Otto NoizeBarrier Micro Ear Protection Review, By Derik Henderson

[waitforit]

I just bought these this year. So far I've been out turkey and coyote hunting with them. I have moderate hearing loss in my left ear especially at higher frequencies and my hunting partner would always be asking me "did you hear that gobble?" and of course I could not unless it was close.

Last year I am certain that I missed out on some elk encounters because of my inability to hear footsteps and also distant bugles. When my buddy shot his bull we were about 75 yards apart and I did not hear the bull approaching until it was in visual range. From a setup standpoint it could have been much better had I been more prepared knowing he was coming in.

These things are complete game-changers for me. There is so much happening that I've been missing. I hear birds singing I never knew were there. Certainly made turkey hunting much more immersive. Wish I would have addressed this problem years ago!

 

[BackCountryMulies]

I just bought these this year. So far I've been out turkey and coyote hunting with them. I have moderate hearing loss in my left ear especially at higher frequencies and my hunting partner would always be asking me "did you hear that gobble?" and of course I could not unless it was close.

Last year I am certain that I missed out on some elk encounters because of my inability to hear footsteps and also distant bugles. When my buddy shot his bull we were about 75 yards apart and I did not hear the bull approaching until it was in visual range. From a setup standpoint it could have been much better had I been more prepared knowing he was coming in.

These things are complete game-changers for me. There is so much happening that I've been missing. I hear birds singing I never knew were there. Certainly made turkey hunting much more immersive. Wish I would have addressed this problem years ago!

They are a great addition for sure!

 

[kloppy]

My ears have rang my entire life for reasons unknown, even before the few unprotected gun shots that I have been exposed to. Therefore I am pretty sensitive to the hearing issue.

I picked up a pair of Otto's recently and they have been great so far in the turkey woods. No issues with wind or sound direction even on windy days. Evidently I have tiny ear canals so I had to buy a pair of the size small comply foam tips on amazon.

 

[wind gypsy]

Thanks for sharing this, I had to order a pair. Just tried them tonight for the first time. Only shot my 22 so can’t say much about noise reduction but I was very impressed with the sound quality. The world sounded dull when I took them out. It’s notably better than my MSA sordin pro muffs.

 

[txtransplant]

Anyone know how good the noise reduction is when shooting a full power rifle? Noise reduction of 40 dB is pretty good for in-the-ear protection, but I've never really found anything that I was comfortable shooting an unsuppressed hunting rifle with. Like @kloppy, I've had tinnitus since a young age for reasons unknown, so I'm pretty careful about ear pro so as not to go deaf too soon...

@BackCountryMulies
@kbaerg

Edit: I see now that these ear buds are properly rated for NRR 28 dB with the foam tips. What the heck does 40 dB "impulse noise protection" mean, then? Just a marketing ploy?

Whatever. I'm interested to hear from actual users how well these protect your ears when shooting a real rifle without a suppressor.

 

[Voyageur]

Anyone know how good the noise reduction is when shooting a full power rifle? Noise reduction of 40 dB is pretty good for in-the-ear protection, but I've never really found anything that I was comfortable shooting an unsuppressed hunting rifle with. Like @kloppy, I've had tinnitus since a young age for reasons unknown, so I'm pretty careful about ear pro so as not to go deaf too soon...

@BackCountryMulies
@kbaerg

Edit: I see now that these ear buds are properly rated for NRR 28 dB with the foam tips. What the heck does 40 dB "impulse noise protection" mean, then? Just a marketing ploy?

Whatever. I'm interested to hear from actual users how well these protect your ears when shooting a real rifle without a suppressor.

Hopefully @westonadkins will chime in on your question.

 

[kbaerg]

I have attached a short read explaining Impulse noise.View attachment multimedia (1).pdf

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[westonadkins]

Anyone know how good the noise reduction is when shooting a full power rifle? Noise reduction of 40 dB is pretty good for in-the-ear protection, but I've never really found anything that I was comfortable shooting an unsuppressed hunting rifle with. Like @kloppy, I've had tinnitus since a young age for reasons unknown, so I'm pretty careful about ear pro so as not to go deaf too soon...

@BackCountryMulies
@kbaerg

Edit: I see now that these ear buds are properly rated for NRR 28 dB with the foam tips. What the heck does 40 dB "impulse noise protection" mean, then? Just a marketing ploy?

Whatever. I'm interested to hear from actual users how well these protect your ears when shooting a real rifle without a suppressor.

Good info from kbaerg attached there. The last part in his pdf where they talk about proper fitting is the ticket in my opinion. Studies have shown over and over again that NRR grossly overestimates real world attenuation simply because of improper fit. OSHA suggests (NRR-7) / 2 to more accurately estimate real noise reduction, so for the foam plugs on the Otto: (28-7) / 2 = 10.5 dB of expected reduction. NIOSH recommends taking cutting the NRR by 70% for realistic noise reduction values (8.4 dB in this case). You CAN do better than that with a good fit and proper placement but usually not up to the NRR. 3M has a system called the E-A-Rfit validation system where you can test how much reduction you're getting with various earplugs, and it's truly a challenge to get to the advertised NRR. It's really not a good metric, and, as you're pointing out, it's even worse when companies advertise "up to 40 dB" of reduction. That's possible in maybe 1% of cases. Advertising it as such is borderline unethical in my opinion.

It's also important to note that NIOSH only cuts the NRR by 25% for earmuffs because they are easy to use properly, so the fit is much more consistent. I steer people that direction a lot, especially for use on the range.

According to the numbers provided by the company, these devices could provide enough protection for your unbroke rifle, but the limiting factor will almost certainly be the fit. This is going to vary for every user because no one's ears are the same, so getting a consensus of opinion won't help you much. If you want to be more sure of adequate protection, get muffs or go custom (regular custom, non-electronic earplugs are like $150). If you give these Ottos a go, just make sure to use the roll, pull hold method of insertion and do a fit test to get an idea of where you're at.

Didn't mean to hijack this thread -- we can blame Voyager for tagging me in

 

[txtransplant]

All good stuff, @westonadkins .

I use Peltor Tactical e-muffs for outdoor ranges, and sometimes double up with foam earplugs if it's really loud or if I'm indoors.

What I'm looking for is a good solution for electronic ear pro to wear "all day" while hunting. I don't really have that yet. Muffs get in the way and these are the first really high quality in-ear electronic buds I've seen that weren't damn near a grand.

These look like a really good option, so I'll keep my eye peeled for a sale and will report back if I end up getting them.

 

[westonadkins]

All good stuff, @westonadkins .

I use Peltor Tactical e-muffs for outdoor ranges, and sometimes double up with foam earplugs if it's really loud or if I'm indoors.

What I'm looking for is a good solution for electronic ear pro to wear "all day" while hunting. I don't really have that yet. Muffs get in the way and these are the first really high quality in-ear electronic buds I've seen that weren't damn near a grand.

These look like a really good option, so I'll keep my eye peeled for a sale and will report back if I end up getting them.

That's pretty much how I run my hear pro too. All these in the ear, electronic devices are very pricey that's for sure, but they have their place. Love mine for upland hunting. I like seeing more of these non-custom options at more manageable prices. Just got to get them fit right


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[BackCountryMulies]

Anyone know how good the noise reduction is when shooting a full power rifle? Noise reduction of 40 dB is pretty good for in-the-ear protection, but I've never really found anything that I was comfortable shooting an unsuppressed hunting rifle with. Like @kloppy, I've had tinnitus since a young age for reasons unknown, so I'm pretty careful about ear pro so as not to go deaf too soon...

@BackCountryMulies
@kbaerg

Edit: I see now that these ear buds are properly rated for NRR 28 dB with the foam tips. What the heck does 40 dB "impulse noise protection" mean, then? Just a marketing ploy?

Whatever. I'm interested to hear from actual users how well these protect your ears when shooting a real rifle without a suppressor.

@txtransplant I have shot several large rifles from 7 rem mags to 50 BMG unsuppressed and have not had any issues. While at the range several other shooters have been shooting large rifles with brakes and I havent had my ears rang once. The rifle I took to africa was a 30 nosler 23" barrel with a TBAC CB brake its unbearable to shoot without ear-pro and I had no issues. I hope that helps, but if your ears are extremely sensitive you may benefit from a custom mold non-electronic.

Solid info @kbaerg and @westonadkins

 

[txtransplant]

@txtransplant I have shot several large rifles from 7 rem mags to 50 BMG unsuppressed and have not had any issues. While at the range several other shooters have been shooting large rifles with brakes and I havent had my ears rang once. The rifle I took to africa was a 30 nosler 23" barrel with a TBAC CB brake its unbearable to shoot without ear-pro and I had no issues. I hope that helps, but if your ears are extremely sensitive you may benefit from a custom mold non-electronic.

Solid info @kbaerg and @westonadkins
View attachment 292980

Thank you! That raises my confidence for spending this much money on such a device.

I really like electronic ear pro, so I don’t want to go back to passive. Might try to see if I can have custom molds made for these Ottos.

 

[BackCountryMulies]

Thank you! That raises my confidence for spending this much money on such a device.

I really like electronic ear pro, so I don’t want to go back to passive. Might try to see if I can have custom molds made for these Ottos.

@txtransplant You bet, sorry for the delayed response I have been on the mountain chasing bears! I don't see any reason why you couldn't have custom molds made the ear tips seem to be a common and universal size. I use them a ton and have been really happy with them

 

[westonadkins]

Just checked to be sure, and Westone and Microsonic do make custom molds for these type of devices. You'd very likely have to send the devices in with the ear impressions to have them made. These customs will run you ~$150.

Edit to add: Click here to find an audiologist to get your impressions done/order the molds.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[txtransplant]

Just checked to be sure, and Westone and Microsonic do make custom molds for these type of devices. You'd very likely have to send the devices in with the ear impressions to have them made. These customs will run you ~$150.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

WOW, thank you for saving me the time!

 

[carbon]

Will these fit under ear muffs?

Background
I have constant ringing in my left ear, and when hunting I use one NRR ~30 foam plug in the left and nothing in the right ear. Over that I wear Peltor TacticalPro muffs with the soft gel 3M pads added (these subtract ~1 on the NRR scale, btw, but are worth it for comfort and sealing around glasses).

The TacticalPro model is 26 NRR and is their highest NRR electronic muff (better than the Sport Tactical models and Comtac etc). Edit: maybe the 500 series Sport Tacticals are equal, but I’ve owned the 300 and the built quality of the TacticalPros are way better. The price reflects it too.

All is well and good hunting, but at the range I stick a foam plug in the right ear too. Then, I can't hear anyone very well even when I max the volume up on the Peltors.

I was thinking of adding one electronic plug to my right ear in at the range to mitigate this problem.

 

[wyosteve]

Tried to find the answer on the Otto website, but no luck. My question is: can you recharge the earpieces with a 'battery pack' like a phone or does it need 110v power?

 

[Kimber7man]

Where is the best place to purchase the Otto’s?

 

[BackCountryMulies]

Will these fit under ear muffs?

Background
I have constant ringing in my left ear, and when hunting I use one NRR ~30 foam plug in the left and nothing in the right ear. Over that I wear Peltor TacticalPro muffs with the soft gel 3M pads added (these subtract ~1 on the NRR scale, btw, but are worth it for comfort and sealing around glasses).

The TacticalPro model is 26 NRR and is their highest NRR electronic muff (better than the Sport Tactical models and Comtac etc). Edit: maybe the 500 series Sport Tacticals are equal, but I’ve owned the 300 and the built quality of the TacticalPros are way better. The price reflects it too.

All is well and good hunting, but at the range I stick a foam plug in the right ear too. Then, I can't hear anyone very well even when I max the volume up on the Peltors.

I was thinking of adding one electronic plug to my right ear in at the range to mitigate this problem.

I think the fitment would be fine. I'm just not sure how well running 2 electronic earpieces together would work.

 

[BackCountryMulies]

Where is the best place to purchase the Otto’s?

I bought mine from a local gun store. Just doing a quick google search looks like there's plenty of options online or direct from Otto