Best Electronic Hearing Protection for Shooting: 7 options tested head-to-head 

I’ve got a pair of “Pro Ear 300” (about $150-$175) and I wear earplugs under them. Too late I ruined my hearing decades ago but I really wish I would have used hearing protection during my young and fooling years.. The powered models that amplify voices but muffle gun blast are simply AWESOME. I can hear conversation at the range but remain protected. Older shooters preach gun safety and hearing protection to young shooters.. Remember you can ruin your hearing for life with just one rifle-blast and even a $.25 cent earplug will provide 25-30dp protection.

Agree 100% with your assessment of the sound quality. I have both the Howard Leights and the Walker Razor. Both are great, but the Impact Sport sounds much more natural. Besides the compression on my ears, I've forgotten I was wearing them. Very clean sound. Even used them while hunting once and had no trouble pinpointing the location of squirrels running up and down trees.

I love these reviews! They're always so informative.

Honestly, I'm planning on hunting this season with a Mosin Type 53 sporter, which has insane concussion. I'll need exactly this, which is why this video was so useful to me.

Great video, exactly what I need this morning!

Sweet been wanting a comparison of ear pro from yall

I have the Walkers Patriot myself and like them alot. When sitting in the deer blind I wear them, usually over a toque for hours.

Im glad you mentioned hunting. I use the walkers for hunting. It's cold when I hunt. I hate being cold. They protect my hearing, help hear things better than my human ear. And they keep my ears warm.... Win. Win. Win.

Brilliant topic, I am a huge fan of electronic hearing protection. I personally have 5 pairs, 2 in my range back, one in my chainsaw carry box and two in my work shop. As a range officer when instructing newbie's I tell them that the first thing that they should buy is a "good set" of electronic hearing protection. I have been wearing them for nearly 20 years and started because of the decline in my hearing. Great channel with excellent content, cheers

i own a couple pairs of Howard Leight Impact Sports that I got for shooting USPSA pistol competitions. I've been with multiple other people using them. Please be aware that MOST people, when shooting them with a rifle, will experience a problem where the stock of the rifle tends to interfere with the corner of the earmuff portion, breaking the seal, and allowing a lot of sound in.

Thanks for this. I have the Howards, and I don't like them. They do their job, really well, and if I use pistols, I don't have a problem, but with a rifle, the butt stock of the gun always pushes the headphones up enough to cancel out any noice cancelation. I'm getting rid of them, and sticking with traditional, cheesy earplugs. Thanks for the work y'all do, though!

You should try the Walker's Excel. Quad microphones for directional audio, bluetooth integration, and deep earcups. Also rated for more DB reduction.

For many years I have worn Sordin Supreme Pro for 8+ hours hours at a time while shooting and/or RO'ing PRS matches. I also use them for hunting as well. 3M makes gel replacement cups that make all the difference for comfort and fit with eye glasses. The 3m cups are available for many different brands not just sordin.

I have the Sordin supreme pro x with the gel cups. They are pricey but worth it in my opinion. Comfortable for wearing all day and boosts sounds a lot for hunting.

I bought some WildEars a handful of years ago. They are in ear custom molded hearing pro. I wear them all the time when hunting. And can wear them all day without issue.

Please do all you can to keep your hearing, im 16 and was born with hearing loss, I've always wondered what it's like to hear normal, trust me, hearing loss sucks and it sticks with you forever

Good review. I purchased a set of Soundgear plugs two years ago (they are developed/manufactured by Starkey Hearing), I've been impressed by them and they are enjoyable to wear during pheasant hunts where I need to pick up on the location of my dog as well as block the sound of shotgun blasts.

Love the video - Greetings from South Africa

I didn't do much research on this subject other than I knew I needed protection , 1st I got foam plugs & couple wks ago bought Walkers Razor slims, haven't tried yet but need another set. Very informative, Thanks.

I have a pair of the Howard Leights , They would be 8 years old and still going strong. Love how i can hook up my phone with an audio cable and listen to music/make or receive a phone call while im at the range

I like the Howard Leights for deer hunting with friends - and they keep my ears warm in winter. All head phones get sweaty in warm weather.

The only muffs here worth buying are the HL Impact Sports because they have directional audio. None of the other over ear pairs mentioned have directional audio - although the intentionally misleading marketing of the Walker Razors ("omnidirectional mics") would lead consumers to believe otherwise. It's worth pointing out that NONE of these sets have a high enough decibel reduction for either indoor pistol shooting or repetitive rifle firing. In both cases, these muffs should be "doubled up" with foamies. I use HL Impact Sports every day at work and frequently for shooting and hunting. I highly recommend them. I do a lot of duck hunting and they allow me to hear my calls while not deafening myself while shooting 10-15 shells every morning. I have also had the very popular Walkers. They did not perform nearly as well as the HL's and the lack of directional audio was disorienting. They should be avoided.

When I was old enough to go to the range myself, my dad got me a pair of Howard Leights Impact Sport. I've used my olive green pair for almost 4 years with no issues, battery change once a year. My only issue is they and most electronic muffs I've tried, are uncomfortable after an hour or so of wearing. I have a larger head, so not only is the headband compressing, but my ears begin to sweat (since they sit on-ear) and I worry about them slipping off-ear a bit and affecting my hearing. I'd love a fully over-ear electronic ear muff with a deeper ear cup. Audibly though, my Howard Leights have been stellar, super easy controls too.

Very informative. Thanks

Thanks for the analysis. If you're interested in foam plugs that work amazingly well, I'd recommend a brand called Mack's. They're significantly quieter than any over-the-ear systems I've ever tried. They're also super-comfy and inexpensive.

I hade my own hearing protection made by my Ear Doctor. I was actually being fitted for a real hearing aid for my left ear. The Dr. worked two putties together that would end up being a silicone like solid. He packed my left ear, and in a few minutes, he had a mold of my inner ear. So I asked him about wanting to have ear plugs for shooting and he packed both ears for free but left a very small tube in it. Then he trimmed the tube that went into my ear flush with the ear plug and the end sticking out about 1/2". He said, "they will be your pull handles". I asked him why the tubes at all. He said, "the concussion of the bang is limited by the small tube diameter. Yet you will be able to speak and hear from those around you.

Great reviews

I can't get good cheek weld with the over the ear muffs so I'm always using the little yellow flange 3M plugs if I'm shooting rifles. Hopefully those plugs take a pretty big step in price and quality quickly.

good stuff thanks!

I'm wearing my Caldwell e-max pros right now. They still inhanse or block out ambient noise while using as headphones. That alone makes them better than the walkers your showing.

I’ve been using Walkers Bluetooth for some time now and love them but they are not perfect. I hope to find in ear Bluetooth headphones that don’t interfere with my rifle stock. Walkers do interfere but I like BT and used them around the house, lawnmower, chainsaw etc.

Personally depends on what I’m shooting. I’ve got custom fit plugs that are great for shotguns. Then when I shoot handguns and rifles I will put muff over my custom fit pair. Lots of protection. Never been a fan of all the electric ones. I just don’t care for them cutting on and off.

Howard Leights for the directional mics, Walker Razors are great, super sensitive mics-but I don't like omni directional mics. I like to know which direction the sound is coming from.

My hearing protection used to be sticking a couple spent cartridges in my ears 😂 These days I mostly use foamies, but I’m not generally shooting much super loud ammo.

Quality content

I had first bought the Howard Leight's model (same in this test), but they didn't seem to fit well. They have great sound, though. I've kept them because I figured they'd fit well with a hat. I next bought the Walker's earmuff's (same in this test) and found that they fit well, but the sound was really bad. Sound seemed to almost come in only one ear, and volume level was much lower. Also the range was not as good, so voices could not be picked out as well. I'll be sending the Walker's back. I suppose I'll have to live with the sometimes annoying adjustments while wearing the HLs, because the sound quality is just too good to continue trying to go through different options.

Love my Walker’s Razor muffs too👍🏻

I own and use the howard leights regularly while hunting. especially on driven hunts. I love them. they are absolutely worth every cent! around here the 3m peltor and the Sordin are popular. with 200 euros a piece (yes I come from over the pond with the stupid gun laws,... tell me about it, I envy the states) I really dont notice a difference high enough to warrant 150 bucks more in price.

You should have made a wooden head with two opossing horn-shaped funnels that meet in the middle to a internal chamber where the mic is inserted from the bottom up. You seal the bottom and do an audio test using each earmuff set.

That Joey test was pretty funny. He doesn’t have any ear holes! Haha!

I highly recommend the Venture Gear AmpBT Earmuff - 4 microphone active noise cancelation. You can control ambient feed through the earphones. They have BlueTooth and I use them for yard work, as well. Or, to ignore a noisy household. If someone wants to talk to me, I can just turn up the mic feed.

You should do this again including the ear armor ear pro

You should do a review on the 6.8 western or 270 wsm or 7mm SAUM

Which one is the best for indoor range?

Would love to see a mavin optics review.

Those of us with severe tinnitus understand the importance of protecting your hearing when you are young. We never worried about it in the day. Hearing protection? What's that? Now my head screams at me 24/7, no cure. Don't scrimp on hearing protection.

Thanks for understandable English language.

The Howard and walkers are designed for under a Kevlar helmet ive used both under that application and I would rather the walker's

I have the walker passive Bluetooth headset and I love them very good on blocking out loud sounds like gunshots or sirens I paid 45 dollars for them about 20 dollars less than the walker patriot

I've yet to upgrade past those little foam ones that don't really fit in an ear canal.

You’ll should review the save 110 storm lightweight

Sorry, I almost forgot, I have in my range bag, my battery bag. Which contains batteries for my hearing protection as well as flashlights etc. Its no good having expensive hearing protection if you don't have batteries. Cheers

Used impact sport and my ears are still ringing. They don’t seal well enough around your ears. Can’t believe they still sell them.

Buy gel cups for the Howard's on Amazon for cheap

Wear foam inserts with an over the ear headsets. No reason not to. You can still hear speaking voice etc. For range purposes there is no reason not to double up.

Walkers Razor $44.00 nice ear pro for the indoor range I use.

Warning ⚠️ I bought a very expensive MSA Sordin Supreme Pro, which only has an NRR of 18 db. I now have permanent hearing loss in the right ear because of this devise, after just one day at the range. The so called “cheap” earplugs are usually rated at over 30 NRR. Much safer option.

Muzzelloader review next?

The problem I have with the walker over ear is they have mixed together sound channels (sounds from both mics go through each ear at the same volume) functionally removing spatial hearing. Kinda a nice thing to have when hunting. The impact sport don't have that issue.

Peltor Comtac 3s tho. 😻😻

Quick question if it says 25NRR how much noise is it bringing down ?

Very very nice video. Dont know if youve heard it before, but you look like Matt Damon 😂 Have a nice day 😊

Howard Leights...hands down

His top two choices are the two my friend brought to an outdoor range the other day. Neither are good enough for anything above 9mm. His ears are still ringing from the ar15. I'm currently testing the peltor sport tactical 300 and the walker's xcel. My ears are slightly too big for the peltor's narrow ear cup opening. The Xcel have a lot of static on any volume setting other than the 1st or 2nd level. The Akt1 may be the way to go, but I have not tried those yet.

🔥🔥🔥

Try out the Opsmen m31

Hello from Pocatello!

What model of Axils do you use?

you want to use both types they block different frequencies

Honey well vs the 3M Peltor range vs the Sordens?

I would send you my CA ridgeline 300 win mag for review? Haven’t seen anything from then on the channel yet

I could be wrong but go look at the ratings for your regular ear plugs and then look at the non electronic ear muffs and I think you'll find the ear plugs are rated higher than you muffs

Peltor sport has Bluetooth. Works okay…good enough for listening to books while mowing lawn. Music quality is poor, but voice and ambient is good.

Can you comment on “directional” hearing? On pheasant hunts I found that not every electronic hearing protection will give you a correct sense of where the sound is coming from!!

Walker Razor makes my jaw sore... but it's really slim so it doen'st interfere with a stock.

I bartend for a living and the music can be very loud. It makes hearing customers difficult. Would any of these work for dampening the loud music while still being able to hear the people that are ordering drinks?

10 bucks at a hardware store, good enough for lawn mowing good enough for shooting. That said if i got a good pair and used it i would be happy lol

Why no Peltor models?

Does anyone still make electric sound-amplifying ear muffs that have directional sound?

Is there a difference between hunting use and shooting use?

Would love for you guys to test the sound gear phantoms. Might best the best thing out there, but can’t find any decent reviews

Just picked a set up of the Walker Patriots for $40 on Amazon

Springtime in Idaho is right. I think Mother Nature skipped ahead a couple of months.

It’s funny I usually prefer over the head because inner ear hurts me after a while.

How many people had to turn this video up to stop that annoying ringing? Walker has a quad microphone BT enabled over ear set that I use almost daily in the he shop and mowing

What about the most important thing…protection?

Yada yada. What is the NRR ? Noise reduction rating. That's what Osha standards are. My foam earplugs are rated 35 NRR. And they are better than non electronic earmuffs. And the comfort of not sweating. Aaand, I've worked 40 years in a high volume hydraulic pump whining machine shop.

My walkers bt comms are pretty swooft . Holding up nicely so far

I find my cheap ones react to slow so they amplify the sound and then cut off as the shots finished.

unfortunately most interesting decibel test whent dud .. :) I use indoor range and I wear regular foam plugs and walkers razors on top of that.. you can hear conversation loud enough and fully comfortable with guys shooting 30 06, 5.57, 7.62 even with muzzle break .. .

Walkers all the way. For price and functionality. No sense in spending a pile of cash for the same quality of product and noise suppression.

Since you didn't pick the ear pro that I bought, and I'm always looking for RU-vidrs to justify my purchases, I have to say this review is CRAP!!!!! Haha. Just kidding. Great job! Thanks,. But damn! You were so close. You almost made the right decision! haha.

most of the headphone reviews are soft selling leights or walkers. 1 dude didn't do that but the price point was out of reach. yet, he was a pro shooter etc. so, they don't play with their hearing usually.

Might need to look into diabetes protection

The earbud ones are OK but way too much goofing around I prefer the regular muffs

There is a war in Ukraine. About 90% of soldiers are Walker's Razor's users. America, thanx for support!❤

I use samsung earbuds... work perfect

Surprised that you didn't pick up a pair of peltors for this review... 🤔

I tried crack about a month ago. It freaked me out and I found some of the muffs like you are showing I thought they were music and it would chill me out. Nope freaked outmore then smoked more crack to chill out nope didn’t work then I see the gun & shot all the light bulbs out around this girls place where we were. They got mad & told me to go home so I did

The impact sport is by far better for shooting rifle, the others are so "fat" that they make it problematic to keep your normal cheek weld position.