Digital hearing protection

[Danibeth]

Hey all....yesterday I had to go to the hearing doctor for work because work has decided they want me to have custom molded ear plugs for shooting here at work. And it was really weird having the silicone mold stuff squirted into my ears.

Since I was there at the hearing doctor I figured that I'd talk to them about hearing protection for hunting. There was a recommendation for digital hearing protection and they suggested custom fit plugs by Starkey Hearing Industries and then also they gave me a brochure for Westone Digital DefendEar custom plugs. They both offer amplification which I really don't need with my current level of hearing, though I get once I stuff something in my ears I won't be able to hear the way I can now. My concern with sound amplification is that there will be amplification of the wind and that is all I will hear all the time. And then that just seems to me that it totally defeats the purpose of the ability to hear and provide noise protection. And then I won't wear them if all I'm hearing is the wind (which will then be a huge waste of money). Has anyone here had any experience with either of these companies? People who have used these products? Or similar ones? Are people happy with their products? Unhappy? Any feedback on these companies' products would be greatly appreciated.


I've thought about the off the shelf hearing protection like the SportEar and such. The insert into the ear, not the behind the ear stuff. My biggest concern with those is that with having small ears they will be like other plugs for me and end up hurting after an hour or two of use. I can handle foam plugs ok for an extended period, but the plastic flanged ones I can't get a good seal with the "small" and the "large" hurt so bad that I have to take them out after an hour or two. So I'd consider some off the shelf hearing protection if there are foam inserts instead of the plastic like I see much more commonly.


I'll be sure to wear the custom molded plugs a bunch around the house with doing some outdoor work to see how comfy they are but I couldn't wear them hunting because if they cancelled as much noise as the silicone mold stuff they squirted into my ears then I'd be pretty much deaf in the woods or marsh. The Dr. said that the custom molded plugs from Starkey are $600 for the basic and $750 for the premium. So it's a big difference from the off the shelf versions that are in the $300-$400 range. Are custom molded plugs THAT much better? Wouldn't the technology be about the same for the electronics part?

I know you get what you pay for, but I wanna make sure that if I'm going to be dropping a bunch of money on hearing protection then I wanna be sure that I'll be happy with it.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated

Danibeth

[bman]

Following this because I have been considering them... Got Howard Leight impact amplified muffs a few years ago and they are great in the blind.
But if its raining I wont put them on. And they do bug me after a few hours.
In the ear would be much nicer!

[Danibeth]

Well that's another consideration I have....how do the in the ear plugs hold up if they get wet from rain or an accidental dunking? Not something I'd want to do but if it happens on accident did I just screw up my expensive plugs?

[FishWithChris]

Hey!

Here at work, we have a production area that has requirements for hearing protection. Some of the supervisors and operators here have purchased Custom Molded Earplugs that you actually putty together and mold in your ear.

Here's a link:

Radians CEP001-R

I've got a pair myself (though no idea where they are right now) and know they work well..

At only $10 a pair, they may be worth checking out at least in the short term. OR it just may not be the solution you're looking for.

[zload]

I have a pair of the Walker behind the ear with foam plugs and I found the wind noise and even head movement wearing a hood or balaclava to be really irritating due to the amplification. Not sure how the in the canal types would alleviate that other than changing the mic location. I bet the high end ones are on par with hearing aids so probably solve it in some way. I tend to use my Walkers when turkey hunting and electronic muffs on a deer stand.

[MudDucker]

I have a pair of custom ear plug hearing protectors ... somewhere. If only I could find the where!

[fishfalcon]

I wore the Radians in Argentina and really like them. I also wear them dove hunting and duck hunting. They are much more comfortable than the insert plugs to me. I do not wear them turkey hunting or quail hunting because I need to hear more. Deer hunting I have a pair of Glock muffs that I slide on before the shot. If you want sound amplification and hearing protection, you are going to spend some money. A call to your local ENT doctor might be worthwhile also. Our guy in Thomasville has some options where you do not get amplification, but do get protection at noise levels over 70 decibels. Hope this helps.

[Salty Gator]

I wore the Radians in Argentina and really like them. I also wear them dove hunting and duck hunting. They are much more comfortable than the insert plugs to me. I do not wear them turkey hunting or quail hunting because I need to hear more. Deer hunting I have a pair of Glock muffs that I slide on before the shot. If you want sound amplification and hearing protection, you are going to spend some money. A call to your local ENT doctor might be worthwhile also. Our guy in Thomasville has some options where you do not get amplification, but do get protection at noise levels over 70 decibels. Hope this helps.

Just curious, why do you need to hear more when quail hunting than duck hunting? I wear ear pro for both, but miss the sound of bombing ducks sometimes, but with quail I'm watching dogs, not really listening for birds. Thanks

[Danibeth]

Thanks y'all. I really don't need/want amplification but I know that once I stick things in my ears I won't be able to hear as well, so perhaps amplification is the only way to get around that? I don't like the muffs because overtime they just really aggravate my head and if I'm wearing sunglasses, I can't get a good seal.

I see the ENT dr again in January for the fitting for the plugs for work so I'll talk to him some more then but I'm just trying to get opinions on how good the in the ear plugs are. I have great hearing and would like to keep it for as long as possible...

As far as wanting to hear more when quail hunting....I don't know if it's the same for fishfalcon, but for me, hearing where the birds get up from helps to pinpoint where I need to be looking. Perhaps with a pointy dog it's not as important to hear the birds but definitely with a flushing dog in tight cover it is important. At least for me. And that's true with grouse, woodcock (especially for woodcock in tight places), quail, huns and pheasant I've found. Sometimes the birds don't flush straight out from the dogs nose and sometimes hearing them is the only clue that they have flushed and you might be able to get a shot....or maybe not if you're in thick cover. There have been a good number of birds that I've shot that have flushed from behind me that I didn't know were there and I wouldn't have known they'd even have flushed if I hadn't heard them.

Thanks a lot y'all for your input so far

[fishfalcon]

With ducks if I don't hear them, they tend to be right on top of me which is not a problem. With quail if I don't hear them and get on them quickly, they get away. (Essentially what Danibeth said) Also, when duck hunting from a blind with a partner I need protection from his gun as well as mine. If your ears ever ring after your buddy shoots, you have sustained a concussion to your inner ear. That will result in hearing loss.

[Dubble Trubble]

Like B-Man, I have been using muffs, Peltor Tactical sport model. They work great and also amplify the normal sounds(adjustable). Have not noticed any wind issues.

No experience with the in the ear units.

[Salty Gator]

With ducks if I don't hear them, they tend to be right on top of me which is not a problem. With quail if I don't hear them and get on them quickly, they get away. (Essentially what Danibeth said) Also, when duck hunting from a blind with a partner I need protection from his gun as well as mine. If your ears ever ring after your buddy shoots, you have sustained a concussion to your inner ear. That will result in hearing loss.

Thanks for the responses. I understand wanting to hear for ducks, but I've never had that problem with wild quail. The dog lets me know where they are. I also use a flushing dog, but I can tell when she gets birdy. I've missed some, but not because I couldn't hear. I also have electronic muffs, but like y'all I find them hot and uncomfortable. Now I wear plugs and just miss some sounds, but I can still hear a good bit. I'm big on ear pro, and almost all of my hunting buddies don't wear anything (stupid imho). I'm interested in what y'all come up with. Good thread Dannibeth

[Danibeth]

Oh there is certainly no doubt when my boy gets birdy. It's like a light switch has turned on.

Here's an interesting (at least to me) story about how hearing has been beneficial to me. I went woodcock hunting last year for the first time. I had flushed woodcock before during turkey season but we made a trip specifically for woodcock in Louisiana. It wasn't a great year for them last year because of the high water but we definitely found some. Well the first woodcock that I shot, I had actually seen long before the flush. We had gotten into an area that was pinewoods and hardwoods....the two separated by a road. We were coming out of the pine woods when my boy just plunged into the hardwoods. THICK stuff that I had no hopes of following him into, much less being able to shoot. I could see him and he was definitely on a bird and as I stood out there on the road just waiting to see if he would flush a bird or if it was gone already, I heard this different kind of rustling. Not the rustling from an excited bird addicted lab, but of something trying to slip away. I stood out there on the road trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from and once I did, I saw a woodcock trying to slink away. He had come out of the thick stuff and was walking and stopping, walking and stopping. I watched the bird for a good minute before Drake pushed through the thick stuff, coming out of the side where the woodcock had come out of and flushed the bird.

And there were a good number of birds in some places that though my boy was very birdy, the only reason I knew that there were woodcock in there for sure and he wasn't excited by something else was because I heard them flush. Some places were just too thick to see them for more than a quick glimpse before they were gone. I was with my buddy Steve and he doesn't hear well and it was incredibly frustrating for him because he could see that Drake was birdy and excited but because he wasn't hearing the birds get up, he was getting very few chances at shooting them compared to me....just because I could hear them. In thick stuff I think it's probably far more important than in more open areas to be able to hear birds flush.

I want to hold onto my hearing for as long as I can.

[Cranfield]

IMO, the best digital ear protection is the in-ear type.
I find Muffs/Headsets can interfere with gun mounting and become irritating after a while, plus branches knock them off.

I use CENS, http://www.censdigital.com/ , this is only for information, as you have to get the moulding done locally (as you have with the other ear protection you have), but there must be companies in the USA making the same products.
The prices vary depending on what facilities you need.

When I am shooting I need to hear, whether its birds calling, birds flushing, or just conversation.

Woodcock will often walk in thick cover to move away from disturbance, much like a pheasant.
Trying to hit a woodcock as it flits through tree cover usually ends in a great pruning exercise, but nothing in the bag.
If I am shooting in company, we take it in turns to walk in the thick with the dog and stand in the "open" waiting for the flushed bird.
That works sometimes.