OtoPro SoundGear Hearing Protection Review, By Torin Miller

[twall13]

Do you have any experience with these or something like it?

I've had the Decibullz for a few years now. I really like that you can custom mold them to your ears at home. They also work quite well at blocking loud sounds like gunshots. That said, since I've already caused so much hearing damage over the years, they do impede normal hearing quite a bit more than the electronic options out there. They are certainly better in that regard than standard ear plugs, but to me at least, it makes a normal conversation more difficult to hear. Still, if you can't afford the electronic versions, this is a much better option than the cheap foam ear plugs. I don't like hunting with them because they impede my hearing too much, but they are great at the range, etc. Others with better hearing may have better results with this type of device.

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[SirChooCH]

Do you have any experience with these or something like it?

No, base on reading this review I thought those would be handy to have and that's when I found the others. I did buy the Safariland version for my daypack but haven't tested it out yet. They are small and fit into the chapstick size tube to have in your bag all the time, just going to be remembering to put them in before shooting in hunting situations rather than nothing at all usually.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Check with your audiologist... I was able to get my health insurance to pay for the phantoms.

I didn't think about this. I am going to try the impulses out but that would be great if insurance would cover them. Did they call them hearing aides or what?

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I just got my new impulses. Put them in, I could still hear my 3 year old talk to me. Pretty cool! I can’t wait to try them out. Going on a turkey hunt next week and will try them out.

 

[TyBuck28]

I have been looking at Tetra for quite some time, I would love to see a comparison to these.

 

[doverpack12]

Nice review. I may try some impulses. For quite awhile now I’ve carried silicone plugs like the impulse when rifle hunting and usually get them in for a shot or at least the offside plug.
Last year I bought the axil with some Cabelas points after someone recommended them. They have a cord which is annoying but otherwise work pretty well. Amplify and protect hearing. I shot a buck in late November wearing them.

 

[sjwfarms]

Thanks for the review. Ordered some impulses for a high volume shooting trip to Argentina next week. Will update on how they work.

 

[sjwfarms]

Follow up: Spent 5 days shooting ducks/doves in Argentina with the impulses. Granted these were the stock model and not custom fit. Day one I shot with only the impulses in. By day two I was using them under some electronic over the ear protection. While they definitely reduced the noise, and allowed for normal conversation, I felt I needed a little more protection. I will try them with the custom fit ear pieces and see how they handle. Just for reference, this was shooting 500-1000 rounds of 20 gauge daily, which is not a normal hunting scenario. At a range with higher caliber rounds going off I would definitely go with the extra over the ear protection, which most do anyway....no experience with the electronic version but may look in to those.

 

[tam9492]

Taking the opportunity to provide some technical follow-up/clarifications from the folks at OtoPro based on some of the questions in this thread.

The SoundGear Phantom is not made by OtoPro but is offered through OtoPro as their current top recommendation for electronic hearing protection. The Phantoms are available for purchase through a number of different channels/retailers. Additionally, OtoPro is not beholden to SoundGear (or Starkey). OtoPro will recommend another product if they don't think the Phantoms are right for you. The Phantoms come as they are from Starkey with no difference in technical specs specific to OtoPro. The only difference in the product itself is the specially-designed OtoPro-branded lanyard and zipper pouch that comes complimentary with orders.

But, as I mentioned in the review, you get OtoPro's fantastic customer service throughout the purchase when you purchase through them. From finding a clinic to get impressions to follow-ups after your product arrives, OtoPro makes sure you're happy.

The Impulse and Custom Filtered Plugs are OtoPro's own products that use their own filters to regulate the sound that hits your eardrum. OtoPro offers a range of different filter options depending on the activities for which they are needed - the most popular of which are the Impulse filters. Based on discussions of products that look similar to the Impulse, I asked Dr. Sturdivant, OtoPro’s Founder, to provide some specifics about what makes their product different:

First off, we chose a cost-effective packaging option (the silicon earpieces and packaging) for the OtoPro Impulse that already existed in order to save on cost. Maybe that was a mistake, but we wanted to keep the pricing at the most accessible point possible without sacrificing the quality of the product itself. It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

Some brands use mesh filters and some use membrane filters; with membrane filters being a much higher quality and more expensive to produce. OtoPro only works with the highest quality filters which we source through a company in the Netherlands and then have our products manufactured here in the USA. The membranes are designed to have the biggest surface area in the given form factor. Since the membrane is made of a breathable material, this leads to optimal breathing of the filter, which enables moisture in the ear canal to escape, keeping the ear canal cool and providing all-day comfort. These filters can be ordered in either nonlinear or linear attenuation functions in a multitude of different frequency responses. We have hand-selected the filters that are ideally suited to allow the maximum possible audibility of low-level sounds while still protecting at gunshot levels - that means low NRR and high IPIL. We have found that many brands have chosen more "universal-type" filters, but we can get very specific as we work with clients individually. On that note, we have the freedom to build products using any of the filters when we see that a client has a need that is unique from the majority.

I do not wish to speak negatively of other brands, but I’ll offer a few pointers when shopping around. If a product is advertising an NRR of 33dB+, it simply cannot be accurate, nor would that NRR allow for low-level sounds to be heard. We cannot be sure which filter they are using from looking (there are countless filter options that look the same), but the products with an IPIL rating of 33+ allow varying levels of much lower NRR.

Aside from the quality of the filter and materials, the OtoPro Impulse was created in order to provide an entry price point that can be used toward a custom fit in the future, with interchangeable filters to meet different needs - all with the ongoing specialized customer service on which OtoPro is built. I hope this helps!

Feel free to keep shooting questions and comments, and if I can't answer directly based on my experiences, I'll dig up the info for you!

 

[bigbuckdj]

I’m not sure how I missed that these made it to rokslide. I met grace in Jackson, MS as a side track on a hunting trip and got my ears molded. I have the custom impulses and I have some industrial filters for work. Great customer service, great product. Check out my ear canal molds.

 

[b2bdna]

I have the Phantoms and agree Grace's team at OtoPro is great. I wouldn't buy the Phantoms again until they come out with another generation (for example, Santa won't be leaving these in my sons' stockings). Two complaints, pretty fundamental. First, the devices automatically turn on when taken off the charger. This is a great feature for hearing aid you'll put in immediately, but a terrible feature for devices that then go in a case, in your pocket, in your truck, and maybe finally worn hours after leaving your charger behind. IF they had a visual indicator they were on, say a lit diode or a switch that positively identified On and Off, this would be easy to fix. But to effectively turn them off, you first need to put them in so you can hear the tones as you try cycling the momentary contact switch. But about half the time putting these in, you'll activate the switch itself. If they were off, you might accidentally turn them off. If you managed to get them turned off, you might well accidentally turn them on handling them out of your ears. These really need a positive on/off switch, not a momentary contact switch, and ideally not a multifunction button that also cycles through the programs. Second, their little magnetic mount charger case seems slick until you try to store the devices with the lanyard on. The case simply doesn't have enough space inside to hold the lanyard (which always protrudes somehow). In the event you can get the lanyard all wrapped up and inside the case, it's likely that you've then knocked the earbuds off their little magnetic chargers. So it's a lot of trial and error. You can take the whole charger with you in your truck, but set the device gently on the dash and periodically check that both charging LEDs are on (better yet, plug the case into your lighter), because it's easy to jostle the earbuds off the magnetic charger posts. You would never put the charger case in your parka pocket, for example, or you'd jostle off the charger which would turn the units on, which would run down the battery. A positive charging connection (micro USB) would be ten times more useful. Suffice it to say, these are very expensive passive hearing protection when all these design flaws lead to dead batteries when you thought you were doing things correctly.

 

[Antares]

I have an appoint to get impressions made coming up. I'm going to get passive, full shell, solid plugs first, but then my impressions will be on file with OtoPro when I want to upgrade to something electronic in the future. Looking forward to wearing them under my electronic headset at the range.

 

[b2bdna]

I have the Phantoms and agree Grace's team at OtoPro is great. I wouldn't buy the Phantoms again until they come out with another generation (for example, Santa won't be leaving these in my sons' stockings). Two complaints, pretty fundamental. First, the devices automatically turn on when taken off the charger. This is a great feature for hearing aid you'll put in immediately, but a terrible feature for devices that then go in a case, in your pocket, in your truck, and maybe finally worn hours after leaving your charger behind. IF they had a visual indicator they were on, say a lit diode or a switch that positively identified On and Off, this would be easy to fix. But to effectively turn them off, you first need to put them in so you can hear the tones as you try cycling the momentary contact switch. But about half the time putting these in, you'll activate the switch itself. If they were off, you might accidentally turn them off. If you managed to get them turned off, you might well accidentally turn them on handling them out of your ears. These really need a positive on/off switch, not a momentary contact switch, and ideally not a multifunction button that also cycles through the programs. Second, their little magnetic mount charger case seems slick until you try to store the devices with the lanyard on. The case simply doesn't have enough space inside to hold the lanyard (which always protrudes somehow). In the event you can get the lanyard all wrapped up and inside the case, it's likely that you've then knocked the earbuds off their little magnetic chargers. So it's a lot of trial and error. You can take the whole charger with you in your truck, but set the device gently on the dash and periodically check that both charging LEDs are on (better yet, plug the case into your lighter), because it's easy to jostle the earbuds off the magnetic charger posts. You would never put the charger case in your parka pocket, for example, or you'd jostle off the charger which would turn the units on, which would run down the battery. A positive charging connection (micro USB) would be ten times more useful. Suffice it to say, these are very expensive passive hearing protection when all these design flaws lead to dead batteries when you thought you were doing things correctly.

UPDATE: My Phantoms needed service for other issues (user abuse), during which they upgraded the firmware. The firmware upgrade fixes my chief complaint about auto-on when removing from the charger. The note they included with the units when returned (amazing fast turnaround time btw) noted this change in funcationality--they need to be affirmatively powered up by the user now.