Got Ears? Get Informed!

How to Choose the Right Hunting Hearing Protection

We all know that firing a weapon is dangerous to our hearing -- so most of us who have fired more than a few rounds have probably tried a few different types of hearing protection!

In fact, people use a whole world of different types of hearing protection to keep their ears safe while hunting and shooting. The most common type of hearing protector shooters use is probably a pair of ordinary passive earmuffs. Coming in at a close second would be foam ear plugs. Other choices on the list include electronic shooting earmuffs, many other kinds of earplugs, hunters’ hearing aids, and finally dual protection systems -- that is, wearing a pair of ear plugs under a pair of earmuffs. So, given that there are so many choices when it comes to shooting and hunting hearing protection, how do we tell which one is the right one...?

Well, it depends.

So far this hunting season, we have taken a look at how hearing damage occurs for the hunter/shooter, and we’ve gone over some hearing basics like NRR. We’ve also discussed the pro’s and con’s of NRR 33 hearing protection, and we’ve explored other important hearing protection issues, including cost, weight, isolation, and more. With a solid understanding of all these ideas at hand, you should be well-armed to make a wise decision about your hunting and shooting hearing protection.

Still, there are so many choices out there that, even with a good understanding of your options, you might need a little guidance!

So what’s the hunting hearing protection bottom line?

If you need to hear what is going on while you are shooting (and between shots), get an electronic shooting earmuff or hunters’ hearing aid. For especially great hearing capability, we recommend Pro Ears Gold Electronic Earmuffs, which are really on the cutting edge as far as electronic shooting earmuffs go.

If you do not need to hear what is going on around you, get the highest rated hearing protector that (a) fits your budget, and (b) will not get in your way as you shoot. It is rare that we can disregard all sounds going on around us, but when the situation does allow that to happen safely, NRR 33 hearing protectors can be a good choice.

For high caliber shooting, and especially for intensive practice, use a dual-protection system: wear a pair of earplugs under a pair of earmuffs. The earmuffs can be passive earmuffs or electronic shooting earmuffs. The double protection won’t double your NRR, but it will ensure you’re getting the absolute maximum protection possible, when and where it's needed most.

And no matter what you are shooting or what ear protection you are wearing, pay attention to how the sound makes your ears feel! If your ears hurt or ring or the sound seems very loud when a gun is fired, stop shooting until you can get some better ear protection in place. And don’t forget about the shooters around you. Their gunfire noise can hurt you just as much as yours can.

Ultimately, just remember the golden rule of hearing protection: If it seems too loud to you, no matter what hearing protector you are using, get away from the noise!

We sincerely hope these bottom-line recommendations for hunting hearing protection will help you keep your ears safe and sound (no pun intended...) this hunting season. And as always, if you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just need some personalized help figuring out which hearing protector is perfect for your unique hearing needs, drop us a line at info@earplugstore.com -- we are here to help!

Good hunting, good hearing, and be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman

Hunting & NRR 33 Protection: When is it Right for YOU?

By now, you’re probably asking, “Why not just use NRR 33 hearing protection all the time?”

That’s an excellent question! There are three primary reasons NRR 33 hearing protection might not be ideal for you, at least not all the time: (1) Cost, (2) Cumbersomeness/Weight, and (3) Isolation.

(1) Cost
In general, the higher the NRR, the more a hearing protection device tends to cost. This is especially true in the case of earmuffs. If a $10 NRR 19 earmuff will suffice for your needs, why buy a $35 NRR 33 Ultra Earmuff? Earmuffs do tend to get more expensive as they get more effective.

As far as earplugs go, disposable foam earplugs at the highest rating of NRR 33 are, interestingly, usually not more expensive than lower rated foam earplugs. However, those NRR 33 earplugs can sometimes be more difficult to use properly, because to get the full rated effectiveness, you really have to insert those ear plugs deeply into your ears.

Finally, when considering cost, it’s good to remember that there is usually a pretty big price difference between a pair of earplugs and a pair of earmuffs. Of course, aside from basic NRR, earplugs and earmuffs offer very different benefits. Electronic earmuffs in particular can provide many advanced hunting features -- game sound amplification, speech enhancement for safety, etc. -- that earplugs cannot, but their cost reflects those benefits. Earplugs are a lot less expensive, but tend to offer significantly fewer helpful benefits. This is generally true regardless of NRR.

(2) Cumbersomeness/Weight
This is an important consideration when it comes to earmuffs, which get their effectiveness from having a bunch of foam inside a cup which fits over the ear. The higher NRR earmuffs will weigh you down a lot more than will lower rated earmuffs. More protection usually means more weight and/or a bulkier build. That means that lighter weight earmuffs with a sleeker profile might be a more attractive solution for you, despite the loss in NRR.

Of course, concerns about cumbersomeness and weight only really apply to earmuffs; ear plugs aren’t going to be particularly cumbersome or heavy, regardless of their NRR!

Lastly -- if a low-profile fit is important to you, but you also need game sound amplification or other popular hearing enhancement benefits for hunting, a hunters’ hearing aid might be the perfect solution for you. Hunters’ hearing aids fit inside the ear canal, similar to earplugs, so they are light weight and not cumbersome at all -- but they’re also battery operated, and can provide some of the same hunting/shooting benefits as a good electronic hunters’ earmuff.

(3) Isolation
In many shooting situations, you cannot afford to be isolated. You need to be able to hear what is going on around you for safety reasons most of the time, and this is especially true when you’re holding a firearm! For example, while you’re hunting, if you can’t hear quiet game sound, you might miss the shot of the season -- or while you’re shooting at a controlled range, you absolutely must be able to hear the commands of the range officer for proper safety. In these situations, you have to balance your need for hearing protection against your need to be able to hear sounds around you. When you’re in a situation where being able to hear what’s going on around you is just as important as protecting your ears, electronic hearing protectors offer the best alternative.

What About MORE than 33 NRR?

By this point, if you’ve decided that you do indeed need the maximum protection available, you may very well be wondering, “Why not wear an NRR 33 ear plug under an NRR 33 earmuff, for a total NRR of 66?!”

That would be simple enough -- but by now, you know it isn’t going to work that way… right?

The fact is, nothing about sound is simple. Sound is measured in dB, which is an exponential scale. That means a change in the number of dB initially results in a big change in the amount of noise, but as you keep going, the effects diminish. So, an increase of 10 dB in NRR (moving from 0 to 10 NRR) will reduce the sound you hear by about half, but the next 10 dB (moving from 10 to 20 NRR) will only reduce the sound you hear by one fourth -- and the next 10 dB increment will only reduce it by another 1/8th, and so on. So by the time you get to 30, the effect of any further increases in dB is almost imperceptible.

To test this, the smart guys at Howard Leight ran some experiments to see what the effect of using earplugs under earmuffs would be. They came to the conclusion that you can get about 6 dB of extra noise protection by using both earplugs and earmuffs. The 6 dB of extra protection was pretty well constant, regardless of what the noise reduction ratings of the plugs and the earmuffs were: when added together, the highest rated of the two hearing protectors would be improved by about 6 dB.

So knowing that the improvement in NRR for using a dual-protection system is not very impressive, why would we want to wear earplugs under earmuffs? Well, wearing both types of hearing protection could be highly beneficial if neither your earplugs nor your earmuffs are NRR 33 hearing protectors. But what if your earplugs and earmuffs are 33 NRR? In that case, there should technically be no benefit at all; as we covered in an earlier article, an NRR of 33 is the maximum possible, because at that high a NRR, all sound is being prevented from entering the ear canal. So why would a dual-protection system matter at that point…?

This time, the answer is simple: human error. NRR 33 earplugs tend to be fairly sturdy, so getting them inserted properly can be a challenge. But if earplugs are not inserted deeply and worn properly, they cannot provide their maximum noise reduction rating. Similarly, if your earmuffs do not fit snugly against your head, all the way around each ear, they cannot provide the acoustic seal they need to give you their rated noise protection. So when nothing else matters but keeping the sound out and keeping your ears safe, wearing some NRR 33 earplugs under a pair of NRR 33 earmuffs may very well be your best bet: that extra 6 dB of noise reduction could make up for a flaw in how your hearing protectors are being worn.

Still, as we have discussed, NRR 33 hearing protection is not always the best choice for your unique hearing protection needs. As you have probably gathered by now, there is a lot more to choosing the right hunting & shooting hearing protection than getting that maximum 33 NRR!

Long story short: if you’ll only be doing a little light shooting with a (relatively) quiet gun, the less expensive, light weight solution makes a lot more sense. On the other hand, if you know you’ll be firing off a lot of rounds, or your firearm is particularly loud, investing in a higher-quality hearing protector will definitely pay off big in the long run.

Stay tuned for even MORE hunting season hearing knowledge -- and as always, if you need help finding the perfect hunting/shooting protection for your unique ears, we're here for you: info@earplugstore.com

Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman

Hunting & Hearing Protection Basics

Understanding Hearing Damage -- The Hunter/Shooter’s Perspective

First thing’s first: to understand your hunting and shooting hearing protection options, you need to know a little bit about why gunshot noises are so dangerous, and about how those dangerous sounds work to damage your hearing.

Hearing damage depends on two factors: volume (how many dB’s of noise you’re hearing), and time (how long you’re exposed to the sound). So if a noise is loud enough -- 115 dB or louder, to be specific -- then hearing damage can occur instantaneously. But you can generally get away with exposure to slightly less dangerous levels of noise for short periods of time without suffering damage. In general, the rule is this: the longer you are exposed to any noise, the greater the chance your hearing will be damaged. And the louder the noise, the less time it takes to do serious damage to your ears.

For the hunter/shooter, that means that the longer you plant to shoot, the more protection you need. If you’re shooting a .22 caliber rifle, you might get away with firing quite a few rounds without suffering any damage -- but try the same thing with your .357 Mag. and your ears are going to suffer. So one important thing to consider when choosing the right hunting/shooting hearing protection is how frequently you’ll be firing your weapon, and how loud your weapon is (relatively speaking).

Turning Down the Volume: Understanding NRR

The next thing to consider is that not all hearing protectors are made equal. The most basic information you need when comparing hearing protectors is NRR (Noise Reduction Rating). NRR is a single number, measured in dB (decibels), which indicates how well a given device can protect your hearing from loud noises. The higher the NRR, the more protection you get.

So how much NRR is enough? Well, the absolute maximum NRR earplugs or earmuffs can provide is 33 dB. A NRR of 33 indicates there is zero sound getting to your eardrum through your ear canals. (That’s why the maximum NRR you’ll ever see on a pair of earplugs or earmuffs is 33.) Yet, as you may have already noticed if you’ve tried it, you can actually still hear a gun blast while wearing NRR 33 hearing protection!

Why? The answer is that there are other ways noise can get into your head… literally! While most of the sound you hear comes through your ear canals, some sound is also simultaneously being conducted into your ears through the bones in your head. So even if you block all noise from reaching your ear canals (by, for instance, wearing NRR 33 hearing protection), you can still perceive very loud noises as they resonate through your head! This is particularly true of loud sounds with a lot of bass, as those low-pitched sounds resonate better with the bones in your head. (Further, even if you could cut off all sound transmission via the ear canals and the bones in your head, a third sound pathway exists via the soft tissues of the torso and up through the neck! Of course this pathway is not very efficient; you may never even notice the sound you’re “hearing” through your body -- so this third pathway can be completely ignored for purposes of protecting your hearing.) Still, in the vast majority of situations we are ever likely to encounter, it’s the sound that travels directly through your ear canals that can potentially cause hearing damage --

So focus on protecting your ears.

Stay tuned for more hunting season hearing info!

And if you ever can't find the answers or information you need in our blog, please drop us a line at info@earplugstore.com. We'll be glad to help you choose the right hunting/shooting hearing protection for your unique ears!

Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman

Hunting Season: Hearing Protection & Speech Comprehension

With the leaves changing colors and the weather cooling off, hunting season is starting! And we at EPSS want to make sure you're well-armed -- with hearing protection knowledge! 

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Most people do not realize that the further away you are from someone speaking, the more difficult it is to understand what is being said, even if the volume is turned up.

The problem is even more acute for a person with high frequency hearing loss, which is all too common. (If you’re over 40 and don’t have at least some trouble understanding conversation in a noisy restaurant, you’re in the lucky minority!) That phenomenon is due to two facts: (1) the higher-frequency hearing range (from 2500Hz to 8000Hz) is very important to our ability to comprehend human speech, and (2) most hearing loss occurs in that critical high-frequency range.

That leaves many of us shouting to be heard. However, when we project our voice, the extra volume we produce comes from the lower frequencies (which we generally do not lose from noise-induced hearing damage), but the comprehension still comes from the higher-frequency part of speech (which is the first to go when sitting next to the speakers at a rock concert or spending a lot of time at the shooting range). So speaking up may not be helping as much as you might think.

(Coincidentally, this is also why it is easier for us to understand a male with a deeper voice than it is for us to understand a female with a higher-pitched voice. We can now explain to our wives that we are not intentionally listening only to our hunting buddies and ignoring her when she is trying to talk over dinner!)

So if we want to hang on to our ability to hear speech clearly, we clearly need to wear hearing protection, and protect that high-frequency hearing! But what about being able to hear speech while we’re so responsibly wearing our earmuffs…?

Most passive hearing protection (like your favorite pair of foam earplugs or non-electronic earmuffs) is better at blocking out sound on the mid-to-high end of the frequency spectrum. So, anyone wearing hearing protection will find it more difficult to understand what is being said around them -- but not just because the volume is lower (the reason we wear earmuffs in the first place!), but also because most noise attenuation blocks out the high-frequency sound that provides us with speech comprehension. This explains why, even if you can hear a friend talking to you from the next shooting lane, it’s still so difficult to understand what he is saying with your passive earmuffs on: without the high-frequency sound, your buddy’s voice just sounds garbled. To make matters worse, the further you are away from the person speaking, the more difficult it is to understand. This happens because low frequency sounds travel better through air than the high frequency sounds needed for speech comprehension.

So in short, passive hearing protection can protect your capacity for speech comprehension... but while you’re actually wearing that hearing protection, your ability to comprehend speech typically plummets. So what to do?

If you want to improve your ability to understand what is being said in a noisy environment, you need to be able to amplify low decibel (quiet), high frequency (high-pitched) sounds. There are a number of Electronic Earmuffs available to help amplify those low decibel speech sounds while still protecting your hearing from dangerous loud sounds (anything above 85 dB). The amplification these products use mostly works along the same principle as a hearing aid. The better products like the Pro Ears Gold Series even include various filters to enhance certain frequencies, boosting the quality of the sound enough to actually improve your comprehension of speech.

Generally, Electronic Hearing Protectors will employ “peak clipping” technology, which shuts off the amplification system whenever there is a sound above a certain decibel level. While this technology effectively protects your ears from damaging sound, it also means that while the amplification system is shut off, you can no longer understand what is being said. This creates a scenario where safe, low decibel sounds (like speech) are always interrupted by loud, high decibel sounds (like gunshots) – essentially creating a very choppy listening experience, like a cell phone that keeps cutting out.

If you want to be able to continuously hear those low decibel conversations (think: safety) then you need a hearing protector that employs “compression technology” to provide continuous amplification of low decibel sounds while not amplifying the high decibel sounds (those are being compressed). Pro Ears Earmuffs all rely on Compression Technology. Make it a healthy habit to wear this type of high-quality hearing protector whenever you may be exposed to dangerously loud noises, and you may very well discover you can hear speech a lot more clearly – both with and without your hearing protection on.

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The author is Gary Lemanski, hunting/shooting hearing protection expert and co-owner of Altus Brands, LLC., manufacturer of the Pro-Ears line of electronic shooting earmuffs, hunters hearing aids, and other hunting related products. http://www.altusbrands.com/

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Stay tuned for more hunting season hearing protection facts, information, and suggestions, and how-to's!

And until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
--Tom "Dr. Earplug" Bergman