10 Best Ear Protection for Shooting [Passive and Electronic Earmuffs] in 2023

How to choose the Best Shooting Ear Protection – A Detailed Buying Guide

Other than the types of ear protection for shooting, there are few other factors that you should do check before investing on.

Noise Reduction Rating

The Noise Reduction Rating is an estimation of how much maximum noise protection can HPD offer. It is measured in decibels.

For instance, our first product in the list has NRR up to 22 means the device can reduce the noise level to 27 decibels.

There are no official standard rates or the lowest possible NNR requirements for hearing protection devices. Always prefer to get the highest NRR.

Real gunshots can reach the volume level from 140 to 190 decibels which will surely split your ear and affect the hearing quality within few shots. If you are busy shooting in long-range or in the play, not using HPD surely damage the hearing.

So, always aim for the highest possible NRR. If you want to go from the bottom level, don’t buy any HPD less than 22dB.

Hear Through Capability

One of the important reasons of using high-power hearing protection is the hear-through capability. This feature is also known by some other names, hear through feature allows you to semi-naturally sense the surroundings in case of your ears are uncovered by the microphones on the outside of the headphones that damage the ear canals.

High efficient hearing protections have at least one microphone on each ear. Anyhow, some of the ear protection has microphones on the front and backside of each earcup.

One of the considerable advantages of the hear-through capability is, it will compress the human hearing spectrum, so the frequency of the loud noises is also lower and it does not damage your hearing.

Most of the old model hearing protections are simply cut out the audio, which is not preferable for nowadays shooters.

Amplification

The amplification of hearing protection devices varies based on the application. For example, hearing protection for musicians allows the user to hear surrounding sound using acoustic sound filters but ear protections for shooting involve smart technology to amplify particular sounds.

Amplification of sound is the process of increasing the volume of low decibel sounds. These quiet noises might be considered important such as communication, or the sounds that bring awareness of the situation.

Directional sound amplification is a method that improves the low-level sound volume and also lets the user know the direction of the sound. This amplification feature uses several electronic components, and microphones to amplify the situational sound that we can’t hear even uncovering the ear. The microphone picks up these needed low-level sounds and passes them through headphone speakers in the earmuffs.

Based on the type of ear protection devices, the quality of directional sound amplification varies. HPD with stereo amplification lets you know the sound is from left or right while HPD with 3D amplification lets you hear the sound more clearly.

For hunters, ear protection with advanced directional sound amplification is the right choice. It helps you hear the footsteps, quiet commands from the other hunters, and bring situational awareness.

For the range shooters, HPD with stereo amplification is a good choice.

Know that HPDs with directional or stereo sound amplification have volume limits basically between 85 and 90dB. It means it can amplify sounds only in this range. Anyhow, the standard and safe noise level set by WHO is the same as the above range.

Decibels

Decibel is a sound measurement that measures the energy of the sound wave by using the logarithmic scale. In the Layperson’s terms, the sound in 80 decibels is not louder than the sound with 79 dB, but it is 800 times louder than the 0 dB sound.

Every time, the number increased by 10, the tenfold will increase 10 times more than the previous factor. Moreover, increasing the 3 dB will double the perceptible sonic energy and it can be able to notice immediately the difference between the immediate and prolonged hearing damage.

Here are some of the key sound pressure levels to know, normal speech – 60 dB, loud amplified music – 110 dB, most gas-powered leaf blowers – 80 dB, threshold of instantaneous hearing damage – 120 dB, space shuttle taking off – 170 dB, and gunshots – 130-145 dB. Hence, gunshot sound is 1300 times louder than the sound that people can hear so hearing protection is very important while shooting.

Attack Time

The amplifier in the HPDs turns off when it is exposed to harmful noises and it automatically turns on when it goes then continues the amplifying process.

Attack time is the reaction time of the HPD to sounds. It is the calculation of the speed at which the HPD takes time to reduce the external noise to the safe level. The difference between the time when the gunshot happened and the time when the HPD turned off the amplifier and dampen the sound to a normal level is called Attack time.

Attack time should be faster and low in seconds.

Attack time varies on HPDs based on their quality, and physical components. The fastest attack time is 0.5ms and the average is 20ms.

Design

When it comes to design, there are several factors to consider that you care about. 

Cut-outs

There are HPDs come with cutouts. It helps to adjust with the shape of eyeglasses or the gunstock aside. The crevices on the muffs let the user shoot without any discomfort caused by leaning on the gunstock. The cut-out catches the gunstock onto it.

Low profile design

If you are not interested in high-end or bulky earmuffs, then low-profile HPDs are good choices. Low-profile designs are helpful in hiding while hunting. These are typically small, light, compact, and suitable to wear for a long time.

Tactile controls

Like hearing protection and safety glasses, shooters also need PPE like gloves. Most of the shooting gloves are thick so the user finds difficulty in accessing the controls and buttons in the headphone without removing from the head.

That’s why the manufacturers thought of adding reliable tactile controls to the earmuffs. With this, a shooter with heavy thick gloves can access the button. 

Tactical controls are more convenient.

Portability

Whatever the reason you are purchasing an ear protector, choosing the foldable device is always a good choice. Compact and foldable earmuffs are easy to carry along with minimal storage. Some models come with their carrying cases.

Durability

Ear protection for shooting is supposed to deal with the harsh environment, sunlight, and extreme weather conditions. So, it is a must you have the most durable device that can withstand all of these.

Always choose the HPDs with water resistance to avoid being slippery due to sweat. The material used on the device also measures durability. HPDs made out of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and synthetic materials are good to choose from.

Comfort and Fit

Comfort and fit are the most crucial factors that most users failed in. Hunting or shooting in any range is not a go-and-come game, you have to spend a long time on the field. With that said, it is obvious that you will wear the HPD as long as you hunt or shoot.

So, it is important to choose an earmuff that fits comfortably on your head supporting the other accessories like safety glasses and gunstock. When you got the right fit and comfy earmuff, you reduce the chances of removing them often. 

Ear protection muffs with wide and soft ear cups avoid the ain in the ear. The vented and adjustable headband allows airflow. The earmuffs with ultra-soft earbuds and padded headband ensure fit and cozy.

Earmuffs with rotating sliders make it suitable for all head shapes and sizes. 

Water Resistance

Most people are experiencing their shooting in the worst weather conditions in different territories like forests, ranges, or battlefields. For that reason, noise-canceling ear cups should have features that can make them suitable for all environments like dustproof, waterproof, and scratch-resistant.

The water-resistant feature is very important because it helps to protect the electric circuit inside the hearing protection. Make sure that you have good quality hearing protection that works perfectly even in a humid area.

Benefits of ear protection while shooting

Long-term comfort

A good quality hearing protection is featured with some comfort-enhancing items like padded headbands, gel earcups, and ergonomic design, so you won’t feel worried with the hearing protection for comfort.

Increased situational awareness

Nowadays, modern hearing protection comes with the hear-through capability, so you dont need to give up the situational awareness in the case of protecting the ears, it allows you the hear the movement around you, continue the conversation, and provides good spatial perception based on the sound.

Comms Capability

Most of the high-quality hearing protection comes with the comms integration, which means, this hearing protection can also be used as a radio headset. It is also designed to hold the hand mic up to the head next to the microphone or push the hearing protection away for a second which allows you to have hearing protection with better situational awareness and radio clarity without compromising safety.

Why you should wear Hearing Protection Device?

While hunting or shooting, bringing protection for the eye, ear, and hands is most important. A shooter who tried shooting without any of these will surely appreciate buying the one. The gunshots are loud and reach an intensity of 120dB. Hearing the sound without any protection causes irreversible damage to the ear. 

Most of the firearms and guns produce sound impulses 10 to 1000 times more than this intensity. 

Let’s talk about it in detail.

How loud noise affects hearing?

To know the reason how high decibel sound waves affect hearing, we should know about the anatomy of our ears.

People always talk about the middle ear where the eardrum and little bones called the anvil, hammer, and stirrup are there.

Originally, hearing damage is caused when the inner ear is affected.

In the above picture, imagine a spiral staircase. The passage is 30 mm long and 2 mm wide.

The sound waves travel alongside the staircase. In the middle of the staircase, the organ of Corti and basilar membrane that is thin and long. The Corti rests on the membrane and there are tiny hairs along with the assembly of organs. They register sound and pass it to the brain through the auditory nerve.

When you are exposed to the intense sound range up to 140dB or more, the organ segments of the Corti separate from the basilar membrane. The portions tend to tear and float around the staircase.

As a result, you end up with an inflamed lesion which later causes a chemical reaction where the tiny hairs die. This reaction provokes the formation of scar tissue which rapid up the degeneration of inner ear hairs. A cascade effect happens and the complete auditory nerve system fails, meaning you go deaf.

The high pitch sound that you keep on hearing that never goes off is called Tinnitus. There is the suspect that generation of this sound is maybe the result while brain trying to get back lost hearing ability by intuiting the surrounding frequencies.

Now, you may understand why we consider it most important to make the list of best ear protection for shooting. A small investment in a hearing device benefits your health and quality of life in the future.

The right ear protection makes your shooting time more enjoyable that you’ll like to continue the game for even more time.

Among the three types, electronic earmuffs have come with additional benefits that increase situational awareness and communication while you are chasing or playing.

How much does ear protection for shooting cost?

There are different varieties of hearing protection devices available so the price range varies according to this. The passive earmuffs and earplugs generally come under $25 with basic sound insulation and NRR up to 30dB so these are the great budget and beginner options. Although they do not have a communication system, passive protection devices somewhere offer communication but lack NRR. 

Electronic earmuffs have come with low and high profiles. Low-profile and low-cost electronic earmuffs are available at a maximum under $75 with the average range of $40 to $50. The HPDs from this range have basic features with the NRR up to 25dB or below. 

If you want a bit advanced electronic earmuffs with high NRR, then you should look around the price range of $75 to $150. The electronic ear protection from this range offers you essential and less common features like an audio jack, Bluetooth connectivity, clear voice tracking, or proform earbuds.

If you are ready to spend even more to get everything possible with an HPD, you will pay from $150 to $1000 or even more.

Conclusion

To conclude the list of Best Ear Protection for Shooting in 2022, we reviewed some of the most prominent choices that we think a buyer should consider while purchasing an HPD. The ear protection generally ranges from $20 to more than $1000. The earplugs with passive earmuff also make a great choice in the range.

But, if you are a shooter or hunter who goes for indoor and outdoor range shooting, we suggest you choose the advanced electronic earmuffs with high NRR, fast attack time, durable design, lightweight, and portable muff with advanced communication features. These will let you hear everything from a bird to your teammate’s command except the ear-splitting gunshot sounds.

Using eyeglasses, hand gloves, and ear protection are the most important safety features that you should not miss for any cost. They may be less or high investment, but these are the factor that promises to keep your quality of life.

So, as a shooter what ear protection are you using? Let us know in the comment section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better between earplug and earmuff?

This is a most confusing question for anyone searching to find the best hearing protection device. 

Earmuffs are easiest to wear on and off but earplugs need more manual access to use as they are not convenient to wear on and off often. So, when it comes to comfort, earmuff wins.

Which is the best ear protection for shooting?

We have discussed this a lot and we are sure electronic protection is the best choice for shooting ranges. In the range, it is not easy to communicate or receive the commands from officers or instruct the shooters. Only with the electronic ear protection be it an earplug or earmuff you could do all these conveniently.

What is the highest dB for earplugs?

As per the record, the high dB Noise Reduction Rating possible with earplugs is around 33dB. So, the surrounding noise that exceeds 85dB to 90dB (based on the model) is compressed to 33dB.