Hear What You Want and not what you dont
Written: Aug 30 '08 (Updated Oct 24 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Provides enhanced hearing and protects from loud noise. Radio speaker input options.
Cons: Bulky
The Bottom Line: Provides enhanced hearing and protection at the same time. A reliabe product at a decent good price for electronic earmuffs.
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| tysonson's Full Review: AEARO PELTOR TACTICAL "7" LONG-EAR STEREO |
I bought these earmuffs to make life a little easier at the gun range. These electronic earmuffs reduce loud noise to safe levels and amplify low sounds to make them more noticeable, as well as allowing normal conversations with your hearing protection. Now I don't end up yelling at my fellow shooting when my earmuffs are still on, and theirs aren't.
These earmuffs are just one in a large line of hearing protection products offered by Peltor, which is owned by Aearo Technologies. Many of Peltor's products are designed to not just protect peoples hearing in noisy environments, but to also let them communicate there too. There are numerous options of earmuffs that allow radios to be plugged into to them and also allow radio microphone hook ups. The electronic earmuffs use microphones to take in ambient noise, then use electronics to determine safe levels, and then pass it to the internal speakers. Once unsafe levels are noticed, the earmuffs seem to either close the circuit and stop transmitting anything to the speakers,, or just reduce it. Its kind of hard to tell one way or the other, but if you snap your fingers next to the mics, you can hear all the noise cut back, not just the load noise.
Each of the Tac7S (Tactical 7S) earmuffs measures about 4 inches tall by about 3 inches across and stick out off your head by about 2 1/2 inches. Internal ear cup opening dimensions are about 1 1/2 inches wide by about 2 1/2 inches tall. They are connected to each other by a pair of stiff stainless steel wires that make up the headband, which is covered with 1/4 inch thick plastic covered foam padding. Also in the head band is a rubber coated wire that measures about 1/8 inch in diameter and runs from the top of one earmuff, through the headband, and down to to the other. The headband is hinged to the earmuffs with sturdy arms that mount over plastic posts sticking out from the earmuffs. The arms swivel and stiffly slide down the stainless steel wires to allow about 1 1/4 inches of adjustment in headband length. Each of the earmuffs has 1/2 inch plastic covered foam padding ear cushions. Inside the earmuff and covering the speakers is a layer of foam that I assume is there to wick moisture from sweating. Peltor makes replacement foam ear cushions and internal foam, which they call a hygiene kit.
On the front of each of the earmuffs, and angled out slightly, are the microphones. They about 1 inch in diameter and have circular foam covers over them, that are held in place with an adhesive. On the left side of the left earmuff is the 9 volt battery compartment. Its made of plastic and is held in place by a single flat-head slot screw that is ridged on its outside to allow easier finger manipulation. The cover hooks on the bottom of the compartment and seems like a study enough design. The 9v battery in held in place by metal contacts in the top of the battery compartment, no wires and snap on contacts are used (Which I like.) On the bottom rear of the left earmuff is the comm port for hooking up to a radio speaker or iPod type device if you want. It measures about 1/2 inch in diameter, sticks out about 1/4 inch, and uses a two-pronged adapter thats available for purchase in 36" lengths, either 2.5mm or 3.5mm jacks. There are numerous other jack types available for other radios types. On the right earmuff is the on/off volume knob. Its also on the lower rear of the right earmuff and is about 1/2 inch in diameter and sticks out about 1/2 inch. It rotates on clockwise with audible click, and turns about 270 degrees, increasing the microphone sensitivity as it goes. (You can find these speaker patch cables at www.boss-safety.com, about $20 for mono and $24 for stereo.)
The microphones on these are pretty good. I could hear the range owner driving up in his golf cart to our shooting berm long before he got there. It was not line of sight either, he was on the opposite side of the 8 foot tall dirt berm. These earmuff defiantly amplify sounds well above what humans can normally hear and seem to also lend them selves well to hunters. Some things are slightly annoying, but minor. The movement of paper can create sounds the earmuffs deem unsafe and cause the volume to cutout or reduce. Or it will make high pitched snapping sounds, which is the annoying part. It doesn't really matter since I don't plan on doing paperwork with them on, just an observation. They also allow hearing in stereo, which allows the user to have some sense of direction in relation to were a noise came from. Is not like your normal ears but very sufficient for me. The earmuff are said to offer up to 25db of sound amplification and limit noise higher than 82db. They respond quickly enough for impulse noises, like a gunshot. They are also listed as providing a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 24db, which is pretty good when compared to some others. When shooting I hear all sounds just fine but the gun shots are muffled to the point that they are not bothersome and sound about the same as non-electronic earmuffs with similar NRR. I have shot some loud firearms with them as well, to include a .500 Smith and Wesson Magnum, 4" barrel, and 45-70 rifle. both are very big hitters and I never noticed the noise.
As far as weight goes, I am not totally sure. I found a website claiming they weigh 1.3lbs. They dont feel very heavy to me and I have never felt like the weight was an issue while I was wearing them. I guess if one was running it could be an issue.
The Tac7S is a bit large and bulky but not enought to keep me from shouldering a rifle properly. And they considerably cheaper than the top of the line tactical earmuffs offered by Peltor, the Swat Tac (also called ComTac) I/II series. I purchased mine about a year ago on sale at Midway-USA for about $130, compared to the Swat Tac series that can range widely from about $230 to $380 (You can find really good deals on Comtacs/Swat Tacs and others right now. I think Peltor is releasing new models)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tysonson
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Location: Denver, CO
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 3 members
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