Prevent Ringing Ears With the Best Hearing Protection
The constant ringing in your ear after a sharp sound blast or gunshot isn’t just an effect for the movies. It’s true, the impact of loud decibels and firearm sounds can be highly injurious to your hearing. Whether you indulge in shooting as a hobby or as a professional shooter, lack of hearing protection can cause loss of hearing and severe nerve damage. That’s why you should opt for the top of the line hearing protection in 2022 to keep your ears safe.
Nowadays, there are diverse noise-canceling options, ear muffs, and headphones that can protect your hearing from any adverse effects. So, stop putting your ear through the constant abuse with high pitched and explore our picks for 5 greatest ear protection along with an easy to follow buying guide.
Here Are the Best Hearing Protection of 2022
Act Fire Hearing Protection
– Best Overall
For avid adventurists, nature enthusiasts, and expert handypersons, Act Fire’s headphones are the most premium hearing protection that you need. The padded headband and ear cups ensure maximum comfort and wearability for the users. The enhanced noise reduction technology and amplification mechanism allow clearer sound detection. In addition, the high-quality paint coating will not easily fade even when used during the most harsh environmental conditions. Not only is ACT Fire hearing protection an excellent way to save your ear from the distracting loud sounds, and it also maintains the stereo sound to allow for easy communication.
- Upto 23 dB noise cancellation
- Vertical volume knob for easy handling
- AUX plug is also available
- Highly tactical design
- The loud beep during the turn-on mechanism is distracting
Pro For Sho Shooting Hearing Protection
– Runner Up
The extremely lightweight design, adjustable headband, and snug fit of this Pro For Sho hearing protection muffs make them a highly user-friendly product. This amazing noise-canceling earphone is available in multiple colors and is perfect for both genders and those who like to show their personality with their accessories. Whether you’re out on a shooting adventure or dealing with noisy activities such as drilling, mowing, or other heavy-duty tasks, the padded ear cups comfortably cover your ears for maximum noise canceling. This foldable variant is a great space-saving product with high-quality polystyrene and foam padding for long-lasting durability. In addition, the compression effect within this ear protection aid ensures that your hearing remains unaffected from nerve damage. Pro For Sho earmuffs are the ultimate choice of hearing protection for shooting enthusiasts.
- Elastic headband is adjustable
- Extremely compact and slim design
- Great for multipurpose noise-canceling activities
- High NRR rating of 34 dB
- The foam can cause excessive sweating
3M WorkTunes Connect Hearing Protection
– Honorable Mention
If you are constantly exposed to loud and high-impact noises, you need safety gear to protect yourself from further hearing damage. This premium noise-cancellation ear muff also offers an entertainment fix with Bluetooth connectivity technology offering the best of both worlds. It also contains an integrated mic and a high-quality sound system for taking calls and premium sonic output. The seamless sonic, hearing protection experience is further enhanced with an ergonomic construction of adjustable headbands, snug-fitted ear cups, and soft cushioning.
3M hearing protector has a long-lasting lifespan of upto 30+ hours battery life with charging cord and slot to indicate and lightweight manufacture. Moreover, the efficient noise canceling rating is NRR 24dB, which protects your ear from blast impact.
- Rechargeable and replaceable battery
- Simple interface design
- Cutout design on the headband is breathable
- Auto shutoff mechanism
- The rubber ear padding isn’t breathable and can cause discomfort during prolonged usage
Decibel Defense Hearing Protection Ear Muffs
– Also Consider
If you are putting your hearing at risk with loud firearm blasts and sonic impact, then it is about time you get your hands on the professional-grade ear muffs by Decibel Defense. Whether you are on a shooting range, at a noisy construction site, indulging in heavy-duty machine work, drumming, or mowing the lawn, the noise cancellation capability of this particular earmuff will keep your ear safe from ringing and affected hearing. With a solidly padded adjustable headband, the earcups are available in 5 different color variations to showcase your own spin and personality.
All in all, this durable hearing protection excels with a higher noise reduction rating of 37dB. The high-quality stitching, smooth leather finish adds to the product’s premium look and aesthetic. Plus, the earmuffs are foldable for space-saving storage.
- Professional grade safety gear
- High-quality, durable construction
- Snug and stretchable fit
- Bigger size available as well for larger heads
- The noise reduction rating isn’t accurate sometimes
It is an extremely tedious process to get your kids to put on earmuffs and keep it on for longer hours. However, if you are subjecting them to bulky and dull earmuffs, the blame is on you. The EM030 is solely designed to make your kids fall in love with earmuffs. These colorful, vibrant headphones combine an attractive look and functionality. This kid-friendly hearing protection will keep their hearing intact, and the safety-proof design is metal-free to ensure that the kids do not hurt themselves.
With an NR rating of 22dB, these ear defenders are suitable for kids’ hearing capacity and minimize any potential nerve damage. So, the ZOHAN safety earmuffs should be your ultimate choice next time you take your kid out for adventurous trips, fireworks, air shows, sporting events, concerts, and outdoor activities.
- Great for kids with sensory issues
- Eye-catching galaxy and nebula prints on the earmuffs
- Kid-friendly aesthetics
- Comes with a pouch for easy storage
- The connecting link between the earmuffs and headband may detach easily
Best Hearing Protection Buying Guide
Picking up the best shooting ear muffs requires some careful deliberation on your part. There are various factors you must weigh in when narrowing down on your perfect hearing protection, and this buying guide will expedite the purchasing process for you.
When do you need hearing protection?
Hearing protection has multiple applications, and in this section, we will explore the significance of its use.
You are in a noisy environment
If you work in a mechanical factory or a construction site where the noisy machines are on a roll all day, you become desensitized to the loud stimulus. However, exposure to prolonged noisy environments may result in impaired hearing. Therefore, you need hearing protection to minimize ear damage.
You experience constant ringing during loud activities
When you are out on a shooting range, or watching a fireworks session, or drilling away at your log of wood, and the exposure to loud sound is causing a ringing or vibrating sensation in your ear - you need a noise-canceling headphone strapped on your ear right away.
You want to maintain your auditory health
Is it important to find solutions once the damage is already done? No, prevention is always better than cure. Hence, if you often find yourself in the middle of noisy and ear-abusing activities, then making a habit of putting on protective earmuffs should be a sacred ritual. Keep your optimum hearing ability intact with protective ear safety gears to avoid potential nerve damage.
Types of hearing protection
There are three major types of hearing protection you can opt for; let’s look more into that.
Earplugs
This kind of hearing protection is mostly available in planes for passengers who experience pressure on the eardrums during flight take-off or landing. They practically cost next to nothing and are extremely lightweight. These plugs are available in foam, silicone, and plastic material. Unfortunately, while earplugs can block some noise, they aren’t the most comfortable option out there.
Earbuds
Earbuds aren’t primarily hearing protectors. They are essentially a multipurpose hands-free audio device that allows you to attend calls and listen to music and audio. Other than that, the typical earbuds only offer minimal noise cancellation.
Earmuffs
This particular variant is the best ear protection for noise cancellation and blockage. Compared to plugs and earbuds - earmuffs are the best option to protect your hearing capability. The insulated hearing protection features an adjustable headband and ear cups with foam padding to ensure maximum noise reduction. There are two major types of earmuffs, i.e., passive ear muffs and electronic headsets.
Why should you particularly opt for ear muffs?
If you are looking for protection against loud sounds, earmuffs, whether passive or electronic, are effective. This hearing protection gear ensures that your ear anatomy is safe from the ill effects of loud sounds above the optimum threshold, i.e.85 dB. Whereas, to put things in perspective, the sound impact of an average gunshot is around 250. Therefore, you can imagine the adverse impact on hearing. In addition, earmuffs provide a higher noise reduction by insulating your ear with padded reinforcement. This hearing protection gear is also available with versatile functionality.
Determine the level of noise cancelation you need
The primary function of hearing protection is a sound reduction to avoid nerve damage. Therefore, when you're choosing the best protective earmuff available, it is an essential factor to determine the level of noise cancellation you need from your safety gear. Any sound exceeding 85 dB is injurious to ear health. So now, the best course of action to find the noise cancellation right for you, determine where you are going to use the hearing safety muffs.
An industrial area’s sound exposure will be different from that of a shooting range or firework session. For example, the sound exposure of gunshot is extremely high, so you need a higher level of noise reduction. You should simply opt for hearing protection gear that will bring down the sound exposure to optimum limits mentioned above as a simple rule of thumb.
Pick the right noise reduction rating
Manufacturers and major hearing protection brands have rolled out a whole range of shooting headphones stamped with noise reduction rating (NRR) on the label. The average range of NR-rated protective shooting headphones you’d find on the market and Amazon is around 15 dB to 37 dB at least. Of course, the higher the rating is, the more deep the noise reduction will be under the protective safety gear.
So, if you are looking for noise cancellation during lawn mowing, car wash, small-scale drilling, and wood chopping, a medium-range NR rating of up to 22 dB will be suitable for you.
Prioritize comfort with hearing protection
It is highly significant for potential buyers to ensure that hearing protection effectively reduces the noise and is comfortable to use during extended periods.
A comfortable hearing protection earmuff is reflective of features such as a padded headband and ear cup - that still promote breathability, a flexible and adjustable top band - that fits well, and high-quality materials for durability and longevity.
Best Hearing Protection FAQs
A: Noise reduction via hearing protection is an excellent option to safeguard yourself from the negative effects of loud sound impact. However, opting for NRR exceeding your required sound cancellation level will leave you confused and unattentive. In addition, the excessive sound reduction will isolate you from your surroundings and may also make you lose focus.
A: If you do not use protective earmuffs during gunshot sessions and firearm impact, you are prone to losing your hearing ability. Plus, depending on the ear sensitivity, you may also damage your nerves and eardrums instantly or in the long run. Exposing your sensitive ear tissues to the abuse of loud firearms is highly dangerous and harmful.
A: The possibility of getting an ear infection due to hearing protection gear is quite slim. But, we cannot completely rule out the possibility of infection due to improper usage of earplugs and earmuffs. To avoid ear infections, make sure you use a hearing protection aid only when required and allow airflow around the cochlear region to avoid sweat buildup.
