% remaining.

Caution: That little tube in the charging case contains replacement filters and a tool to remove the old ones. These filters are about the size of grain of rice. They will take off and hide, never to be seen again, if you're not careful

I use 3M 100 ear buds with skull screw tips while dove hunting and top them with muffs for the range.