Gonna buy some proears, anything better?

[Luke]

Now that I'm taking classes and starting to shoot around a lot of ppl more and trying to get into IDPA it's time to ditch the $20 muffs. Gonna buy some this weekend and I have been eying the proears gold SC tac ear muffs. They have a good (I think?) NR of 25, slim cups so cheek weld should be possible, and my favorite feature is they don't just cut out. You can clearly hear other people DURING the shooting. Is there anything else is the $350 and below range I should be looking at? I read Trevor's reveiw on the MSA's, and although they look way cooler I'm more interested in function for the price tag. Any help guys?

This is the model that's in my basket!
http://www.proears.com/Pro-Ears-Shooting-Hearing-Ear-Protection-Pro-Tac-Plus-SC-Gold-Muffs-Green-Lithium-123-Batteries

[orionz06]

Sordins.

[Failure2Stop]

Sordins.

[Luke]

Is there a reason? And is there big difference between 20NR and 25NR? I inderstand what it means but don't know how it effects how they work

[NerdAlert]

This might help:

When you bring up MSA Sordin Supreme ear-pro among folks who are serious about shooting sports, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll hear spec-sheet-based performance objections from at least one person. After all, what self-respecting gear whore (myself included) doesn’t review the spec sheets when making a buying decision?

As it turns out, I actually researched this in detail before I plunked down the cash to buy my Sordins. I've retraced my steps, gone spelunking through various browser histories, and dug up new sources to look at why Sordins seem to perform way beyond a weaksauce 19 dB Noise Reduction Rating.

The results may surprise you... (http://trevoronthetrigger.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/msa-sordin-supreme-performance-the-misleading-nrr18db-rating/)




Sent from my iPhone, I apologize in advance for typos.

"Gustatus similis pullus"

[Chuck Haggard]

The Sordins have been the very best ear pro I have ever used, durable as hell. Highly recommended.

[Luke]

Does it compress the noise like the proears? So while the shooting is going on you can still have a conversation? There seems to be alotmof models on the sordins.. Which is the absolute best?

[Luke]

Made my way to a computer and was able to get more info then on a phone. Looks like the supreme pro X is the best choice?

[Chuck Haggard]

Does it compress the noise like the proears? So while the shooting is going on you can still have a conversation? There seems to be alotmof models on the sordins.. Which is the absolute best?

Yes, they do, very well.

[Luke]

Just placed an order from SRStactical for a set of the pro X's. Hopefully I like them. Be nice to not be the only one with who can't hear during class.

[orionz06]

On the NRR, bear in mind that many ear cups don't deal nearly as well as the Sordin gel cups do. A sealed 22 NRR is better than an unsealed 27 NRR.

[NerdAlert]

In case you didn't read that article, the author recommends wearing plugs under the muffs and cranking the volume on the active muffs until you can hear normally through the plugs. They will cut out the louder sounds and you will still be able to hear commands and such. You really should follow the link in my first post in this thread if you haven't already.


Sent from my iPhone, I apologize in advance for typos.

"Gustatus similis pullus"

[Luke]

Thanks guys.

Need alert in my original post I said (I think) I already read Trevor's long post about them. Even after that I was just hesitant to spend 300+ The pro ears had a video of how they worked and I liked that and I couldn't find mich info on the sordins on my phone. Computer worked better, ordered a pair of the nicest ones I could find. SRS sent me a tracking number 5 minutes after I hit purchase!!!!!

[HopetonBrown]

I have 2 friends with dead Sordins. I sent my Pro Ears in after 4 years and 11 months of ownership because one of the cups cut out, and while needing a copy of my original receipt they were gracious with the repair. Just cost me shipping. They upgraded the internals and they seemingly replaced everything put the cups themselves. I bought a second pair. The Sordins gel is more comfortable than the Pro Ears memory foam, but I like the individual cup design without a wire going over the head band. Also, if you have a large brain box the Sordins seem to run rather small.

[Luke]

Damnit. I have a huge head :/

[Chuck Haggard]

I have a giant cranium and the Sordins fit me really well. I do use the wire behind the head model since that fit under my K-pot when I was still a SWATly guy

[Failure2Stop]

On the NRR, bear in mind that many ear cups don't deal nearly as well as the Sordin gel cups do. A sealed 22 NRR is better than an unsealed 27 NRR.

This is a very good point.
Most folks shoot with eye-pro, which causes a gap in the ear-seal, and I wear a hat most of the time, further compromising the seal.
I don't have an issue with the Sordins, even when shooting or in close proximity to some very "boomy" guns.
I do not use plugs in conjunction with mine unless shooting indoors.

[lightning fast]

I've broken 5 headbands on my Pro Ears so far. If you ever shoot in cold weather, like below 40*, you will encounter the same thing.

[Luke]

Sordins will be here Monday. And I do shoot with eye protection and sometimes a hat so I'm looking forward to the gel cups! Going from a 5+ year old set from Walmart (~$15) to these should be nice.

[EricP]

I think the best part about the Sordin gel cups is that they stay soft and comfortable unlike foam which hardens over time.

[t1tan]

TCI DEHP with gel seals. Sordin hardware, TCI electronics/software and upgradable for comms if that's a necessity, believe they're part of Safariland now.

[LSP972]

Sordins will be here Monday.

Did you get them? I ordered a set after reading this; they arrived today.

Read through the brief instructions, popped the gel pad off to install batteries, and… surprise. No battery holder. There is a sealed, light gray plastic thing that looks to be the right size for a two AAA cell magazine, but it is sealed and secured into the ear cup. WTF???

The drawing shows a "normal" battery holder. And according to the packaging, I have the plain vanilla version that the drawing shows.

This is just about right. I have a half-dozen non-functioning or semi-functioning electronic ear muffs in my junk box. Two of them are those miserable Peltor Sport 6; they last about six months then one or both sides just quits working. The Howard Leights worked well enough (until I stupidly let a colleague borrow them, he went hog hunting in the rain, and now they have a short), but they don't fit my head/ears. The ProEars 2000 uses oddball (N) batteries, and gets MAYBE 12 hours of use per set. Ditto the Caldwells I bought for my wife; they still work, but they eat batteries. The Dillons have decent battery life, and still work… but the adjusting wires in the headband have lost friction in the plastic sleeves, therefore the head band won't stay adjusted and gets uncomfortable after just a few minutes. No warranty to speak of on electronic stuff from Dillon.

So you could say I've had less than good luck with electronic ear protection. I had about given up; the top-of-the-line ProEars are huge, so I've never been interested in them. Then I saw this thread, and remembered thinking about the Sordins sometime back, but being put off by the price. So I decided, FIDO, let's do it. What's three hundred-plus bucks to a serious pistolero?

The vendor I bought them from, CSUK, is apparently a Brit firm in Florida. At least, the guy on the voice mail is a Brit. They're closed now, of course, so I gotta wait until tomorrow. And a quick search revealed nada, zippo, on any kind of customer service contact info for Sordin. Not too encouraged by that; something tells me this isn't going to end well.

Yeah, yeah, I know… I'll quit whining. But I've got a mega case of the red-ass right about now.

.

[Erik]

Is this helpful?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxWs7vKGMU

[Failure2Stop]

Did you get them? I ordered a set after reading this; they arrived today.

Read through the brief instructions, popped the gel pad off to install batteries, and… surprise. No battery holder. There is a sealed, light gray plastic thing that looks to be the right size for a two AAA cell magazine, but it is sealed and secured into the ear cup. WTF???


Uh, unless you got something different than what I have, you're doing it wrong.

[Failure2Stop]

TCI DEHP with gel seals. Sordin hardware, TCI electronics/software and upgradable for comms if that's a necessity, believe they're part of Safariland now.

Just found my next pair of ears, thanks dude.

[dgg9]

Does it compress the noise like the proears? So while the shooting is going on you can still have a conversation? There seems to be alotmof models on the sordins.. Which is the absolute best?

I've owned and used Pro Ears and Sordins both for years. Sordin > Pro Ears, easily.

[HopetonBrown]

Vickers recently posted this to his Facebook page, if someone is looking for a 3rd option.

"I've been using these Peltor Comtac 1 ear pro for years - my hands down favorite electronic ear protection. If there is anything better I don't know what it is". Someone asked about Sordins" "I had some bad experiences with Sordins" and later said the battery contacts were the problem.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10424274_10155168749170416_2476074394692523819_n.j pg?oh=07b7b9207242b7afc88f43f48f526378&oe=554C0551

[LSP972]

Is this helpful?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxWs7vKGMU

Indeed it is. I thought of that, but the knurled knob just spins; I thought it was accomplishing some other function, but apparently the threads are stuck. I'll try to unstick them.

Thank you. Would have been nice to have an updated manual...

[LSP972]

Needed to tighten that locknut.

All seems well now. Thanks again, Erik.

.

[Trajan]

TCI DEHP with gel seals. Sordin hardware, TCI electronics/software and upgradable for comms if that's a necessity, believe they're part of Safariland now.

I've seen those, but can't figure out what they offer over standard Sordins.

[Erik]

Glad I could help. My recollection is it was a bit of a puzzle the first time as well.

[orionz06]

Vickers recently posted this to his Facebook page, if someone is looking for a 3rd option.

"I've been using these Peltor Comtac 1 ear pro for years - my hands down favorite electronic ear protection. If there is anything better I don't know what it is". Someone asked about Sordins" "I had some bad experiences with Sordins" and later said the battery contacts were the problem.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10424274_10155168749170416_2476074394692523819_n.j pg?oh=07b7b9207242b7afc88f43f48f526378&oe=554C0551


Pretty sure you can't get those anymore and the new ones they make suck, or at least that's what Larry had said at one point.



I've seen those, but can't figure out what they offer over standard Sordins.

For us, nothing.

[LSP972]

Glad I could help. My recollection is it was a bit of a puzzle the first time as well.

Well, after you showed me that the knurled knob was indeed the battery compartment cover, I finally noticed the little pictograph on the silver Consumer Electronics sticker that provides a clue. Duh.

That made me think that perhaps I should stick to those el cheapo orange ear plugs... the ones connected with a string that they issue to mill hands and whatnot.

In any event, I hope these things are what I've been looking for.

.

[Chuck Haggard]

One of the wires to my battery contacts in my Sordins did in fact pop loose, I was told this was an issue with some of the older headsets. A friend at Atlantic Signal (local to me) had them fixed in about five minutes.

The big deal I see with the Sordins is durability, I abused the shit out of mine, and the noticeable sound quality vs other ear pro.

I really noted this at DARC while going through the LECTC-1 during the full mission profile runs. I was often hearing us taking sim rounds from the OPFOR while all the other guys were "Like, wut?" because they couldn't hear the rounds, or couldn't hear where they were coming from. Even in that chaos the Sordins gave me extra situational awareness that the other guys didn't have, it was like they were hard of hearing and I had bionic ears.
I swapped ears with a couple of the other guys during runs through the missions to see if it was just me, it was not.

[ScotchMan]

I've broken 5 headbands on my Pro Ears so far. If you ever shoot in cold weather, like below 40*, you will encounter the same thing.

This. Mine broke like 3 weeks after I got them. I returned them and didn't look back. This was all in the month of July too, so it doesn't even have to be cold.

http://everydayloadout.com/pro-ears-pro-mag-gold.html

[SamAdams]

I've broken 5 headbands on my Pro Ears so far. If you ever shoot in cold weather, like below 40*, you will encounter the same thing.

Hmmm . . . I haven't experienced that problem, and have 4 or 5 electronic Pro-ears and one non electronic. I've hunted with the former in sub zero weather. Wonder if they changed the more recent models, somehow?

I haven't found any other electronic muffs to offer better sound fidelity than the ProEars, so am interested in this review.

[t1tan]

Just found my next pair of ears, thanks dude.

Keep an eye out for deals, Safariland listed them on facebook for 50% on Black Friday

[HCM]

Vickers recently posted this to his Facebook page, if someone is looking for a 3rd option.

"I've been using these Peltor Comtac 1 ear pro for years - my hands down favorite electronic ear protection. If there is anything better I don't know what it is". Someone asked about Sordins" "I had some bad experiences with Sordins" and later said the battery contacts were the problem.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10424274_10155168749170416_2476074394692523819_n.j pg?oh=07b7b9207242b7afc88f43f48f526378&oe=554C0551

I had a set of these - they died after about 3 years - I sent them back to L3 for repair and never beard back from them.

[lightning fast]

Hmmm . . . I haven't experienced that problem, and have 4 or 5 electronic Pro-ears and one non electronic. I've hunted with the former in sub zero weather. Wonder if they changed the more recent models, somehow?

I haven't found any other electronic muffs to offer better sound fidelity than the ProEars, so am interested in this review.

It's possible. ProEars is definitely aware of the issue. Every time I've contacted them, the only question they asked me was "Were they being used in chilly weather?" and then would send me a new headband immediately. Good CS, but it's really frustrating continually being without your favorite ears.

Sordins are pretty high on my list now, especially with the way they seal.

[jwperry]

Has anyone give any hands on differences between the MSA Supreme Basic and the Supreme Pro?
I just had my 2nd set of Howard Leight's die on me and I've been researching an upgrade, but don't want/need/afford to spend money i don't need to.

[ScotchMan]

Has anyone give any hands on differences between the MSA Supreme Basic and the Supreme Pro?
I just had my 2nd set of Howard Leight's die on me and I've been researching an upgrade, but don't want/need/afford to spend money i don't need to.

Ditto, this. Also in the market now, and the 200% price difference is...substantial. Looks like the basics are analog while the supreme is digital, so if I go out on a limb and guess, I would say the digitals let you hear conversation while shooting is happening while the analogs shut down everything while shooting is happening. But I'd be interested in opinions.

[cclaxton]

I am looking for some in-ear electronic plugs that act both as amplifiers for times when no shooting occurs, AND act instantly to reduce sound while shooting. I can always double-up with a simple pair of muffs when I am shooting next to a wall or barrel.
Any suggestions?
Cody

[EricM]

Has anyone give any hands on differences between the MSA Supreme Basic and the Supreme Pro?
I just had my 2nd set of Howard Leight's die on me and I've been researching an upgrade, but don't want/need/afford to spend money i don't need to.

I have no experience with the Basic -- AFAIK those didn't exist last time I was in the market -- but I personally much prefer the Supreme III Pro+ vs the Pro-X. The III Pro+ has higher NRR and is a little roomier in the cups, which for me was much more comfortable and facilitated a better seal. As always YMMV but just thought I'd confuse things with another option. :)

While we're talking about Sordins, anyone used the HP2 Hearing Protection Cover (http://stores.octactical.com/hp2-hearing-protection-cover/)? I've always velcroed a foam pad (from the fit adjustment kits that come with bicycle helmets) to the headband of my Sordins...that plus a hat without a button on top has meant no sore spot on my head after multi-day classes/matches. These replacement covers look even better.

[Default.mp3]

I am looking for some in-ear electronic plugs that act both as amplifiers for times when no shooting occurs, AND act instantly to reduce sound while shooting. I can always double-up with a simple pair of muffs when I am shooting next to a wall or barrel.
Any suggestions?
Cody

Etymotic (http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/eb15le.html) makes a line of those. Not sure how good they are, but their consumer IEMs are generally pretty good. Of course, the caveat to that a lot of people can't stand IEMs, so... yeah. If you do go this route, be sure to try multiple tip types (silicon flanged tips, the foamies, and the Shure "olives") to figure out what works best for you, assuming any of them do.


While we're talking about Sordins, anyone used the HP2 Hearing Protection Cover (http://stores.octactical.com/hp2-hearing-protection-cover/)? I've always velcroed a foam pad (from the fit adjustment kits that come with bicycle helmets) to the headband of my Sordins...that plus a hat without a button on top has meant no sore spot on my head after multi-day classes/matches. These replacement covers look even better.

I've used one for years now; bought via PM on Lightfighter back when OC Tactical's website was pretty much just a gallery of some custom stuff they had. Never had any issues, even with caps that had a button on top, but then again, I've never used the original headband. They still look tip top; only real sign of wear is actually the nametape that I bought elsewhere that's faded a little.

[EricM]

I've used one for years now; bought via PM on Lightfighter back when OC Tactical's website was pretty much just a gallery of some custom stuff they had. Never had any issues, even with caps that had a button on top, but then again, I've never used the original headband. They still look tip top; only real sign of wear is actually the nametape that I bought elsewhere that's faded a little.

Awesome, thanks -- got one on the way.

[LSP972]

Been using my Sordins in an indoor range, and have been cautiously optimistic. But I mainly go when no one else is there, so not much to compare to.

This past week-end, I took grandson #1 to a basic carbine class (outdoors), which of course is a much better "test".

Man; these puppies are the cat's meow. Totally worth the breath-taking price. Sound quality/attenuation is so far above everything else I've ever tried, and while no headset worn all day can be considered comfortable, these were not UNcomfortable.

.

[t1tan]

While we're talking about Sordins, anyone used the HP2 Hearing Protection Cover (http://stores.octactical.com/hp2-hearing-protection-cover/)? I've always velcroed a foam pad (from the fit adjustment kits that come with bicycle helmets) to the headband of my Sordins...that plus a hat without a button on top has meant no sore spot on my head after multi-day classes/matches. These replacement covers look even better.

Been using one since I got my DEHPs, the newer version with the hanger loop and name tag Velcro loop on top. Very comfortable and very well made.

[HCM]

Been using my Sordins in an indoor range, and have been cautiously optimistic. But I mainly go when no one else is there, so not much to compare to.

This past week-end, I took grandson #1 to a basic carbine class (outdoors), which of course is a much better "test".

Man; these puppies are the cat's meow. Totally worth the breath-taking price. Sound quality/attenuation is so far above everything else I've ever tried, and while no headset worn all day can be considered comfortable, these were not UNcomfortable.

.

They are worth the money. I have a pair of Pro X I purchased new in 2007. I got seven years out of them including three working full time at our Academy's outdoor range. I sent them back to SRS tactical a few weeks ago. They check them over installed a new battery box and a new set of gel your cups – came to $108- with return shipping. I think I got my moneys worth.

[pr1042]

Has anyone give any hands on differences between the MSA Supreme Basic and the Supreme Pro?
I just had my 2nd set of Howard Leight's die on me and I've been researching an upgrade, but don't want/need/afford to spend money i don't need to.

I purchased a set of the MSA Supreme Basics w/ gel cups and finally a chance to get to the range today. I double plug whether indoor or outdoor and previously used the Howard Leights with no issues other than I left them somewhere.

I could barely hear anything with the Sordins even with volume cranked up and if I wanted to have a conversation, I had to take the muffs off. Is this typical or seem like a defective pair? I got lots of cutting in and out as well which I didn't really experience with the HL set.

Not too impressed so far but not sure if this is typical or not with the analog set