Ya'll know stuff. An add for these popped up and I am intrigued. Amplifying ear buds that provide protection on gun report. Do they suck or no?

Popped up on my IG feed lately too. Was thinking the same.

they are pushing social media ads like crazy right now. I did some forum reading and the reviews turned me away from buying any.

What is the legit best alternative?
I've got "muffs" but they start to bother my ears after awhile.

31db for the pro model is pretty good if it is true.........

Much better than my AXIL ear buds at 27db. Which I do like and would recommend, by the way. Need to be outside, however; not good enough for an indoor range.

I just got a pair. I like them because they're in ear instead of over ear. They were easy to set up and fit well but I have yet to use them in the field. I wanted in ear so my ears don't sweat. I love my walker's when it's cold and duck hunting but dove hunting, they were hot. I researched several and the Ravine were saying 27-31dB Instant
Protection so that helped me make my decision. If they end up sucking, I'll be sure to let you know.

There are alot of this style hearing protection out there. I can't do the over the ear hearing protection either and use a bud style. Never used this brand specifically, but if you're interested in this type of hearing protection I'd do some internet searches and check out a few different ones.

I've used the 3m peltor ear buds and isotunes pro. Both allowed you to hear normally until a gun shot. Can't remember the nrr rating of either. The 3m ones I had about 8 years ago and at that time the battery life wasn't that great. The isotunes pro I got a few years ago and has better battery life. I see adds for axil all the time, but never used them.

I have the Axil's….. batteries won't even last through a full round clay shoot. About 2 hours….. other than that they are ok I guess.

Texaspainter said:

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I have the Axil's….. batteries won't even last through a full round clay shoot. About 2 hours….. other than that they are ok I guess.

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I should clarify, I have the AXIL Extremes from a couple years ago. They are the ones with the flexible wire connector and control. I do not have the version that are the individual earbuds.

The battery life has been good, I wear them all morning in the blind and use the Bluetooth to listen to podcasts. I guess there is a bigger battery in this version.

Bought some to try for field use. Range I still use the foam ear buds and over the ear on top of that. Will report back when used. Bought the Pros when they went on sale.

Howdy fellow Ags,

I currently lead a materials tech company and we recently launched our material into the hearing protection space.

I can tell you that the NRR number used by companies is generally worthless and not based on actual user performance, but rather a general formula that the testing labs use to generate a NRR number.

The real number that actually matters is PAR or SNR, which can be attained at an Audiology office and those numbers are factually accurate to the level of protection the user is actually receiving from an in ear device.

When it comes to shooting, a 9mm round reaches about 165dB and there is no single earring protection device on earth that can reduct the dB enough for your hearing to be protected at the level needed. That being said, the best protection for shooters is actually in ear plugs as well as outer cups (as this will achieve a much greater noise reduction than single hearing protection alone).

Happy to answer any questions about this space. www.adaptivears.com is our company page and we will largely be disrupting the entire hearing protection space in the coming years.

The best in ear protection will always be a custom fitted pair vs the cheap disposable foams. Ear canals are like snowflakes (all unique and different). For a custom pair you generally have to go have your earmolds taken at an audiology office and then send those to a company that manufactures customs.

There hasn't been a meaningful new material used for in ear hearing protection in 40+ years - all of the current customs are silicone based devices & while silicone is good at attenuating noise, it is also very stiff and usually causes in ear discomfort if worn beyond 30 mins or so.

This is a major reason why our materials company decided to target the hearing protection space - there just hasn't been any innovation in this market in a long long time. Not trying to sell you earplugs, but rather just give you some additional facts to consider.

My Otologist will differ with you about custom molded plugs as he says our ear canals change in dimensions daily. Our ear canals are basically cartilage covered by epidermis and change daily in shape and dimensions due to amount of hydration in the body.
He has done research of how custom molded plugs change in hearing protection from one day to the next due to the amount of hydration in the ear structure.
I have experienced that with custom plugs myself. I can definitely tell on some days they don't work as well as others.
He actually recommends the Howard Leight foam plugs over the custom because of the above.
However he stresses the importance of them being inserted correctly.

ETA: He is an avid big game hunter ( Has is grand slam) and hunts dangerous game in Africa. He said he made good money in his office doing custom ear plugs for his fellow colleagues, doctors and fellow hunters….. however he still said he preferred the HL plugs inserted correctly over any custom plug.
Perhaps you guys can come up with a material to make custom insertable plugs that can compensate for the daily changes in our ear canal dimensions/size to make them as efficient as the HL plugs.

Quote:

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Thats why many true hearing professionals recommend using a foam plug inserted correctly AND ear muffs for true protection.

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this especially if shooting at an indoor range.

You really only gain an additional 5 db. In hearing protection from the lowest device rating you are wearing when you double up.
Example: If you wear a set of plugs that are rated at say 26 NRR and muffs that are rated at 30 NRR your protection is 26 + 5 =31 NRR….not 56.
If you wear plugs that are rated at 30 NRR and a set of muffs rated at 30 NRR your protection is 30 + 5 =35 NRR… not 60.
The real advantage is the muffs cover the mastoid bone….so you get that protection along with the added 5 DB of wearing both.

I have no direct opinion on the specific brand OP is asking about, although a quick search for some reviews on google didnt look too promising. But I have just a general comment that if you start to get a ton of targeted ads on social media after looking up something, more often times than not, those arent as good of products. Be very leery. Sure companies like Yeti still advertise on social media as well, but when you start to get really targeted ads that flood your timeline, I'd do a lot of vetting on whatever the product is.

Some good info in this thread about hearing protection though. I currently use some Decibullz with the percussion filters in them since there's no electronics to keep up with. I guess they're considered semi custom since you do the molds yourself at home.

I know the plugs with muffs over the top of them is the best option, but when shooting shotguns either dove/duck hunting or shooting clays, muffs mess with how I mount the gun and impact my shots so I feel the need to stick to something just in the ear for that. No problem going with muffs for rifle or pistol shooting. If there's anything in the ear out there thats better and not crazy expensive, I'm all ears (i'll see myself out now).

Hi Gunny,

I'm not sure why your Otologist would say those statements about hydration - there are currently no published studies showing that hydration has any meaningful documented effect on the fitment of earplugs (custom or non-custom).

What most often effects the fit is the movement of our tempromandibular joint, as this joint is stretched & compressed during talking, smiling, & chewing (there is published data supporting this). When this happens, earplugs have a tendency to 'walk' out of the canal, causing sound leakage & thus reducing the protection. This has been true of both non custom cheap foams as well as silicone based customs. The silicone material is not compliant enough and even with custom fit, it can allow leakage.

Your last statement is exactly where our material comes in. At room temperature the material is somewhat stiff so it can easily be inserted into the ear canal. Then after about 15 seconds it warms to body temperature and softens significantly to form a pressure free seal that will not 'walk' or creep like other materials. The compliance of our material is what allows it to function in this way. Much of it has to do with the Shore hardness score of the material, which basically measures the rebound force of the material. Silicone rebound force is much higher than foam bc it is a much harder material. Foam is too soft to withstand the movements of the jaw - we tuned our material to provide the optimal ratio to both hold it's place in the canal and to be able to adapt to changes within the canal. That's actually the reason we named our company AdaptivEars as the material adapts within the ear.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and comments & I hope my responses land objectively and constructively.

I think there has to be some thought to what people will actually wear. I get that electronic hearing protection may not be the best protection. I can tell you right now I will never wear over the ear hearing protection. I sweat very easily and they become very uncomfortable very quickly. I care about protecting my hearing, but I just can't do the over the ear hearing protection. So I'm using plugs of some sort. I like the electronic option, because it allows me to still be able to hear normal conversations when bird hunting primarily. Rifles I will have normal ear plugs I use while shooting.

Unfortunately the customs process is an expensive one. A base pair is generally around $200 + what the audiologist charges to take the ear impressions (often around $100-$150), so your out of pocket is usually $300-$350 for a pair of customs.

We are working on a reusable non-custom version that will perform as well as the current cheap foams that will likely retail around $50. Foams are excellent at blocking sound, but the problem for >95% of people is the foam simply will not stay in place to provide ongoing protection. The second you talk or move, the foam starts to 'walk.' Hence our interest in this space and creating a device that will actually withstand the movements in the canal and provide consistent ongoing protection to the user.

When they do the NRR testing of the foams in a lab, companies pay for 50 subjects, then cherry pick the 10 (as that is what is needed to provide an NRR score) and they over inflate what the protection level actually is. They also insert the foam and immediately begin the hearing test, subjects do not talk or move during the hearing test, they just click buttons on what they hear or don't hear.

That's why NRR is total BS. The only true measures are individual PAR or SNR

Absolutely sir. I think the Otologist I cited has published some of his studies in some journals on hearing issues. He was one of the guys that developed the cochlear implants as well.
He became very passionate on hearing protection due to the fact he lost hearing in a hunting trip when a fellow hunter he was with fired a .375 H&H Mag about 24" from his left ear.
He felt there is some merit to physiological changes in ear canals on a daily which prompted him to stop recommending molded custom plugs.
I have raced high performance outboards since my teen years and greatly damaged my hearing from that along with shooting when young without hearing protection.
I still race and shoot a lot so I've taken his knowledgeable advice as to what is best for me to preserve what hearing I have left.
I had him make me a pair of custom plugs a few years back. I used them often, but still noticed that the protection would change from day to day as he said…..I could noticeably hear the sound difference each day when I would put them in. Some days they would fit nice and snug…other days they would fit loose. I wear some type of hearing protection on some days literally all day being around the performance outboards. I've gone to strictly using the Howard Leight plugs….but you gotta take the time putting them in right and holding them in your ear canals until they expand correctly. Even with speeds up to 100 mph in boats, I've never had them work their way out. To the contrary, I've had to pull them out with forceps at the end of a race day because they work further down my canals and I could not grab them with my fingers to remove them.
I will add that the doc also said everyone should consciously make sure that they shoot with their mouths closed as sound waves can travel up the Eustachian tube to the inner ear as well….an interesting point.
He is a very noted and well known Otologist/Neurologist and has had some ground breaking research and procedures in hearing and balance issues and also some ground breaking research in concussion protocols in athletes.
I know of some other audiologist that have come to the same mindset on custom plugs as well as he.
It will be great if you guys come up with a material to compensate for those subtle changes. Small differences in NRR Decibels can make a lot of difference in protecting your ears long term.
Good discussion sir. Thank you.
When you do bring your new product out I want to be one of the first to get them…I'll pay whatever to protect what hearing I have left!
I think you will be setting on a gold mine!!

Man i wish my ears could work with the disposable foam plugs - my ear canals are too narrow to achieve the proper insertion (no matter how tight I compress the foam, or which way i yank on my ear).

I'd be happy to work something out with you to get our material in your ears so you can try it out. If you have a .STL file from your Otologist, I can have our team whip up a pair of customs for you in about 24 hours. It's generally best if you had a physical or digital impression taken of your ears within the last 12 months, but as long as you haven't had significant weight loss or gain since the impressions were taken, the custom should still fit well.

Perhaps once you try the material, you can take it to your Otologist and introduce him to the next generation of hearing protection. We are currently working with NAVAIR to get our material approved for Naval use (as well as Air Force, Army, Coast Guard etc).

We've also fielded strong interest from 2 of the 5 biggest ear product companies in the world, wanting to get their hands on the material to test and analyze. However we are just beginning our commercial journey and we plan to scale significantly before considering any potential trade sale.

Ultimately our material will touch every genre within the ear space (protection, hearing aids, in ear monitors, CEP's, pediatric & specialty) as the material is foundational and will likely largely replace silicone over time.

I can't recall if we are allowed to put contact info in this forum, but if you go to the www.adaptivears.com website and send an email, it will reach me and we can connect to get you setup.

Appreciate the discussion and experiences you've shared in your hearing protection journey!

Anyone have any experience using them on a windy day? Wind noise can be an issue with a lot of the ear buds I've tried.

Interesting discussion.
I have some hearing loss [especially in right ear, thanks to shooting at clay pigeons w/ 20 g shotgun as a teen.]
It is not bad enough to need hearing aids at this point, but I am pretty good about using foam ear plugs, and sometimes over ear muffs as well.

Axil just released the XCOR Pro II. Mine will be here in 3 days. Will report back.