My first electronic muffs were a pair of Dillon Precision(~2001), which seemed great, until we discovered the speakers didnt have a limit filter on them. If you wound up the gain on the microphones, and sat in a quiet room for a few minutes, the damn auto-gain on the microphones would dial up, and tapping my finger on the table nearly blew my eardrum! Every other brand of electronic muff I've used since has a limit built into the speakers to prevent this, and I've not worn a pair of Dillons for over 15 years, so I hope they've fixed this. However, the Dillons were only 22db Noise reduction, which is woeful for most gunshots larger than a subsonic .22.
Keep in mind that many electronic muff specs are listed/rated for when they are switched off, and many manufacturers are incredibly vague about their noise reduction when operating. Many brands list a '28Db Noise reduction', and yet when you delve into the specs some more, you find the muff will only deliver 24db noise reduction when turned on, and 28 when turned off!
[OF COURSE I bought these electronic muffs so I could use them SWITCHED OFF!!]
I've had a number of different Peltor electronic muffs, and the best performers were the TAC-7's I had about 10 years back. I think they were 28Db, and that seemed to be pretty good for most shooting at the time. Slightly bulky compared to later muffs I've tried, but I think I used them for around 5 years before they died.
I tend to be a bit rough on earmuffs.
I've had about 3 pairs of the Peltor Sport-TAC electronic muffs, and found they easily deform if I forget and leave them in the car for a day or so(Sun/heat). Damn things never quite fit the replaceable cushion/inserts after that.. The Sport-TAC's are okay, but right on the limit for actual noise reduction. If your rifle is particularly noisy, I'd suggest trying something with better noise reduction. They are a nice slimline muff, and easy to wear/operate, though.
Likely you'd get away with them if you were using a relatively quiet rifle out in the open.
I doubt that even if any of my Sport-Tac's were still working, that they would have enough Noise reduction for the short barrel and brake on my new Ruger Precision Rifle.
Both types of Peltor electronic muffs I've owned have had 'audio in' ports, and I either input the handheld 2-way radio speaker when I'm mustering on a bike, or an MP3 audio feed in when I'm out persecuting wildlife on the bike/ATV.
I've had a pair of the cheap(ish) Ruger electronic muffs; they were pretty good for noise reduction, but fell apart about 18 months after purchase. They also had the batteries inside the centre of the muff(behind a piece of foam/fabric), which seemed to me to be great to pick up a lot of sweat over time. Not great for batteries; I've found. They did work well for noise reduction, though.
I've had a pair of 'Pro-Ears Gold' muffs, and mine were utter utter utter ******. One speaker got crackly within a few weeks, and they were really dodgey from new. Not as cheap as the Rugers, and I'll not buy them again.
I've got a pair of the 'Howard Leight Impact Sport' electronic muffs, and while I like them, they dont seem to cut enough noise when I started using the Ruger Precision Rifle (20" barrel & brake). I'd suspect they are only around 26db when switched on.
I've since reverted to a pair of ~32DB non-electronic muffs (Unisafe Zone '3' Class 5), and they might be more restrictive for situational awareness, but they are doing a lot more for preserving my hearing. Bear in mind that most rifle shooting will require noise reduction over around 28Db to stop you going deaf, and the higher the better for your hearing long-term.
There is a USA brand called 'Wolf Ears', which are supposed to be really good; apparently a lot supplied to US troops on deployment in the Middle East. They are supposed to clip the noise, rather than cut the noise out completely(which most electronic muffs tend to do). It allows for better hearing in noisy environments.
Never seen Wolf Ears for sale in Aus to date....
Another company makes another 'Clipping' electronic muff that I want to try, is a Western Australian firm called Sensear.
Here is one of their muffs that would equate to a shooting earmuff:
http://radioindustries.com.au/sensear-s ... -only.html[They make a lot of muffs for the mining industry, and most models are set up for 2-way radio comms, and/or bluetooth phone connectivity.]
Very expensive, but these ones look to be very similar to the top-range Peltors as far as noise reduction, but are Clipping, rather than cutting out the audio to the earphone speakers.
I think when I get hot & sweaty about electronic muffs again (Like when I get well enough to start walking along creeks looking for Hot Pork), I'll go the Sensear muffs.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Rod.