Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

[Rickfifty]

Anybody use the electronic muffs? Tried some last weekend and now I gotta have some. Checked Cabelas and for $40 you get muffs that reduce loud noises to 85db, and for $200 you get down to 70db. Not sure what db the ones I used were. My question is, how loud is 85 compared to 70? I don't want to spend $200 but they have others at 82db,78db etc. priced in between. Any suggestions?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Well when I shot on the rifle and pistol team in the service we used to use double protection. That method might work excellant with the electronic muffs.<br /><br />I used foam ear plugs all the time and when I was shooting I would add a headset over the top of them.<br /><br />Just a less exspensive method but effective.<br /><br />Bob

 

[fixin]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

I believe that 89dp for 8 hr day is the max of what not to exceed,and that's pretty loud.

 

[BLU LUNCH]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Close it's 85db over a 8 hours. Spend the money for the 70db muffs, I have lost a much of my hearing due to many years of playing guitar in a band, hunting and lots of skeet shooting and running drag cars. I wore some proctection but I'm 47 and now wear a hearing aid in my left ear and the other is not to good either..... It sucks

 

[DaleT]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

You may want to check with some Occupational Health and Safety Supply houses. Generally speaking the prices will be lower for the same safety items as a Cabelas or other such stores. At the sporting goods stores you're paying a premium price for things that are widely used in many industries. Just be sure to tell them the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) that you're looking for and you might save a good amount. <br /><br />However, as Bob posted above it is just as effective, and cheaper, to double up the protection, provided you find the right combo of plugs and muffs. <br /><br />One other thing, before buying a headset make sure your safety galsses fit comfortably and correctly beneath them.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Rick - The lower the db rating the better. I had a chance to get a ride in an Indy race car last month a couple of days before the IRL races in St. Petersburg Fl. My head was about 12" in front of 680 hp of snarling racing motor turning 7-8,000 rpm. With a full racing helmet it was no where near as loud as standing in the pits during the race with no protection for my hearing. Make sure that you follow Dale's advice on the fit of the glasses.

 

[Peter J Fraser]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

I have suffered a hearing loss (gradual decline but bording on Industrial Deafness) from a lifetime of working with construction equipment.<br />I have used earmuffs for every noisy job I do over the past 10 years or more.<br /><br />My advise to you is buy at the high end of the market and do not buy cheap earmuffs at all.<br />Peltor, Bilsom, 3M and other leading brands will last for years and make sure that you can get the Hygene Kits for them as they need to be serviced quite regularly so you dont get ear infections.<br />The other thing is one should not share these at all other than with immediate family for the same reasons.<br /><br />Good luck,<br />Peter

 

[AK_Chappy]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

I would agree with peterf.<br />We recently started using the Peltor brand at work (I work on a flightline as a mechanic, around running jet engines) and we still double up when within 50 feet of a running engine or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). They work great in all other situations. I have been working out here for 19 years, I didn't always wear the protection when I was younger. I have lost about 20% of my hearing and will never get it back. The Peltors have solved the reason I wouldn't wear them back then, well that and age. You can hear the radio, people talking, all that stuff. There is a volume control, that makes it really sensitive. However, sharp noises and high db noises are cutoff. The reason we double up around the running engines and APU's is that it is a constant noise. The Peltor's will cut off the volume on sudden noises or changes in level. It doesn't seem to do that with more constant levels. It also only reduces a certain amount of db and the engines, especially at max power are WAY above that.<br /><br />AK Chappy

 

[3388sam]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Rick,<br />I have a set of Peltor 70Dbs. I shoot both an AR-10 and an AR-50 and they work great! Can talk normally when no one is shooting and instantly cancel noise when a shot goes off!<br />Think about the price of your hearing vs the cost of the protection!

 

[kd6nem]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

3 dB doubles the energy, 10 dB is ten times the energy. 60 dB is a million times the energy! It is not a linear scale, it is logarithmic. This all may not mean quite what it sounds like, but the idea remains that even a 15 dB difference is not small!<br /><br /><br />Check this out. Most of us will want to skip the math, but this IS a thorough answer.<br /><br /> what is a decibel?<br /><br />Just a ten second wild guess is that 85 dB is almost 200 time "louder" than 70 dB, assuming that the KIND of dB used is the same. In any case, that 15 dB difference could be a very big deal if you're around it long enough. I like the doubling up method- that is what I do when I shoot. But then again those newfangled noise cancelling protectors (which I've yet to try) will allow you to wear them all the time even when talking, making it much harder to get caught off guard.<br /><br />Note: what we perceive to be twice as loud may have FAR more than twice the energy being radiated.

 

[Pascal]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Using glasses with the ear muffs will reduce the noise protection by an unknown amount. Better to use the double protection of ear pluggs with the muffs to be safe. <br /><br />Doubling up muffs and pluggs will not necessarily get you the sum of the NRR though. Maximum reduction by doubling up is 45 - 50 dBa because of the conductivity of the bones around the ear.<br /><br />JD

 

[Rickfifty]

Re: Noise suppression headphones(shooters)

Thanks for all the replies. This is a great place for all sorts of info. I knew you'd come through. I think I'll spring for one of the better models, but I'll do some thorough shopping at different places. Don't want to scrimp on my hearing. Thanks again.