Who has used these...?

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ƒORTE

New member
No one answered in the gear section so I thought I'd bring it here. Allen Sound Sensors. Their add states the following...

A revolution in hearing protection!

Outperforms electronic hearing protection without batteries or bulk
Noise is drawn into sound chambers where it is refracted and cancelled
Extremely light weight - only 1.7 ounces
Adjustable headband
Folds to fit in pocket - folded size 5.75" x 2.5"
Allows for easy conversation without the echo effect
Filters out most damaging sound frequencies
Noise reduction rating of 26 decibels
Extra foam ear cushions included

Confirmation anyone?
 
Depending on how much they cost they might be a rip-off. My winchester muffs only cost $7 from Walmart and they're rated at 26 decibels as well.
 
So, they are $19.99, in the ball park for a lot of other conventional hearing protection.

Regardless of how they work, I certainly don't see them as a "revolution in hearing protection"! That's absurd. They appear to offer no better hearing protection then a good set of ear muffs or a $3.00 pair of fluted silicon ear plugs from a corner pharmacy/drug store.
 
No, I haven't used it.


At 26 dB of noise reduction, you could still suffer hearing damage.

My disposable earplugs are rated 33 dB. (Howard Leight Max) and my conventional muffs are rated at least 29 dB. Put them together, and I have over 60 dB of protection. Use one or the other, and protection is still better.

So it seems like the only thing offered by those that you mention is being able to have conversation without taking them off.

If I'm alone on the range, I don't have conversations.

If someone else is out there with me, I can't have conversation anyway, because when I try to talk the blasts cancel out my voice anyway.

So unless you shoot alone a lot of the time, I'd say skip it.
 
My disposable earplugs are rated 33 dB. (Howard Leight Max) and my conventional muffs are rated at least 29 dB. Put them together, and I have over 60 dB of protection. Use one or the other, and protection is still better.
Click to expand...

Just a FYI - Noise cancellation ratings are not additive. The combination of ear muffs and ear plugs is usually reported as only giving an additive protection of 3-6dB. ie. wearing ear plugs rated at -25dB and ear muffs rated at -25dB gives a combined protection rating of somewhere in the range of 28dB-31dB.
 
My regular shooting ear muffs are rated at -30 decibels. I also add foam ear plugs, varying ratings usually around -30.

While they may not be "directly additive" the difference, to me, when combined is huge!

And even the difference using just a good pair of -30 ear muffs, compared to plugs or -20 to mid -20s ear muffs is, to me, again huge.

I have a number of different ear muffs and different sets of ear plugs, and the best thing that I have ever done and immediately noticed was buying and using a good pair of -30 ear muffs.

To me, night and day.
 
Good information gwnorth. Thanks for sharing it.

I got scared into doubling up by a thread here a while ago. But I'll probably be OK just with the muffs or plugs I guess.
 
I got scared into doubling up by a thread here a while ago. But I'll probably be OK just with the muffs or plugs I guess.
Click to expand...
I think doubling up is not a bad idea. And even if the 3-6dB figure is correct, that's still a pretty significant reduction.

Reducing something by 3dB is equivalent to reducing the power by half. So even if you only get 3dB of reduction by doubling up you're still reducing the amount of noise power impinging on your eardrums by half. 6 dB would mean the noise power reaching your ears is reduced by a factor of four.
 
Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that doubling up the protection wasn't a good idea. As JohnKSa says, it does offer a significant improvement even at just an extra 3-6dB noise reduction.

Outdoors, I tend to use either ear plugs or muffs, but at inside ranges I always double up. Outdoors (where I normally shoot) it depends more on who else is at the range. If there's a .357mag shooter at the stand next to me, then I for sure double up.
 
Misconception

Don't be discouraged by the fact you only get an extra 3dB or so of protection.

Decibels are NOT LINEAR, they are logarithmic. Which is why adding hearing protection doesn't just double the decibel rating. 3 extra decibels is blocking roughly twice the power. 6dB roughly 4 times the power.

So next time you are trying to decide if its worth the extra $5 for a 33nrr vs. 28nrr... you might decide to spring for the more expensive pair...

and yes, doubling up DOES make a huge difference. You just have to understand what those numbers actually mean.


EDIT: oops, JohnKSa beat me to it. I should have read the posts more thoroughly.
 
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