Sordin Pro-X LED Ear Muffs - Active and Electronic Ear Defenders - Gel Pads - Earmuffs for Hunting & Shooting

I've been in sport (competitive) shooting most of my life and tried many different types of ear protection. These are my first high-end ones and I was nervous to spend the money, but they did not disappoint.PROS:1) Very Adaptable:These ears on this pivot (articulate) extremely easily, which allows them to keep a great seal around your ears, thereby not allowing the same type of sound leakage that often occurs in many other hearing protection, such as when turning or canting ones head to work with firearms or tools.2) Gel Pads and Plenty of Inner SpaceThese come with very comfortable gel pads, unlike a lot of other ear pro. As such, they're incredibly comfortable to wear over long periods of time. Moreover, unlike some ear protection, these do not rest on your ears (and thereby press them in toward your head) but provide sufficient space within them to allow your full ear to sit in free space inside them (again, allowing comfort over many hours of use).3. The electronic wiring was very thoughtfully employed on these, as they move cleanly to the ear pieces while attached to the brace, so that the wires aren't hanging out and catching on things. Moreover, they connect to the ear pieces through the pivot axle, so that the wire isn't hindering movement of the ear pieces. (Some other ear pro has wires hang out in the open, and then connect to the top of the ear piece, which then restricts it's free motion, and that in-turn makes those ones more difficult to adjust, and also tends to cause its seal to your head to break, and let some sound in -- not these ones though.)4) Sound Quality and Orientation is GreatThe sound quality on these are very good. While there's only five volume levels, which could be better, the sound is clear, and with it's great stereo directionality, the direction of the sound is easily determined.5) Battery life is pretty good. I think it boasts around 600 hours? And it has an auto power-off in case you forget to turn them off, or accidentally hit the "on" button at some point (see CONS section for more on that). If you're still using them when it would turn off, it gives you an audio warning beep first, and you can just hit one of the volume buttons to extend another four hours. This is a good feature to have.CONS:1) Price:Probably goes without saying. These are not cheap!2) Battery Replacement:The batteries are rather difficult to get in and out: more so the lower battery than the upper one. They could've done better with the battery compartment like other (much less expensive) brands have done. (Though, on the flip side, I think these are sealed better against environmental elements.)3) Compactness:They don't fold up very compact like most other brands do. Even when flipped up-and-in, then the headband is sprawled out and wide, which doesn't allow it to be packed away very easily. Not a huge deal but, for this price, it's rather annoying, given ear pro 1/5th its price do a better job with that.4) The Audio Controls (both volume and power aspects):There are only five (set) volume levels, whereas some other brands have an analog style wheel to adjust the volume on an entire spectrum. Additionally, to turn on the audio, you just tap the on/off button once real quick, and it turns on, but to turn it off, you hold it down for several seconds. It would be nice if you had to hold it down for several seconds to turn it on as well, to minimize accidental power-ons, and thereby minimize battery drain.MISC:On a side note, I will probably never use the LED light, but you never know, so it's a nice-to-have feature that they've added in (i.e. a PRO); however, it was not intuitive at all for how to turn it on and off, and I had to dig into the instructions to figure that out (i.e. a CON). For anyone interested: To turn on the LED light, you first have to turn on the sound and, after that, then you have to press both volume buttons simultaneously.For this price, it would've also been nice if it came with some type of hard case to protect it when packed away and/or in transit.

Positional natural sound.I own and use extensively, Walker Game Ear low profile and two sets of Howard Leigh Impact sport. They work for what they do, primarily, suppress gunfire. I tried and couldn't use them for real-world hunting due to their lack of sound directionality.After researching, I came across these and thought, if figured if it's good enough for the military, it's probably good enough for hunting.While the price is high, initial impression has me impressed. I can tell it's higher quality just on build alone, where these are metallic with a nice Ceracote-like finish, compared to plastics of most others.The biggest wow factor for me is the natural sound these produce and how well positioned the sound is coming from all around you. You can distinguish faint sounds from certain directions to more pronounced sound coming from closer to your proximity. The gel cups are also super comfy and cups your ears more thoroughly than Impact Sport.I'm sure these will work for hunting, especially if you plan to use them in the tree stand. I will update afterwards with that impression come opener. Update: Perfect for the deer stand! Only issue so far is that gun shots from distances are hard to discern but otherwise, great and comfy to use all day in the stand! It even acts like ear muffs, keeping your ears out of the cold.The old adage you get what you pay for applies here. For the price of these you can get each of your buddies a pair of HL Impact Sports, but there is just no comparison. Impact sports are a great investment if all you're looking for is a good set of muffs for suppression and hearing people talk. They neither sound natural nor give you positional audio. I don't know how they do this but it works!

These are probably the most comfortable pair of hearing protection I have worn in a long time. The gel cups are comfortable and have the added benefit of creating a better seal around my ears to minimize noise. The interface is easy to follow even for the occasional user. There are plenty of settings to customize the sound to your preferences. The microphones pick up where sound is coming from making it a great tool for hunting and for safety in general. Gone are the days of hearing something and then having to look around to find it. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy these again and I believe these would last a very long time. The build quality is fantastic. I would personally prefer a slightly tighter fit but that is personal preference. The only thing I didn’t like is the process to change the battery. It was a little annoying to get the batteries in and out properly, but that isn’t something that has to be done too often.

Excellent hearing protectors with awesome sound quality

I am a range safety officer. There are the best below the military version. Th walkers are crap. I couldn't take it anymore. They are the the best of the best of you spend any length of time on an inside range. Worth the money. The sound options are unbelievable.Super comfortable and noise cancelling. Don't e fooled by the NST. It based on the worst possible scenario vs others advertising 24 or 26. In range conditiones are more a 30 NSR. It's complicated but true. Look it up on YouTube. TruthAwesome

Took the plunge when I realized my HSA would cover the cost. Only downside is the price. When they're on it sounds like you aren't using anything. On the range it zeroed the noise from the shots. I could still hear everything else. The gel pads are the way to go; very comfortable. Batteries are a bit hard to get out; weirdest design ever and they should revisit it because it's just dumb. But they're THAT good that you can still overlook the crazy battery compartment. I do think they still overpriced but overall I'd buy them again and I put my Walker's in the wood shop. These are my range muffs from now on.