A question for those who haved used in-ear electronic hearing protection

[TheGDog]

I have real hearing aids $5,000-$6,000 in my ears most of the time.

Whoa... What The?? They are THAT MUCH!!??

 

[ryjack70ss]

Yes hearing aids are expensive if you purchase good quality hearing aids and not the mail order ones.

Regarding price of westone defendear digital was about $1700 I believe when I got them a few years ago. I didn’t have to pay for the fitting since the audiologists are in my office.

Looking at their website, they have better models now it seems and they are about the same price. Mine has two modes, with one of them reducing wind noise. Since they are made by a hearing aid company, the quality is superb.

Yes, they are custom fitted for your ear similar to a hearing aid. An audiologist would inject the plastic material into your ear canal and bowl and send that to westone. Then the audiologist will do a fitting to assure they fit well and will do a hearing test to assure they are reducing the sound adequately. That way if they don’t fit correctly, they can re make the mold.


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[ryjack70ss]

These are their current models. You will probably have to pay a few to the audiologist though. I made mine camo molds with a blaze orange door in case I ever dropped them it would be easier to find.


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[Runwilderness]

Yep. My in-laws and grandmother on that side had to figure how to weigh the cost of not being able to hear/communicate vs paying $$ on a fixed social security income. I have enough ringing in my ears now that it’s likely just a matter of time, but like a lot of health care, the ignoring preventative measures now will add up to big bills down the road.

I still can’t talk myself into the cost of good in ear electronic pro now. I just try to keep the foam plugs accessible.

 

[ryjack70ss]

Yep. My in-laws and grandmother on that side had to figure how to weigh the cost of not being able to hear/communicate vs paying $$ on a fixed social security income. I have enough ringing in my ears now that it’s likely just a matter of time, but like a lot of health care, the ignoring preventative measures now will add up to big bills down the road.

I still can’t talk myself into the cost of good in ear electronic pro now. I just try to keep the foam plugs accessible.

That’s perfect and very reasonable. For a few bucks you can have many pairs laying around.


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[Marbles]

I still can’t talk myself into the cost of good in ear electronic pro now. I just try to keep the foam plugs accessible.

The non-custom SoundGear behind the ear are $250 (half that if you are prior service). Right now they have a 4th of July special, $150 off their non-custom in ear ($399-$150=$249).

I cannot afford anything at the custom level, but figured $125 was reasonable enough to give it a try. At over 1k I would be inclined to get a Thunder Beast instead.

 

[sandhillhunter]

I guess I am just trying to get an idea as to whether the in-ear style is much better in this scenario, or whether I'll probably find myself ripping them out of my ears for the same reason.

I haven’t worn amplifies muffs, but i think you would find the in the ear amplified plugs are better.


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[westonadkins]

The non-custom SoundGear behind the ear are $250 (half that if you are prior service). Right now they have a 4th of July special, $150 off their non-custom in ear ($399-$150=$249).

I cannot afford anything at the custom level, but figured $125 was reasonable enough to give it a try. At over 1k I would be inclined to get a Thunder Beast instead.

I'm with you on that suppressor idea!


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[sandhillhunter]

At over 1k I would be inclined to get a Thunder Beast instead.

I’ve shot suppressed rifles. You still need hearing protection with them if you’re shooting more than once or twice in my
opinion.


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[Alaskanopolis]

In have Otto in ear and love them. Was wearing them when I shot the beer in my profile pic. Put them in when I leave in the morning and wear them until I’m done at night. I forget they’re in a lot of the time. I also like that they compress instead of gate, so I can still hear. I could hear the bullets hitting the bear with them in. I can also detect where sound is coming from very naturally feeling.

 

[TheGDog]

In have Otto in ear and love them. Was wearing them when I shot the beer in my profile pic. Put them in when I leave in the morning and wear them until I’m done at night. I forget they’re in a lot of the time. I also like that they compress instead of gate, so I can still hear. I could hear the bullets hitting the bear with them in. I can also detect where sound is coming from very naturally feeling.

Please state more specific detail on your make and model for the conversation, thank you.

 

[mike935]

Please state more specific detail on your make and model for the conversation, thank you.

I think Stefen will be referring to these:

NoizeBarrier Micro High Definition Electronic Earplugs Hearing Protection

The NoizeBarrier Micro high definition electronic tactical earplugs offer active hearing protection as well as hearing enhancement for extremely effective sound localization and detection. Gun range hearing protection.

www.otto-comm.com

I've seen them mentioned in other forums - they seem to have a bit of a following...but so far I havent been able to find much info on how the OTTO compares to the Soundgear. Those that use OTTO love them, but have never used Soundgear, and those that use Soundgear love them but have never used OTTO

Anyone on this forum had the opportunity to compare them by any chance?

 

[Rich M]

Whoa... What The?? They are THAT MUCH!!??

Digital hearing aids run roughly from 1000 to 5000 each. Mine were 2500-3000 each. I've got hearing loss and need them to understand folks when they talk.

 

[txhunter581]

I just don’t like anything unnatural about sound. For those of us without actual hearing deficits, I can’t see putting something in my ears that modifies (even “enhances”) my hearing. I like using my natural God given abilities. I hang these around my neck and put them in my ears when I am about to shoot.

Honeywell Banded Style Earplugs with Reusable Pods | Cabela's

Protect your hearing while out on the range or running the lawnmower with the Honeywell® Banded Style Earplugs with Reusable Pods. Boasting an impressive 25dB noise reduction rating (NRR),

www.cabelas.com

For those that have hearing loss already and need some help, I can see the need

 

[Marbles]

I’ve shot suppressed rifles. You still need hearing protection with them if you’re shooting more than once or twice in my opinion.

A very good point, and one that can be well backed up by data.

Silencercentral.com has a good article on this. Most suppressors will not get a 308 below 140 dB (the safe cut off for impulse noise). Considering that a suppressed 308 is about 170 dB, getting below 140 dB represents a 30 dB drop. This is about maxing out good ear pro (the highest rating is for 33 dB currently). This also means that the 26 dB reduction provided by the SoundGear ear pro I ordered will not reduce my 30-06 to a safe level, but it will still be quite a bit better than nothing. The best (from a hearing protection stand point) would be a suppressor paired with ear pro.

 

[westonadkins]

A very good point, and one that can be well backed up by data.

Silencercentral.com has a good article on this. Most suppressors will not get a 308 below 140 dB (the safe cut off for impulse noise). Considering that a suppressed 308 is about 170 dB, getting below 140 dB represents a 30 dB drop. This is about maxing out good ear pro (the highest rating is for 33 dB currently). This also means that the 26 dB reduction provided by the SoundGear ear pro I ordered will not reduce my 30-06 to a safe level, but it will still be quite a bit better than nothing. The best (from a hearing protection stand point) would be a suppressor paired with ear pro.

Very true and nicely detailed. Lots of variables at play with suppressors, but better than nothing and much better than a brake.


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[TheGDog]

Digital hearing aids run roughly from 1000 to 5000 each. Mine were 2500-3000 each. I've got hearing loss and need them to understand folks when they talk.

Whoa... better start saving my pennies starting now then, sheesh!

 

[Fitplusmma]

Are the walkers brand worth looking into?

 

[TheGDog]

Are the walkers brand worth looking into?

They are definitely nice to have at the range.

And if you were inside a hunting stand they'd be fine. But if hunting on the ground, sitting in ambush in concealment gear including face mask, where you depend on your hearing for locating them? I'm gonna say no. Not with the low-fidelity reproduction they have. I didn't have the Quads on... but testing the regular one with 1 microphone on each side... the ability to detect where sounds were coming from basically got stripped away.

 

[Fitplusmma]

I'm completely deaf in one ear so I have a very hard time figuring where sounds are coming from at the best of times. Just looking for options to protect the good one.