What is the price range for upper mid to upper end electronic hearing protection? I've only used passive muffs to date, but after some reading, it's time to upgrade, I no longer hear range commands on indoor ranges. The prices I've seen so far seem to be tiered in the $35, $60, $200+ ranges. Does this sound right ?

I don't want to buy a middle of the road pair and end up replacing with a better pair, so I'm thinking upper end first versus middle tiers first. The old cry once buy once. Any advice appreciated, including suggested models and prices.

I also wear hearing aids, but I don't know if I should wear them underneath or not. Any advice like that would be welcome as well.

I am sure others will talk about their Howard Leights and Walkers. For me, the Peltor 500 with gel cups are my standard.

I use mine quite a bit. Between helping with the high school trap team and coaching the SASP pistol team, I have those on for hours and days. Comfortable even when I have those on all day during competition days. Bluetooth connectivity for my phone. I can take calls, stream music if I am just watching, or even the Cubs game sometimes.

They are about $100 plus the gel cups are about $40. Sometimes they go on sale for about $80. The gel cups are what makes them so comfortable. If the other makers have gel cups I’d be more open to try them out.

I think the Peltor 300 and 500 are a good sweet spot. I have the previous generation and they are going strong after several years. The 500 costs more but has Bluetooth so you can listen to music or use the phone or whatever. The 300 is cheaper and slightly lighter.

This is something I'm just in the middle of researching.

I immediately discounted the Walker Game Ears because of their low NRR.

The Peltor 300 and 500's are good starting points. The Howard Leight's are good enough on an outdoor range, but (in my opinion) not hearty enough indoors.

The Ear Pro's at $200.00+ are the best I've tried to date. They make units with a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 25 or 30. The NRR 30 units are rather large on the head, have separate volume controls on each side (No wires between each side) and comfortable leather ear cups.

The next set I plan to experiment with are the MSA Sordin's. They don't have as high a NRR, but claim to be rated differently so I'm not to go by that. They are supposedly rated by Mil-Spec rather than ANSI. At a price point of $250.00-300.00 they are the most expensive I've looked at.As such, they'll be the last pair I try.

I also have a pair of tiny ESP (Electronic Shooting Protection) analog ear plugs. After 11 years, they've had to go back for service ($200+) a few times. They don't have a NRR compatible with the indoor pistol or rifle range. For bird hunting, or shotgun shooting, they're quite adequate.

After 36+ years of marriage and slightly longer being involved in the shooting sports, I find myself saying less "I love you's" to my wife and a lot more "Whh-aa-tt"?


*** EDIT ***
I just called MSA and was told that the MSA is for the American market and the MSA Sordin is marketed for the rest of the world. Both carry the same warranty's (1, 2, or 5 years) but the MSA brand would be repaired in Pennsylvania while MSA Sordins would have to be repaired in Sweden. After speaking to the C/S rep, I still don't understand their different NRR system, but I guess I'll just have to pony up the money and try them for myself.

I've had Peltor and have no complaints except the foam over the mic's always come off. I found these at my local Menard's and figured I'd give them a shot. (See what I did there?)I have been very happy with them. They're not the best but have worked for everything I need.

Walker Razor

I have quite advanced tinnitus plus, I'm an NRA instructor and RSO which exposes me to several thousand gun shots a month.

I now double up on my hearing protection and I take it very seriously. I wear ear plugs and Pr-Ears Gold II's over that. IMHO, they are the most effective.

Pro-Ears aren't cheap, but there are deals to be found. You can get them for as much as $200+ and as little as $169

I used to have Peltor electronics that were pretty good.
I now have a pair of Howard Leight Impact Pro that are quieter than the usual Impact Sport. They are not as comfortable as the old Peltors and I only wear them when I really want to hear the chit-chat.

I have a pair of Pro Ears passives that would point me toward the $200 30 dB electronics.

The Sordin is well reviewed but the NRR is low and there is a lot of hocus pocus trying to make it look comparable to higher rated muffs. If you apply the Trevor system to a 30 dB Peltor, you get a rating of 44. Quieter is quieter no matter the scale.

Anything below NRR 30 I would recommend wearing over plugs.

I’ve had my MSA muffs since around 2007 or so...never an issue. The headband and gel cups are still in great condition. Well worth the price IMHO.

quote:

I’ve had my MSA muffs since around 2007 or so...never an issue. The headband and gel cups are still in great condition. Well worth the price IMHO.

+1 I have the MSA/Sordin Pros

They are being repaired at (or at least were, as recently as a few months ago).
Address: 307 NE 4th Ave, Crystal River, FL 34429
Phone: (352) 795-4848

I don't mind paying a premium for eye and ear protection. The extra money is well worth it. I own a pair of MSA/Sordin Pro's. I think the gel is the way to go.

another vote on the MSA/Sordin's. I have had numerous Peltor's and they are certainly workable but the MSA's with Gel in the neckband model is very easy to wear long term. Since the NRR is not great I always double up. Which I think is a decent trade off for the fairly thin cup.

I have the Peltors. Zero complaints.
I had a gift card at Home Depot for $40, and the muffs were on sale for $50.
Great price, and great product.
I also like having a padded head band. Makes things a little more comfortable.



As far as earmuffs and prices go, you're paying for 2 things- quality and noise reduction, accessories.


Eletronic Earmuffs can get up to $300 - $500 and more!
About half of what you're paying for might be integrated comm systems that you'll probably never use unless you're in the military or contracting. So do a little research before you buy.

OK I'll add a bit more. The Peltors I had at least a dozen different versions that I have used for shooting sports. And I also wear them (not the same ones, bigger ones with more noise reduction, but which would be useless to get a cheek weld) not only for shooting but for work. The key problem is that the ear muff cushions do not survive very long. same for the foam inserts. Normal failure is cracking and eventually slipping off the cup. 3M actually recommends a very frequent replacement schedule and replacements are modestly priced. But in the end I have not had any issues with very gel on the MSA, which is a plus but of course comes with a cost. And, of course this is personal preference, the MSA's fit me better.

quote:

MSA/Sordin's

This is what I have also, very happy with them, and their gel cups. Pricey, but worth it.

I was a small arms instructor when I was in the CG. I was also a gunners mate. I was issued a set of peltor electronic hearing pro that was rated for ~28db and we wore 3m yellow foamies...hearing loss is cumulative...most of the exposure I was near was pistols, shotguns and rifles...probably 10,000 ends of 50 cal a year and small cannons (20mm,25mm,3inch,76mm) .

Prior to retiring as a cop, I had to stand in the middle of the line while qualifying so I could hear the instructor....

If I were you I’d get the highest dB reduction rating you can afford and add inner foamies.

I’ve had two pairs of Peltors, the first a battery corroded in and ruined them. I bought the 500s next and only use lithium in them now. They are great.

If I had one complaint, it’s that they’re not as thin as my original pair. They are more rounded.

I echo MikeinNC's comments - look at the dB rating. I have a pair of very high end muffs that are rated under 30 (I think 26) and they are not sufficient for indoors. I have an older pair of Peltors with a higher rating (30??) that are much better. Unfortunately, the higher the dB rating the more costly.

I wear a set of the OD green Howard Leights PLUS a set of foam plugs and it works very well for me:

I had electronic earmuffs for a while, and were nice for amplifying sound to hear range commands. I wear glasses now, and they destroy the utility of any ear seal. Wearing ear plugs under the electronic muff destroys the utility of enhancing the range command, and the electronic muffs give more of an illusion of blocking sound than actually doing it.

Now I just wear ear plugs, usually the foam type.

I also wear hearing aids, but not when I’m shooting. Instead, I wear Sonic plugs under my Peltor Tactical 6 e-muffs. Since the e-muffs amplify, I can still hear range commands and what not, but the double protection works very well.

Good luck in your search.