Hearing protection

Earmuffs and earplugs for hearing protection, passive and electronic.

Passive or electronic

Passive protection attenuates everything equally: the gunshot and the voice of the person next to you. It protects well, costs little, and also blocks out what you might need to hear.

An electronic device uses external microphones to reproduce ambient sounds at a controlled volume, cutting the impulse of the shot within a few milliseconds. The result is that voices and commands remain audible while hearing stays protected — and in many cases you hear better than without the earmuff, because weak sounds are amplified.

The figure to look at

Attenuation is expressed in SNR or NRR, in decibels. A high value provides more protection but more isolation: on an electronic earmuff this matters less, because the listening function compensates.

If you plan to use them with a helmet, check that a rail-mount version is available: the overhead headband is not compatible with most helmets.