The best electronic hearing protection for shooting and hunting is not easy to find. I tested the most popular options on Amazon, and here’s my ultimate and (very) personal ranking.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. AXIL GS Extreme 2.0 - 25-Hour Shooting Ear Buds
Highlight: Hang on the ears with hooks.
Helpful review: Axil is remaking the way hearing protection is made and used. I called them earbuds, but they are not earbuds. Earbuds sit in my ear holes, flop around, and fall out. Axil uses an ear hook that fits over the ear shell and then terminates in the earbud portion.
The set also has microphones on the lanyard, not on the outside of the ear. The lanyard can fit around the back of the net to let it hang on the chest or under the chin like a boonie hat lanyard, whichever is most comfortable for the shooter.
This setup will work with Bluetooth, becoming a standard in higher-priced hearing protection options. I have not used Bluetooth with my phone to see if the remote microphones on the lanyard work as a microphone with both the Bluetooth function and talking. That is a thought I will try this weekend when I get to the range for some clay pigeon time. The remote microphones fit on the lanyard and can be moved or covered by the shooter, but they have limits. I tried to put the microphones under my T-shirt to stop the wind noise at the range a while back. Under my shirt, it did not cause feedback, like a drop of water will when it gets in the microphones. Still, I could hear every breath I took when the material moved across the microphones. This was irritating enough that I pulled the lanyard out, let it hang in front of my chest, and turned down the volume.
I tried to make a last-ditch attempt at removing the wind noise by putting painter's tape on the mics. This was better, but still not a proper fix; it made most incoming sound muffled, but no wind blasting my ear drums. This was not a failure of the hearing protection, but me trying to make the headset do a thing they are not made to do. If I wanted to fix this, I would make a miniature "dead cat" fuzzy thing that I could wrap around the lanyard, but that is more hassle than it's worth; I just turn down the volume and get back to shooting.
When it comes to comfort, the setup is the best. The earbud sections stay in my ears, and the ear loop keeps them secure, not getting walked on or last in the sagebrush. When I wear earmuffs all day, the ear padding will push my ear shell against my glasses frames, and after about an hour, the irritation will end my shooting for that day. With the hearing protection in my ear holes and the loops keeping things secure, nothing is making a hot spot or irritating me. The lanyard keeps the microphones where I want them, usually along my back and neck. — Rob J. Peters
Get it from Amazon now: $148.00 & FREE Returns
2. Peltor Sport - Smart Shooting Range Protector with Bluetooth Connectivity
Highlight: Filters voice from background noise.
Helpful review: After I work them over, I spend a lot of time on the range sighting in scope mounts or test-firing customer guns. When the weather is nice, I use the public range down the road. When the weather turns nasty in Utah, I take my hide to the indoor range on the other side of the lake, a long drive for 20 minutes, but I deal with that more than freezing my hide off in a snowstorm. The other time I use the indoor range is when the Utah summer turns everything around here into an oven.
This set of hearing protection is over-the-ear or muff style. When things are hot, any muff style will be sweaty. If I read about a non-sweaty earmuff, I will probably buy one to see. I think muffs that don't sweat will also let much noise pass and damage hearing. Peltor is one of the golden standards against which other muffs are measured. Using this maker as a measure for all comers makes sense; they have been here forever and work like champs.
The main purchase point for me with Peltor is the comfort level; the noise canceling is pretty much the same, and all electronic muffs are about the same. It is comfortable to wear a pair of muffs for long or even all day for folks who wear them in industrial applications. To make these as comfortable as possible, buy and use the gel pads.
When talking about comfort, more than fit and padding on my head is one thing, but the Bluetooth ability to use the phone with muffs on my ears, play a segment of two from Gun Talk, or listen to Chris LeDoux singing old-school cowboy songs for long sessions. I have used a 3.5mm wire to connect these to a walkie-talkie to try and make use of that. It did work, but the need to use one hand to key the mic button on the radio makes this not as awesome as others for that particular use.
The noise cancellation is one of the best; the Omni directional microphones make hearing things around me easy. There is not much to talk about negatively with this set of muffs. They fit my head tight, but that is my giant helmet-sized noggin; this may not apply to everyone. They weigh the same as most other makers, so they will not make my neck sore after wearing them for hours. Again, the magic maker is to buy and install the gel pads, and you will not miss the money more than enjoy the comfort for long hours on the range. — Harold Daniels
Get it from Amazon now: $199.99 & FREE Returns
3. Walker's - Silencer Rechargeable Earbuds
Highlight: Charge the case to recharge the earbuds.
Helpful review: Proper earbud-style hearing protection. The difference between these and the cellphone type is that they don't have the long kickstand-looking thing hanging in front of my ears. These have a stabilizing piece that keeps them lined up to fit down the ear hole and stay in place. This set of earbuds is excellent for use on the range of sighting or target shooting. Still, they will fall out of the ears if you do any dramatic movement, like action targets.
I like to try different earbud-style hearing protection because they don't get moved by the stock when sighting in rifles and shotguns when trap shooting. So far, these earbuds work great for me, but I do not wear them at work all day for hearing protection, so I don't know how long the batteries will hold charge over a couple of hours. I like to keep mine in the case, as everyone does, and then leave them on the phone charger in the truck the day before shooting and afterward. I did not torture test the battery charge time; I just charged them like my phone, and they work for me.
The earbuds charge from the case, so if the case is charged to its max, I can reinsert it, which will charge them if I need them. The earbuds connect to a phone and operate the talk and listen feature for phone use, which is good. I like how the buds Bluetooth to an app on my phone that lets me adjust the features and functions on my phone to affect the buds—this is amazing!
The case that holds the earbuds and a pretty sweat-cleaning bush so I can keep the earbuds clean and safe to put back in my ears. The case is significant, not a little bigger than others, and is substantial. The case is close to the exact size of my glasses case. So that is a thing to think about when making a place to store while hunting, for instance. This case size will not fit well in my pants pockets, so they may have to ride outside my jacket. If that happens, the tiny rubber or silicone ear plug section may get stiff and not fit as well as it should when I get to the "blue rocks" I sit on to hunt mule deer. — Joshua Hedman
Get it from Amazon now: $199.99 & FREE Returns
4. Walker's - Firemax Behind the Neck Earmuffs
Highlight: Unique Behind-the-Neck design for maximum support.
Helpful review: The greatest thing about this hearing protection set is the ability to recharge them with a phone charger. The number one thing I have done with them so far is forgetting to plug them into the phone charger. I like that I do not have to change the batteries or go through the hassles of battery doors or twist-on battery covers. The hang-up with a USB rechargeable is the inability to switch out some AAA batteries and go back to shooting. I have learned to keep a battery pack in the Navigator, and then I can just put that in my pocket and hook up the wire to keep the earmuffs working.
I need to learn to plug the dang things in on the way home from the range and then bring them in the house to keep them charged. I bought the behind-the-head setup to alleviate the head squeeze from the standard over-the-top-of-head style like all the regular muffs on the market.
I found some things I liked and did not like from behind the headgear. The first thing I want is the ability to wear a hat on the range, not bake the rest of the skin off my head, and fry the top of my ears in the sun. The one thing I do not like about the setup is the feeling that the headgear is always falling off my head. It is not going to fall off my head. The setup has a strap that goes over the top of my noggin, so they are safe and secure, but the weight hanging off the back of my head feels weird.
The sound protection is terrific, like all of the Walker products I have ever used. The filters can be changed to hear the sounds you want, which is different from the standard noise cancellation above the safe level. Then, the volume can be adjusted to hear background noise. I don't have a lot of value in this personally, but if I needed to listen to buzzers or other alarm sounds, maybe that would be more of a value to me. I am not saying these different filters do not have a lot of value; I do not have a use for them.
This set of earmuffs does not have Bluetooth to keep a person entertained or informed depending on what you listen to on the podcast or music. I have a neighbor who wears a hard hat at work and needs some hearing protection. This setup would work great for that application. I would have given him this set, but I had some sent to me for review that he had already received from the shelf of goodies. — Eddy Travis
Get it from Amazon now: $199.99 & FREE Returns
5. GLORYFIRE - Clear Voice Tracking Ear Plugs for Shooting
Highlight: Optimizes vocal dialogues.
Helpful review: Earbud-style hearing protection works great to stop the noise, but they fall out on my ears every time I use them on the trap range. I know some duck hunters who use the earbuds more to talk in whispers with each other in a duck blind than to keep the noise from the shotguns out of their ears. There have been times when hunting deer, and I am sure conversation has scared game away, as we get bored waiting and start talking like a bunch of amateurs.
I was very excited to try a new set of earbuds that I could use without having the stock smack the earmuffs when shouldering the gun. Every time, the stock would come to my check, and the earbud would fall out of my ear hole. This may be how my head is made, and it will not happen to others. And it was only shooting long guns; pistols had no problems.
When the earbud fell out of my ear, it hit the ground. The earbud usually gets packed with dirt and needs some cleaning. My earbuds do not have a way to be secured with a lanyard to keep them out of the dirt.
Now, if I did that, hunting ducks or geese, the earbud would have been in the water or mud. I will never use them in the field due to the lack of keeping them out of the dirt and muck. I will keep them in the gun bag, probably in the ammo crate, just in case anyone shows up and needs to borrow a set of hearing protection and can't use or does not want to use muffs. I am sure that people will not want to mess up their hair in the shooting world, and the earbud style will work perfectly. — Ed Geoffrey
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
6. Sordin - Supreme Pro-X Ear Neckband Defenders
Highlight: Totally Waterproof.
Helpful review: I had a box of these sent to me to review, and I jumped at the chance to put them through their paces. The first thing I noticed on the box that none of the other boxes have is waterproof. It is not water resistant or able to work in a rainstorm, but it is waterproof and has a submersible rating. I don't know why anyone would wear shooting muffs underwater, but I had to try it.
On a serious note, I am sure this is a function of their military rating to go from a submersed soldier coming onto land; I see this as a value for waterfowl hunters. If these fell off the boat and sank to the muddy bottom, will they still work after they are retrieved?
I had to try my hand at pushing this military-rated, waterproof rating to the test. Since it was not raining on the day or the week I reviewed this set of hearing protection, I put them on and got in the shower. And to my happy surprise, they did not even falter.
The one thing I can tell everyone is that a drop of water that gets into the microphones gives a massive amount of feedback. This screaming noise got my attention. After taking this set in the shower, I filled the sink and drowned them for three hours. While underwater, they were still on, just like they would be if they fell off a boat. They still worked when I pulled them out of the sink. The microphones were full of water, and I had to shake the water out, so the feedback screaming stopped. The earphone or speaker, part of the muffs, held water for a long time after the test. This is not a problem for a sink full of clean water, but filled with dirty, mossy water from duck hunting may result in ruined earmuffs from mold. If they get dirty water, I could drop them in a bucket full of bleach water to clean that hazard.
I took this set to an outdoor range for a day's worth of shooting, and they performed noise cancellation like the rest of the world's muffs—they worked perfectly. The microphones picked up everything around me and cut the gunshots out immediately. I did hear a low-level hissing noise, like a background hiss that happens with most of these electronic muffs when turned up; this was in my ears all the time at all sound levels.
I took the Sordins to an indoor range for a three-hour shooting class I was helping out with, and they are very comfortable to wear; that rating may go hands down to this set. The noise cancellation worked perfectly, as I expected. This set keeps the blasting noise from shooting indoors to a minimum, and the low-level hiss stays even indoors. The box I was sent had three sets, so I tried a different pair to see if the hiss was unique to the original pair. The hiss was present on all three pairs of headphones.
The maker does offer a gel pad upgrade. I did not find a need to replace the original pads, but I don't wear them all day long. This setup could be worn all day at a high-noise machine without squeezing my head and giving me a headache.
The headset can be upgraded to a radio setup, which is available for purchase. The radio setup allows for using two different radios for tactical teams or on a work site where I worked with EMS; it would send the security and production traffic to the same set of headphones. I did not get this radio set up and don't have a reason to look into this, but Sordin will answer any questions regarding this option. — Gary Anderson
Get it from Amazon now: $329.00 & FREE Returns
7. Walker's - Razor Slim Electronic Shooting and Hunting Earmuffs
Highlight: Walkie Talkie accessory compatible.
Helpful review: I love these shooting muffs. I have an entire case of them, which I take to the range to teach classes. I use the accessory walkie-talkie radio on each headset to talk directly to students. This is the only way to improve electronic hearing protection.
With radio communication ability, the background noises are gone, and only range commands are in shooters' ears. If there is a problem, the shooter lowers the chin mic, and all they have to do is talk, and everyone on the line hears what is happening.
Now, to talk about something that is not the radios, the hearing protection ability. Walkers have the same level of hearing protection in the slim muffs as all the rest have in the regular-size muffs. The only thing I have upgraded on my set is the ear padding. I wear glasses, and to alleviate the ear shell punishment from getting pushed over my glasses' hair pieces all day, the gel pads help out a ton. The other thing about the slim earmuffs is that they weigh less than the rest. Not much less, but if a shooter has neck issues, these may be a difference-maker.
I have had some shooting students tell me they get radio interference at times. For those shooters, they turned off the radio just in case we were getting some overlap, and they still reported the interference. This happens very infrequently and at different ranges. I don't have an answer for this, as one shooter out of ten has this happen at the same place and time as everyone else. My set does not have this issue. — Mike Crowley
Get it from Amazon now: $79.99 & FREE Returns
8. Howard Leight by Honeywell - Impact Sport Sound Amplification Earmuffs
Highlight: Ear cups are low profile, designed for gun stock clearance.
Helpful review: I bought this pair when I worked at a small gun store with an indoor shooting range. They were twice the price of a regular set of non-electronic muffs, and I honestly had to bite the bullet (no pun) and pay the price. I still use the original set I bought and purchased a set for my wife. This set of muffs sits at the top of my range bag and always goes to the range with me.
When reviewing other electronic hearing protection, I use this set of muffs as the standard to measure up to. I have not found any I would get to replace my original set of muffs. I have sets that I have reviewed that cost about 350 bucks each and have everything short for a butler to clean the shooting bay for me, and I still prefer these on a leisurely day at the range.
My sets do not have a whisper of hiss or bleed over from outside noise. They need some gel ear pads, and I can't find some to buy, or I would have that update. The phones will fold within themselves and take up very little space. I can fit four sets in the top pocket of my shooting bag. I have to push a little more complex than I should, but I can get four sets in the same place.
I am unsure if nostalgia or the price tag nearly everyone can afford keeps me coming back to this set as my favorite. At this time in the world, the price for these is about half of what I paid initially, and they still work and fit the same nearly 12 years later. I recommend this set of hearing protection. — Nelio Aguilera
Get it from Amazon now: $89.99 & FREE Returns
9. Awesafe - Electronic Headphones for Shooting
Highlight: Full-year warranty.
Helpful review: The heavy wire headset does not squeeze my head, even though I think my set is too small. The ear padding is nice and soft and very comfortable to wear. This hearing protection system will work for budget-minded shooters and will not sacrifice hearing safety.
The Bluetooth in this set of shooting muffs is not worth turning on; there is lots of buzzing and feedback, or it seemed like fed back to me. I could try it with an Apple phone as my Android did not work, and it was not even enough to try a test. After the noise and cluster or racket, I just turned that off. The headset has a 3.5 headphone jack, which works fine if I do not mind a tether. The phone tether is not a problem, but I did not bother after learning it worked.
The noise canceling ability from this set is good, and for the price, how can you beat them? I can tell you how to get a set of Howard Leights for the same price, but if you need to color-coordinate your headset, this is the place to shop. The ones sent to me are pink. I tried to get my wife to take them, and she pointed a finger at the ceiling, so I think that means no. Luckily, my granddaughter, as of today, loves pink, so someday they may work for her. It's always a good idea to always have a loaner pair handy at the range, and a set of bright pink hearing protection is an excellent way to help folks remember their own.
This set of muffs only reduces the sound by 24dB; most of the others reduce in the thirties. This set should be used in outdoor ranges or for lawn mowing, running a saw, etc. They have a yellow set that would look legit if I could get a Dewalt sticker from somewhere. — Mark S. Romney
Get it from Amazon now: $36.99 & FREE Returns