doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Best electronic ear plugs

I'm interested in your experience with the electronic plugs that serve both as hearing aids and loud noise suppressors.
TIA

I can't hear ya Jimmy.

I've wondered about those too Jim. I really wish I could make these jar flies quit "singing" inside my ears.

I have had a set of E.A.R. electronic ear plugs for many years. I have even had to have new molds made when the originals wore out. I think they are about 12 - 15 years old now. Their service, when I finally wore out the original molds, was excellent and the new material is quite a bit more comfortable and should be more durable.

Mine are "old technology" and definitely not as good as the new digitals, but I have no plans to change. They work great for target shooting, letting me hear the traps release. They also let me hear things when hunting in the woods which I never knew existed and serve admirably as hearing aids when I get stuck in meetings where I am having trouble hearing (although I'm trying to quit that).

They are in my pocket as I typs and generally go everywhere I go.

I recently bought a pair of the digital Starkey plugs offered through the NRA (apparently about a 50% discount?) So far I am badly underwhelmed with Starkey's customer service. No instruction manual, snotty, ill-informed custservreps who may be knowledgeable about hearing aids, but not about the ear protectors. I'm still in a wrestling match with them

Starkey is not in the business of dealing directly with the consumer. Normally, their products are only available through audiologists, and the audiologist is responsible for making sure the user is satisfied. I have two pair of Starkey analogs, and have been generally very pleased with them. Was talking with a different audiologist (not my guy) last weekend, and she told me that Starkey is moving away from analog products to all digital. I have never worn their digitals, but have discussed them with guys who have tried both digital and analog, and the preference is for analog.

Re Starkey customer service, Starkey is based (I think) in Minnesota, but the Magnum Ear (shooter's plugs) are made in their Texas facility. Most of the folks at the corp HQ don't even know the Magnum Ear product exists. Try calling Mark Berger at Starkey in MN, 800-328-8602. He should be able to take care of your issues.

I worked through a Starkey-authorized audiologist. It was her first attempt at this product. She has been very attentive, but isn't getting any help from HQ.
My only prior experience with electronic products is a pair of "Mickey Mouse" muffs, which obviously "clip" the blast. These new Starkeys do not "clip" the blast, and as a result, I'm not sure I'm getting the reduction I want. Sent them back to Stuckey, and will pick them up in a month (am presently in FL) Will give a report when I get back. Am distressed that Starkey doesn't have a dedicated product brouchure describing how they are supposed to be tuned and used.

Mine are analog so may not work the same as yours. Having said that, there should be no "tuning" required. The audiologist should have tested your hearing, made silicone molds of your ears and sent all off to Starkey. Starkey made the shells to fit your ear molds and programmed the electronics to boost your hearing in the ranges where you need help. Mine provide a max boost of 26db, and attenuate the sound at 92db. The attenuation happens in milliseconds, and I still hear the shot at 92db, but nothing above that volume, so no hearing trauma. If you have a volume control on the units, you can adjust the gain on each side, but nothing above 92db should get through if you have a good fit. These don't work the same as Mickey Mouse Muffs; you should still be able to hear everything going on around you, but not at a volume that will cause damage. If you don't want to hear ambient sounds, just turn off the gain control and they will work like static molded plugs. You will still hear loud noises (like gunshots) but it will be muffled, just like wearing the molded plugs that you can get fitted for at the big shoots.

The effectiveness of these units is closely related to the quality of the fit, so if you are getting leakage (usually accompanied by the typical hearing aid feedback screech), then the audiologist may need to take another set of impressions and have Starkey make new shells for you.

Once you get a good fit, these things are low maintenance. Just keep them clean and change the batteries when they stop working. The earpieces used to be molded only in silicone, but they are now also available in a harder plastic that is more durable. My silicone molds split after about eight years, so they are going back for new molds in the harder material. As your hearing changes, the audiologist can reprogram them to match your new hearing loss. Most audiologists have never seen shooters' hearing protection, so no surprise that yours is fumbling a bit. But, it's just not that complicated.

There was no testing by the audiolgist - Just took the impression for the mold. There is some sort of small toggle switch on each unit which no one has been able to describe to me yet.
Will try calling Mr Berger. Thanks for the help.

Not a good sign. No wonder you are not real happy.

Starkey has/had several different models of protection, ranging from static plugs to ported (non-electronic) plugs, to analog and digital plugs to RF plugs for law enforcement. Your comment about the on/off toggle makes me a bit curious about what you actually have. What is the model name or number on your units? What was the price of these things? The analog plugs seem to retail between about $800 and $1200 per pair, depending on where you buy them. The digitals are around $2K +/-. Can you post a link to the NRA discount (I have not noticed these plugs in any of my NRA communications, but I have not been looking, either).