Peltor Sport RangeGuard Electronic Hearing Protector, NRR 21 dB, Ear Protection for the Range, Shooting and Hunting

Peltor only seems to be incapable of doing one thing: making bad ear protection. These things are more comfortable stock than a good chunk of the market with upgraded gel pads, including the expensive ones. Electronics are nothing short of phenomenal. Sounds just like regular hearing, even at max gain (regular hearing, but a little louder). I have not found a way to make the mics or speakers peak. The output is really great stuff--good enough to listen to music over the airwaves without acceptable a noteworthy drop in quality, which is, I think, a very good test of audio quality. Cutoff is quick and snappy, working as it should for electronic ear protection. They're also freakishly slim and small. It's hard to believe just how small they are until you see them folded up and realize they fit in a hoodie pocket. The plastic shell feels well-built with good material, and they've certainly held up to the varied abuse I've thrown their way. As for comfort, I wear these around sixty hours a week with safety glasses and can't say I've had any headaches or other discomfort. They're comfy enough to take a nap with. The only nitpick I have is as follows: Peltor likes sticking controls and audio jacks on the right-hand side, which isn't ideal for about nine tenths of the population when there's something like a pistol, wrench, or something else in their dominant hand. I could also complain about a lack of aftermarket modifications to outfit them with a boom mic, but there are other offerings with that and if shooting with good comms equipment is that important, you can just buy ear protection that's designed specifically for your needs. Tl;dr: I love these stupid things and do not leave home without them. They are exemplary in every meaningful metric and are (especially when on sale) probably the best analog electronic ear protection on the market, bar none.

I wanted "just in case" ear protection for home defense. If I had to shot a self defense 12Ga in my house, or in a hallway, id be deaf after the first shot, and likely stunned to some degree. So finding some muffs that could give some protection against that was my goal and I think these work good for that. Here's why... Pros 1. The microphones give very good crisp natural sound pick up. Amplified just slightly better than my naked ears EVEN AT SOME DISTANCE. (Other "better" headphones seem to cancel distance sounds, I want to hear the distance sounds in my home) 2. The two microphone work well for isolating direction sounds. About as good as my naked ears, and maybe a little better sometimes. (make sure they are mics are facing forward it makes a difference.) 3. 21db's reduction should be "good enough" to keep my hearing intact for a short time. This I can't really know for sure. 4. Fit great and very comfortable. Ear pads are nice. 5. Low price for the quality 6. Very low profile. Cons 1. If you turn up the amplification to get more sounds pick up, you get more white noise (hiss). You can just turn it up loud enough that hiss is barely audible, and its still better than your naked ears. I think the white noise comes with the ability to pick up distant sounds. 2. It could use some more passive NR. I wonder if other ear pads could give some more NR Conclusion. For the range with lots of shots firing for a long time, I want more than the 21db noise reduction. ( I can add 30db ear plugs. or use a different ear protection.) But for home defense these seem to do everything I need better than any other ear phones I've found, so five stars.

this type of ear protection was not my first choice. I did quite a bit of research into the different types, and settled on one of the newer electronic designs which is based on wired foam plugs and a controller that rides on the back of the neck. The few reviews on it were either really good, or really bad. I now believe the really good ones were likely bogus. The primary problem with all of the electronic units that have foam ear buds is that they cannot be rolled small enough to fit deep inside your ear for a good seal. It not only is the wrong type of foam, but also has the hard plastic "straw" that runs through it. It advertised a NRR rating of 31 (which is pretty much what you get with unwired cheap foam plugs that you by at Walgreens). The marketing also produces confusion for some folks that somehow the electronics magically reduces the sound of a gunshot. There is nothing the electronics do except shut off the microphones that allow you to hear speech. Turn the electronics off, and you get exactly the same protection from loud noises...which in the case of the wired foam buds was not much at all. I could sit in the room 10 ft. from my TV at normal sound and comfortably listen to it. They would have been dangerous to wear on the range. There was absolutely no way to get a decent seal in my ears with the buds. So I decided to try these Peltor muffs. When they arrived the first thing I did was try them in the TV room again. All the difference in the world. This NRR 21 rated muff almost totally blocked the TV sound, while the NRR 31 rated buds were almost like wearing nothing. So much for the numbers game. Then I turned on the electronics and was amazed at the clarity of sound. Was very clear and natural like you were not wearing any ear protection, whereas the foam ear buds were "staticky". I have used the slimmed down muffs in years past for shotgunning, but they still have the problem of a nasty "thunk" sound against your gun stock. But I am getting older and need to protect my hearing. Knowing this was going to happen, I cut a self-stick strip of the soft fuzzy Velcro half and pressed it on the bottom of the plastic on my shooting side. Made a world of difference in the sound when the stock makes contact. Now for the actual conditions at the clay shooting range. Very comfortable, and did a great job of muffling the gunshot sounds. I got them on a little late and my ears were being hammered by shooters at a nearby station (about 50 ft. away). But after getting them on, I could stand just 5 or 6 ft. from my shooting partners in total comfort. Speech could easily be heard with the volume about half way at most. I was very happy. The foam on these ears is very comfortable and I never felt the need to take them off or shift their position. It was a very windy day, and if I turned them up to the max, there was a notable wind noise through the muffs, but there was no need to turn them up beyond half way. I was also surprised to see that I became totally unaware of my gun stock hitting the muffs...that had been my biggest concern. So hey Peltor, how about you guys put a little rubber along the bottom rims of these muffs. Trust me, it makes a huge difference. Only thing that came close to a complaint was that my ears became a little sweaty in the Texas heat (I think it was about 82 deg. in mid Nov.). But it was not running down my neck. Once in a while I would lift them while no one was shooting just to let the wind dry up the moisture. But it really was not a problem, and I think ear buds would have caused some minor sweating as well. All in all I am very very pleased with these muffs, and very very disappointed in the electronic in-the-ear system (at more than twice the price). I recommend them, and suggest you pay no damned attention to the rating numbers. (and no, this is not a bogus review. I am just an old shooter that appreciates good equipment at a fair price...just like you).

Overall I have to say I have been really happy with these. They are comfortable and do a fine job. My hearing still works, so they must be doing something right. Overall definitely worth buying. I have a few nitpicks and a caution to share. Nitpicks: One thing that really could use a redesign is the audio input. It is tied to the same system that is cut off for loud noises. How does that even make sense when being used as audio headphones? This was not a primary purpose for my purchase, but I feel like if they were going to execute it poorly I would have rathered they cut those costs and pass that savings along. They will not work to, for example, listen to music in a loud warehouse while providing hearing protection, in a factory, mowing the lawn, on a busy street, on a subway, the list goes on and on of limiting places. Even if these places you might want to listen to music are not constantly loud enough to keep the audio in a disabled state, it would constantly cut in and out. You really don't realize how often those little peaks happen around you until you try to use these things for music. Close a door? Music cuts out. Put the toilet seat down. Music cuts out. Set a book a little too hard on the counter, you get where this is going. But again, mowing the lawn?! Come on.... These things beg to be used for that! Cautionary My cautionary is in 2 parts. First, the mic cut out isn't exactly instantaneous. Sometimes you will get a little more of your first shot coming through than you might want to hear. What you do get is still not loud enough to be concerned with, just be aware. Also, if someone is shooting near you but not like right next to you they may or may not shut off effectively. They may fire 6 shots and you get to hear 2 at the full volume speaker, not full unprotected gun shot, volume so I do not recommend turning that knob up very high when around other shooters.

This is the second pair ive had in 20 years. I would still have the first pair but someone felt they needed them more than I did. Some of the best for Range Instructors. Clean, crisp sounds without the echo.

Been using the Walker Razer Slim's for the past few years and they still work great, but decided to pick these up when I needed to get another set of earpro just to try something different around the same price range. Definitely better quality all around. The build, the fit, the lower profile design, and (to me) the sound dampening and sound quality and comfort (with replacement gel pads). One improvement I'd make is a more tactile on/off/volume wheel. It's a very light on/off click and a smooth rubberized knob that can get slippery with sweat. Will be ordering more of these when I need more earpro.

Switched from walker razor slims, it was a night and day difference. Forgot i was wearing them, testiment to comfort and audio quality. Spatial awareness is superb. Battery compartment leaves room for improvement.

He seems to have liked these better than my older Walker's. I haven't used them so I guess they are good.