A gentleman raised this issue over on 16.com. I'm on something of a mission to save what hearing I have left and was curious if anybody here knows anything about these folks or... if there are additional options they might suggest?

https://tetrahearing.com/

I finally broke down and got fitted for hearing aids last week at Costco (super deal!). Got sick of saying "huh" all the time to my wife. Too-many rock concerts and sets of uncapped headers in my history, that and almost zero protection while shooting for the 1st half of my life has tinnitus with me almost constantly anymore

Figuring on playing the long game now. What don't I know?

Funny...I recently conceded to old age and hit the Costco myself.

Costco rated really well by Consumer Reports for hearing aids and have about 12% of the US hearing aid market. I went middle of the road and picked up the Rextons. So far (2 months in) I like them. If nothing else my wife is happier!

As for hunting I typically wear foam plugs or the baffle type for birds. For deer I don’t bother unless I’m in a blind...then I wear the Peltor electronic muffs with sound amplification (they block loud but amplify everything else.)

I do find myself in a quandary as Turkey season starts May 1st....And with the aids I do hear birds much better...However, the Rexton hearing aids don’t block loud noises. Maybe i’ll crack the crossbow out this T season?

I hear ya Lloyd "Excuse the pun"

My lifetime of work & play has me in in a similar situation to yours. I've been thinking about looking into electronic hearing protection devices myself. Personally I would start my search in our backyard with ESP Hearing protection which is located in Brighton. They've been at this game a long time and have a solid reputation.

https://www.espamerica.com/

I have not used Tetra products, but these things have become somewhat generic. I have been wearing Starkeys for over twenty years, and just ordered a new pair in case the old ones die mid-season. My first pair was analog, but I'm pretty sure all the new ones are digital. I prefer the sound quality of the analogs, but my audiologist tells me that the digitals are better in terms of absolute hearing protection. In the Tetra lineup, the only ones to seriously consider are the CustomShield models. Why? Because those are the only ones that cover the boney part of the outer ear. That bone will transmit sound vibrations to the inner ear, and loud noises damage the cilia. The more of that bone that is protected, the more effective the hearing protection is. Regardless of which brand you select, get one that includes custom molds for your ears and that covers as much of the outer ear as possible. Look at levels of amplification available in each product, attack time in the electronics, Db level at which the unit attenuates, overall Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), convenience of making adjustments. Some of the new units are rechargeable (my new ones are), but if you get units with replaceable batteries it would be convenient to select one that uses the same batteries as your hearing aids. Re the ear molds, you will probably have a choice of silicone or lucite for the final product. Silicone is more comfortable, but breaks down over time and then requires expensive repair. My first ones were silicone, new ones are all lucite. Just like guns, fit is of paramount importance for effective hearing protection, so buy from a competent provider, preferably an audiologist who can tune the digitals to partially compensate for your specific hearing loss. These thinsgs are not hearing aids but share some of the same functionality, so try to take advantage of the technology. As an example, my new Starkeys let me stream from my iPhone so that I can listen to a football game while I am sitting in the duck blind, and still have full protection if I get the opportunity to shoot.

Very happy with SportEar by Axil custom molded 360’s. No cheap, but they restore almost total hearing loss in one ear and protect from gunshot level noise.

Dogon: I'd heard about the EPS units from a fellow I've been shooting with lately. They're local so....that makes them very convenient. Thank you for the contact info.

I can't remember the name of mine off hand, but one suggestion I would make is to look for active plugs that have a recharging case.

my brother and I both use active hearing protection, but his require new batteries like a hearing aid. mine have a case that recharges the plugs while they are in it. the case battery lasts a very long time between charges, so I really only charge the case once in a while.

Edit: mine are Otto brand. Small waterproof case. Have been great for a few years. For the first time, I am seeing that one of the plugs is not consistently connecting to the case.

With that caveat, what you see is case at 80% battery, left ear plug at 100,% and right at 50%. Has been sitting in the closet since Jan 31.

The only things I would see as an upgrade to these would be a custom molded ear piece, and bluetooth for ease of accepting of calls, etc while shooting. And, now I realize, perhaps the longevity... definitely disappointing to see the one earpiece not connecting well.

Put me down as a member of the COSTCO club. I told myself my hearing loss was a sign of a life lived (albeit neglectful) and got over the stigma. People can't even see them unless I tell them. I realized I needed them one Thanksgiving dinner a few years back. I was at the table with the whole family, there were 3 different conversations going on at once and I felt alone. Anyone who's thinking about it probably needs them.

I believe what Woodreaux's referring to are 3M/Peltor TEP 100. I've been using them for 5-6 years now and they're quite good and reasonably priced. They were designed for tactical situations but are great for hunting.

They are active plugs that shut down at the gun report, they have normal and amplified hearing setting, handy for deer hunting.

The TEP 100's I have are the basic model and I don't think I'd need anything better for hunting. MIne have the case that holds 3 AA cells that charge them, I get 6-8 hours from a charge.

They make a model that charges from a USB I think and then there's the model that let's users speak with each other covertly, handy in a tactical situation, not so much needed when hunting and you can just talk to the guy next to you.

I highly recommend them.


https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2017...al-electronic-ambient-listening-earplugs

I looked at the TEPs as well and almost bought them. I've really liked the Otto, which is almost the same price. Until today, when I discovered the charger connection issue, I would have had no reservation about recommending the otto's. to be fair to them, they get pretty beat up in my hunting vest and truck door pocket.

Being a prideful old dog, this was a hard choice. Appreciate you folks chiming in when you did and adding all of the useful information. I feel alot better about the path I'm headed down now.

Thanks for the pics, that appears to be a neat little package. I have used custom molded (passive) earplugs for at least 18 years, when shooting clays. I do not use them for hunting, with the exception of doves in Cordoba, where I'm apt to go through over 1000-1500 rounds a day, easily. I use the same molded ones there as I do for clays. They cover the bony area of the outer ear very well. I think when I do decide to get a set of electronic ones they will have the molded form. They are so comfortable when they are actually formed in you own ears.

But Jim, you and I part ways about this ........


No sir, not me. No cell phones with the sound turned on to distract me while I'm shooting. I may have it with me, but if I do it is totally silenced. I could not imagine how much I would be distracted by a call ringing in my ear about the time I am about to call for the birds, or about to shoot at a dove, or walking up behind a point.

I knew that was going to draw some disagreement, Stan!

I've just found that in the course of a day hunting, its not infrequent that I need to make a call or receive a call, and it would be nice to leave the earpiece in place. But I can certainly see it the way you do as well. With a gaggle of kids at home and a job that requires being available by phone almost 24/7, I can't really ditch the phone at this point in my life.

I've been wondering about getting a molded earpiece made that would attach to my Otto's. they do eventually start hurting my ear after enough hours with them in place.

One update to my post from yesterday: after posting, I emailed Otto to ask about replacing the earpiece that is not connecting to the charger. I'm well past the one year warranty, but they asked no questions and are sending me a return label today. So I'll stick with my unreserved recommendation for the Otto Noizebarrier Micro

Lloyd, I went the hearing aids route several years ago. Figured I had a decent shot with the VA since I'm retired military and my last Army physical showed hearing loss. Young audiologist, maybe mid-20's, gave me a very thorough test. No question about the hearing loss. Then she asked me what I did in the Army. Combat Engineers, then infantry early on. But spent most of my time in Military Intelligence, where we try to be very quiet. She asked about loud noises in that business. I came very, very close to telling her that the manual typewriters were really noisy. (Wish I had. Given her age, I doubt she's ever heard one.) Anyhow, had to buy them on my own dime. Went with Phonak, sort of their mid-range model. Have worked out pretty well for me. I actually wear them hunting because my dogs are in the grouse woods a lot, and I need to be able to hear their beepers to keep track of them. (Yeah, I know about GPS. But up here in wolf country, the experts say that beepers or bells are likely to keep those critters from bothering your dogs. And again due to wolves, I don't want them any further away from me than beeper range.)

Lately, I've been working with a set of Walker Game Ears. They enhance hearing while deadening gunshots. About the only thing I don't like about them is getting a good fit into my ears, which involves rolling the material that covers the earpieces. Even the smallest covers they have require a lot of effort to give me a good fit. But if and when I get used to them, they'll work for target shooting as well. And once more I'll be able to hear what the other shooters are saying. My plugs do a great job of blocking sound. ALL sound.

Larry, I bought hearing aids in December and I went with the high end Phonaks, rechargeable with streaming and all the bells and whistles (even though I already hear bells and whistles constantly in my head). A hunting buddy had been fitted with aids by the VA last year but he just didn't like them, so went back for a refit. They gave him a fresh set of the same top-end Phonaks that that I had purchased. He loves them.

Some current info....

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/technology/hearing-aids.html?searchResultPosition=1

I've been using those for a couple of years now for shooting. Friend of mine liked mine so much he got a set and last fall talked me into using them for hunting. First time I actually heard a grouse flush in a LONG time, and startled me so much I missed LOL. Had them on high there was no wind. When shooting I don't normally use high because I hear things I don't normally without them. 20 years working in boiler and engine rooms of ships and a lifetime of shooting will do that to you. Or so I have heard...

Unfortunately not sure where the case and plugs ended up after hunting season and shooting season has started here again. Been using foam plugs and need to do a deep dive to find my Otto's. If I can't find them will replace the Otto's with the same in a heartbeat. I use these foam plugs instead of the ones that came with it now.

If you are married, why would you want hearing aids?

John Boyd