Hearing Protection Info

[Oldbloke]

A timely reminder.

https://youtu.be/4TaRbTKXwZc?si=wp_tDhfO7WK0G_NY

[bladeracer]

I'm looking for electronic ear plugs, so I can still converse properly but can wear them with a cowboy hat, comfortable enough to wear all day, and reasonably cheap so I won't cry when I lose them

Conventional plugs I have to remove to converse with people and invariably forget to put them in again. I've seen a few shooters appear to be using Bluetooth ear buds, which I assume are not actually designed for hearing protection.

[niteowl]

What's that you say? You will have to speak up a bit !!

[alexjones]

Can only dream for suppressors in QLD.

[No1_49er]

I use the Axil ear buds - they lasy a whole day at the range
https://goaxil.com/

[bladeracer]

I use the Axil ear buds - they lasy a whole day at the range
https://goaxil.com/

Just the basic X30i plugs?
https://goaxil.com/products/x30i-earplugs?variant=41873375330363
I have looked at them before.

[Oldbloke]

Sooooo,,,,,,did anyone bother to watch ALL of the video?

[bladeracer]

Sooooo,,,,,,did anyone bother to watch ALL of the video?

Yes, I've seen it before though, pretty funny

[SomeoneElse]

I'm looking for electronic ear plugs, so I can still converse properly but can wear them with a cowboy hat, comfortable enough to wear all day, and reasonably cheap so I won't cry when I lose them

Conventional plugs I have to remove to converse with people and invariably forget to put them in again. I've seen a few shooters appear to be using Bluetooth ear buds, which I assume are not actually designed for hearing protection.

I've been using ISOtunes Sport Caliber for 6 months now - done maybe 4 hunting trips with them. I believe I have relatively high hearing sensitivity, based on my natural (non enhanced) hearing ability to hear dodgy phone recharging power supplies whistle (16k to 21k Hz range) when everyone else can't hear them. The one time I went to the Australian Open I could hear the difference between old & new balls as they flew through the air, from way back in the cheap seats in RLA. (New balls have more "hair" and make a louder wind rushing noise as they travel. I was fascinated at the sound - my wife was fascinated that I could hear such a difference.) But I digress. I'm fortunate that my high-freq sensitivity is still somewhat intact despite semi-annual shooting for the past few decades, and weekly shooting/hunting prior to that. In my professional day job I work with complex digital audio processing systems from time to time, so hopefully the following is understandable and I haven't complicated it too much.

My thoughts on the ISOtunes Sport Caliber. First, the "pros":

• They fit under my Akubra without an issue. No strings, wires, etc.
• I find them comfortable enough to wear for many hours on end. A slight bit of ear-canal pressure, but nothing that leads to minor pain or headache.
• I believe their claim of 25dB - 30dB noise reduction. This assumes you have seated them correctly in your ears, by pulling up on your cartilage while inserting/rotating them into the ear canal. Doing so also ensures that they don't fall out while in use, at least with my ear shape.
• The reduction is regardless of whether they are turned on or not. It is a physical acoustic barrier (silicone or foam) which achieves the noise reduction by sealing the ear canal. When they are turned off you will really struggle to hear conversation.
• Output is capped at 85dB, whether it be mics and/or Bluetooth.
• The mics have three levels of sensitivity (plus Off) so you can hear conversation. Low or Medium seem to be sufficient for conversation. I call "High" a super-power, amplifying ambient sounds considerably beyond natural levels. Good for stalking in some contexts where the is little/no wind.
• When "danger level" sounds are detected, the mic amplification almost-instantly gates/cuts the mic sound, then restores it in a stepped manner over approx 1.5sec. Bluetooth content is not cut - just the mics.
• While holding the spotlight, my mate's 22-250 going off right next to me causes no issue/flinch for me. I can cope with it for hours on end, and get no noise fatigue whatsoever. Sure I hear/feel the thump of the rounds going off, as well as impact (or miss) on critters. But the sharp ear-ringing experience and cumulative pain/fatigue of hours of spotlighting is non-existent.
• While walking/stalking in areas where encountering critters is a low likelihood I can listen to hunting podcasts via the Bluetooth connection while also hearing ambient sounds at whatever Low/Medium/High level I want. I don't recommend the distraction, unless you're mostly stalking for the exercise and genuinely have low likelihood of an encounter.
• I've paired them to the TV to watch a movie while our portable air cond unit next to my elbow cranked away on a hot summer night. With mics turned Off I could hear the movie clearly.
• When you put them into their carry case, they are automatically turned off and the carry case recharges them.

Neutral thoughts:

• For ear canal inserts (which screw onto the units) they include one "triple silicone" pair, and maybe 6 foam pairs of different sizes. I haven't tried the silicone inserts in a hunting context, so I can't comment on the performance of those. I tried the foam style and have stuck with that due to comfort. The formal dB reductions are based on the silicone inserts.
• The Bluetooth control has phone-answering capability, track skip, etc. I didn't buy them for this capability and haven't used those capabilities to date.
• I have no idea what the mic quality would sound like for people on the far end of a phone call.

Now the "cons":

• The price is not bargain basement (usually around $330AUD range) but I've only got one set of ears which I need for my professional day-job. I'd also like to have good hearing well into retirement. I got them on special for just under $300 from Ear Jobs. Have a look at the high-end options, then the $300 range don't feel so bad.
• They turn off after every 1 hour of use. You can turn them back on for another 1 hour of use. It's just an energy saving feature, probably for the "forgot to turn them off" scenario. I wish I could extend that to 4 hours or just let them run flat, but nope. A very minor annoyance.
• I initially found the "stepped restoration" of mic level (after a gate/cutout) a bit distracting, but learned to ignore it. I'd prefer a more smooth/linear restoration of level rather than stepped, but I suspect that would result in more $$$. If I stop focussing on what the hearing protection is doing and focus on everything else going on around me it's no issue.
• Depending on wind direction, crosswind/headwind over the mics can cause the mic cutout/gate to trip. I think the cutout sensitivity might be tied to the Low/Med/High setting, but don't quote me on that. When the wind is bad (Ute window open, or moderate cross-breeze on the back) I set sensitivity to Low. I can't recall if this reduces cutout occurrences or simply minimises the amplitude of the mic audio so my brain doesn't get fatigued processing the constant switching between cut/amplified sounds. (Wide dynamic range changes over 1.5-2sec durations.) In a spotlighting context having them on Low sensitivity still covers 95% of conversation. And as the night goes on my mates without hearing protection start to talk louder anyway.

I am in no way associated/affiliated with ISOtunes but I recommend them for hunting, with the caveat/understanding that some ear canals are not very compatible with the generic in-ear style. Further, I have not tried similar products from other manufacturers so my experience is limited to this one product. Glad it works for me without needing to get a custom-molded solution.

Someone Else

[bladeracer]

That's good info SomeoneElse.

I should update that I bought the Axil X30i ear plugs. I've been carrying them in my pocket every day since I got them five weeks ago. They come in a tiny case that could be hung on your belt, pocket button, round your neck or wherever, but the case is not very well closed and it would be a matter of minutes I think before they fell out of it. I've tried them at different pistol clubs and during our regular shoots at home. They are decently effective, but I hate them. They're not at all uncomfortable, but I cannot converse at all through them, despite them having buttons that open and close them. I can't hear range commands, and I find them really difficult running lever-action rifles fast. I've developed "feel" running the rifles, and a large part of that seems to be the sound of the action running, when I can't hear the rifle running I'm all fumbles with it. They're still in my pocket every day, and I try using them whenever I can but I invariably take them out after a handful of shots. It's _possible_ that when I'm shooting on my own, where conversation is unnecessary I _might_ find them useful, but I do like to be aware of anything that might be happening around me, and earplugs rob me of that. If I'm in the paddock shooting I want to be aware if somebody walks or drives up behind me. If I'm shooting on my own at a club, other members have keys and can enter anytime, I want to be aware if people are around.

I'm sure that electronic plugs are the answer for me, but they are still too expensive and too easy to lose. If they're expensive but difficult to lose they'd be fine, just as being easy-to-lose-but-cheap is fine. I think I need to try Bluetooth phone buds that you simply wear all day long, that still let you use the phone and chat with people. These ISOtunes buds might be a good system so I'll investigate them further.

This year I've already done 852rds of high-velocity .22LR and .357Mag, and low-velocity .38 Special (and 146 air-pistol shots but I doubt they matter). I've also been within a metre or three of several other shooters firing something like 1400 rounds of .22LR, .38 Special, .357Mag, 9mm, .32 Long Colt, and .32S&W. My hearing is still excellent, I just find the tinnitus gets aggravated now for a day or two after shooting.

[tearsforfears333]

I use the Axil ear buds - they lasy a whole day at the range
https://goaxil.com/

Just the basic X30i plugs?
https://goaxil.com/products/x30i-earplugs?variant=41873375330363
I have looked at them before.

So any good with the X30i Plugs?

[bladeracer]

I use the Axil ear buds - they lasy a whole day at the range
https://goaxil.com/

Just the basic X30i plugs?
https://goaxil.com/products/x30i-earplugs?variant=41873375330363
I have looked at them before.

So any good with the X30i Plugs?

I just wrote my view of them yesterday, look up

In short, they work as advertised, they remove your ability to hear everything, which is why I don't like them.

[on_one_wheel]

I'm pretty happy with the 3m Peltor Sporttack muffs I use, they're not overly bulky when using rifles and claim to provide class 4 protection.

They're awesome for hunting as they cam amplify sounds nicely.

[bladeracer]

I'm pretty happy with the 3m Peltor Sporttack muffs I use, they're not overly bulky when using rifles and claim to provide class 4 protection.

They're awesome for hunting as they can amplify sounds nicely.

Yes, I have four sets of electronic muffs, and they are excellent. But not great with hats and they do get heavy after an hour or more. I have them all hanging off my range bag, with half a dozen pairs of glasses for people that forget to bring their own.

[Wapiti]

I was chatting to a neighbour a few joints down about ear pro on the farm, we're of the same background originally, engineers/trades where you gotta wear it. So the transition when on the farm is easy.
Weve both tried electronic muffs when spotlighting with someone else where it's a bit safer, we feel, to be able to hear one another and communicate our intentions as things happen fast at night and some opportunities with certain animals just can't be missed. They can get real sweaty on summer nights though. But being large, they are impossible to lose unless you're a dufuss. And magnifying engine noise and dog's barking isn't welcome.
When running around in utes or buggies on the farm, we all just use banded ear plugs, the ones connected by an orange flexible band. Howard Leight ones are pretty much indestructible. We use the ones with the rounded pads, because around here, re-using the pointed type that insert into the ear canal with all the dust, dirt and general stuff around isn't a great idea. Yeah I know they shut out a few dB more than tge rounded ones.
In industry, inserting anything into your ear that's been in and out without a disinfection clean isn't permitted on most sites anymore, because of the ear infection risk and possible hearing loss from it. And reusing any type of earplugs is forbidden where we've run the jobs. Dont laugh, it's real. Out in the paddocks, it's worse from the powdered sh*t in the dust and the soil pathogens.

I guess at the range there's a controlled environment, hand washing in hygienic areas and I spose, if someone's sprung big bucks for these electronic earbuds for target shooting I'd imagine they're going to be looked after. They must be convenient when wearing them.