Best Hearing Protection Advice please

[Guest ThePunisher]

[quote name="Oh Shoot" post="877094" timestamp="1357449010"]Just to follow up, this seems to be the model I have: R-01526, although that number isn't on the muffs anywhere:       [url=http://www.casa.com/p/howard-leight-r-01526-impact-sport-electronic-earmuff-309155?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_C&utm_term=HYV-14816&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1309102088&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla]http://www.casa.com/p/howard-leight-r-01526-impact-sport-electronic-earmuff-309155?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_C&utm_term=HYV-14816&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1309102088&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla[/url]   - OS[/quote] These are ones I have and like very much.

[Oh Shoot]

These are ones I have and like very much.

 

Well, that makes one of us.

 

- OS

Edited January 6, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The idea of passive plugs + electronic muffs is a valid avenue. Some of the electronic muffs have a volume control that can boost significantly below the cutoff threshold. So with electronic muffs cranked hi-gain, driving into passive plugs, you have "relatively normal" hearing out of the combination when no gunfire is present, but when the electronic muffs squelch, you get "double attenuation" of maybe -20 dB from the "now dead" electronic muffs plus -20 dB attenuation from the passive earplugs.

 

I get disoriented and "spaced out" to possibly dangerous level if I can't hear at all with solid plugs or foam plugs. Maybe it doesn't affect everybody thataway.

 

There are etymotics ER-20 "musicians earplugs" at about $15 that have relatively flat freq response and a modest -15 dB attenuation. The flat frequency response is important. Solid plugs or foam plugs attenuate mid and high freqs, with modest or non-existent attenuation at very low freqs. So wearing solid or foam plugs, you hear basically "nothing" but hear loud thumps of low frequencies when you walk around, and a gun shot is a loud low thump. That makes me spacey and disoriented, but maybe I'm just weird.

 

So anyway, a modest-attenuation flat-freq-response plug + electronic muffs, has subjecively normal hearing until the electronic muffs squelch under loud gunshot impulses. It wouldn't work the same with electronic muffs + solid or foam plugs.

 

There is another plug, a "sound valve" plug that has a passive diaphram in a little metal cylinder in the plug, that is also a good possibility in conjunction with electronic muffs, but they don't IMO have good enough attenuation stand-alone without help from muffs. If that explanation makes any sense at all. :)

 

Both the "sound valve" type plugs, and the flat-freq-response "musicians earplugs" don't have good enough attenuation to use stand-alone, but are useful along with electronic muffs.

 

edit: I use the Howard Leight electronic muffs that don't cost much and work great IMO, either standalone (pistol) or with plugs (mag pistol and rifle). Maybe the more expensive brands are lots better, dunno. The Howard Leight electronic muffs are pretty good.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Lester Weevils