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How Electronic Hearing Protection Works

yeah, i should have pointed out in my posting, "what decibel rating(s)" are the better ones for indoor gun ranges.

i think mine is a 26dB rated ear protection. i have seen higher rated ones, like 30, 32.......etc
 
Old_Me said:
yeah, i should have pointed out in my posting, "what decibel rating(s)" are the better ones for indoor gun ranges.

i think mine is a 26dB rated ear protection. i have seen higher rated ones, like 30, 32.......etc
Click to expand...
Towards the end of the video, he does mention db ratings and the higher the better. The electronic muffs probably going up in price for the higher db rating they have.
 
Remember, higher is better - but not necessarily. ;)

Most important of all, IMveryHO, is to realize that the number is only valid if the chosen earpro (whatever the type) *_fits_* properly and stays put. This means that for in-ear "plugs," it has to be properly installed into your ear and that it has to stay there (understanding that jaw motion can and will work to displace, to varying degrees, in-ear plugs). For external "muffs," it must conform to your head, taking into account not only your head movements, but also hair as well as eyewear ("temple") considerations, and even your ear size/shape.

Also, not all earpros are equal, where it comes to how they protect versus the type of harmful noise that we specifically must contend with in our sport/hobby. The specific frequency range in which the earpros offer its protection is crucially important as well. The following article regarding the "NRR 18" of the popular MSR Sordin electronic earmuffs illustrates this consideration: https://trevoronthetrigger.wordpres...me-performance-the-misleading-nrr18db-rating/

javbike said:
I don’t know my hearing is really bad I use ear plugs and a good quality ear protection I don’t think tje electricity ones would do me any good I can’t hear 💩 anyway
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Not necessarily, @javbike - you may actually benefit from the ability of electronic earpro (be they over-the-ear "muffs" or in-ear "plugs") to amplify non-harmful noises. :)

The biggest problem here is that depending on the attack/release times (in lay terms, this is how fast the electronics in the earpro is able to shut off its mic when it senses harmful sound levels versus how fast those same electronics is able to restore mic functionality after it detects the harmful sounds have passed, respectively), you may have difficulty carrying on a conversation when in an indoor range or on a particularly loud outdoor firing line, when there are a lot of adjacent shooters.

Old_Me said:
yeah, i should have pointed out in my posting, "what decibel rating(s)" are the better ones for indoor gun ranges.

i think mine is a 26dB rated ear protection. i have seen higher rated ones, like 30, 32.......etc
Click to expand...

For indoor ranges, many shooters prefer to "double up" with in-ear plugs *_and_* over-the-ear "muffs." This not only helps with sheer volume, but also a bit of the felt blast pressure from adjacent lanes who may be shooting higher-calibers or using various muzzle devices (and even barrel lengths).


This is another scenario where electronic over-the-ear muffs can potentially have an advantage over passive ones, as the shooter can choose to crank up the volume of the in-ear speakers so that they can clearly hear range-commands or converse with their lane-mate(s), while the in-ear plugs serves as another barrier to the gunshot noises, which is already filtered.


BET7 said:
Towards the end of the video, he does mention db ratings and the higher the better. The electronic muffs probably going up in price for the higher db rating they have.
Click to expand...
*emphasis added

Sometimes, but not-necessarily. ;)

More often, premiums are due to faster attack/release times as well as any of a number of other more advanced capabilities, such as the ability of the unit to hook up with known tactical coms systems, Bluetooth compatibility, and/or weatherproofing.

There are also many extremely-high NRR units which are very inexpensive, very well-built/quality passive muffs, made by very highly regarded manufacturers. The Howard Leight Lightning N3, for instance, has an NRR of 30, and some of the ones that @BobM's cited article in this thread - https://www.edcmag.com/best-hearing-protection/ - are spec'ed significantly more, and are priced very, very reasonably.
 
I’ve gone down the rabbit hole on this topic. I bought my first pistol (hk p30L) 2 months ago, and the (somewhat) knowledgeable rep recommended a pair of peltor range guard electronic ear muffs, nrr 21. The first time I was at an outdoor range the person in the lane next to me was shooting an AR in .556. The sound was deafening and the concussion startled the hell out of me. I then found out I needed to double up With in ear foamies. Still inadequate. So I researched for days and then bought a bunch to test. I went back to the range and tried the following first without foam plugs then with.

1-3M X5 passive ~30nrr $33
2-Walker xcel 100 with gel cups ~26 nrr $120
3-sordin supreme pro-x with gel cups -19 nrr $280

Here is what my ratings are on a 1-10 scale 10 being the best.

3M without foam plugs
Noise attenuation 9.
comfort 8.5
ability to hear others talk 6

3M with foam plugs
Noise attenuation 10
comfort same
ability to hear others talk 4
These did a great job of blocking noise and were fairly comfortable. Without foam I could hear others talk nearby and further away I’d really have to concentrate. Pistol caliber sound was acceptable, rifle still too loud. Once foam was in I could barely hear anyone talk unless right next to me. rifle sounds were acceptable. As long as you don’t care how huge these are or need to hear other sounds these did the best job of protecting hearing.

Walker xcel 100 without foam plugs
Noise attenuation 7.5
comfort 7.5
ability to hear others talk 9

Walker Xcel 100 with foam plugs
Noise attenuation 8.5
comfort same
ability to hear others talk 7

The Walkers had a noticeable drop in attenuation. Without plugs pistol shots had a higher pitched crack than the 3M. Still not adequate enough. I could hear people talk near and far. With plugs all gunshots I heard were acceptable, and ability to hear drops off.

Sordin Supreme Pro-x without foam plugs
Noise attenuation 8-8.5
comfort 10
ability to hear others talk 9.5

Sordin Supreme Pro-x with plugs
noise attenuation 9-9.5
comfort same
ability to hear others talk 7.5

The sordins were the most comfortable and surprisingly had almost as good noise attenuation as the 3M passives without the bulk. Pistol shots without foam were acceptable, but I wouldn’t want to use them without foam plugs for all day. Rifle sounds still not acceptable without plugs. Speech was the clearest. With plugs I would be fine all day (rifle concussive blast would def be tiresome). My favorite of the 3 if I wanted to have the ability to hear others and or my surrounding. But they’re spendy. the 3M was the bargin and winner for absolute protection.

if you watch the video that is in the above referenced article, you’ll realize that there is no such thing as electronic hearing protection. The electronic part ONLY amplifies ambient sounds below a threshold. There is no way to electronically cancel or diminish the sound without an equal and opposite sound, one that is too loud for small speakers and gunshot. Therefore all sound attenuation is passive. The interesting thig about the sordins is (i surmise) they must use specific dampnening materials for gunshot frequencies, probably to pack more into that small space, rather than a general acoustic damper that takes up more space and reduces all frequencies equally. for gunshot sounds they’re pretty remarkable for a smaller form factor.
 
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