Hearing Protection while stalking

To that end, I have recently invested in some extortionate Expensive hearing defence from CENS. I plan to use them as often as I can,
Much like my rationalisation. I went for DX5s, and using them for indoor small bore (8 lanes of unmoderated .22LR target rifles is LOUD) as well as full bore at Bisley (where you could have 300WinMag either side of you!) as well as starting on clays.

Using them often over the next 5 years will soften the blow of the price tag, hopefully, and maybe only needing a new set of moulds in a few years, and just move the digital modules over to them.
 
Sat in bed… reading this listening to my tinnitus 😕
I am in my 30s and wear hearing protection to shoot shotgun and zero moderated rifles. I find it helps me shoot better to have the ears on when zeroing.
 
For those with CENS. There seems to be quite the price difference between the DX 1, 3 and 5. Is there much practical difference?
 
I wear custom molded earplugs that have built in diaphragms. Work great and can you get them at most local hearing aide type places.
 
For zeroing yes , for stalking no , now I am going quite deaf however I’ve a funny feeling that’s more due to working in heavy industry the last 20 years than stalking …
 
I'm rather grateful for being a complete nerd with my hearing. Even as a teenager I would stuff wet toilet paper in my ears when I went into loud clubs and bars.

I still always have a few sets of foamies in all my shooting clothing pockets. And insert them without fail.

I have one ear that's a difficult insert- and one that's easy. So I keep the difficult one in- and just insert the easy one at the last second.

I will admit that stalking without them is more pleasant- you feel more connected to nature and your environment.

Some in ear defenders would be lovely I must admit.
 
For those with CENS. There seems to be quite the price difference between the DX 1, 3 and 5. Is there much practical difference?
I went for the DX5 Digweed edition.

My reasoning was that I wanted the Range Mode on the DX5, and also the Wireless Comms mode. So that was enough to step up from the DX3. Also, TBH, I looked at the cost difference of the DX1 with a 5 year warranty, to the DX5 kit, and knew I'd always kick myself for not going the extra.

The Digweed edition works out the same price as DX5 with the upgrade to a 5 year warranty. I wanted the long warranty, so I can look at my investment as a cost per year. Otherwise I couldn't stomach the cost!

The warranty also covers a service each year, so I'll send them in when convenient, and I can use the passive modules while they are away for service.

If you do order, take advantage of the 10% offer on your first order. It's a big saving. You can mail order, and get the impressions done at a local audiologists. Mine cost £35.
 
I went for the DX5 Digweed edition.

My reasoning was that I wanted the Range Mode on the DX5, and also the Wireless Comms mode. So that was enough to step up from the DX3. Also, TBH, I looked at the cost difference of the DX1 with a 5 year warranty, to the DX5 kit, and knew I'd always kick myself for not going the extra.

The Digweed edition works out the same price as DX5 with the upgrade to a 5 year warranty. I wanted the long warranty, so I can look at my investment as a cost per year. Otherwise I couldn't stomach the cost!

The warranty also covers a service each year, so I'll send them in when convenient, and I can use the passive modules while they are away for service.

If you do order, take advantage of the 10% offer on your first order. It's a big saving. You can mail order, and get the impressions done at a local audiologists. Mine cost £35.
I ordered the passive ones with the 10 percent off. I don't shoot enough at the minute to justify the extra cost. Hopefully in the future though.

Had a bit of a nightmare getting the impressions done. Specsavers only do them for the Scottish FA and for their own hearing aids/protection. The person who booked me in didn't know that so I arranged childcare and travelled in to get the impressions done to be told they couldn't do it.

Fortunately the manager agreed to do it as a gesture of goodwill as I was already out of pocket for nursery fees but as a warning for anyone considering getting custom impressions, you shouldn't go to specsavers 😎 (they were also 50 quid!)
 
Sooo there you go - plenty of evidence that anyone who partakes in shooting - in any form, is risking ear damage if they do not wear adequate ear protection. Take it from someone who knows - Tinnitis is not a lot of fun, nor is asking the sainted Lady FB to repeat something - again! That's even more injurious to health, believe me!
You have been warned…..
🦊🦊
 
Anything is better than nothing. The electronic ones allow you to turn the volume up. I wear Cens digital when in a high seat but nothing when foot stalking unless there’s hardly any wind. The wind does tend to cause a lot of white noise. I wish I had worn something 30 odd years ago.
Same as this. I have the ISO Tunes ones and rate them, and half the price of the Cens. But as above, the mic is not so good if windy.
 
I never bothered with hearing protection when shooting moderated rifles (only when shooting targets and always with the shotguns), but then I acquired a .270…

Mercifully the bout of tinnitus receded, but I’ve no desire to experience that again and now wear Peltor electronic ear defenders when shooting any of my rifles. I lift them up so the headband is around the back of my head when I’m not taking a shot, so pulling them down/forward is easy to do when needed.
 
For those with CENS. There seems to be quite the price difference between the DX 1, 3 and 5. Is there much practical difference?
The difference is in 1. The warranty period and 2. The number of digital ‘functions’ which the inset units are programmed with. If you want the wireless comms built in, go for the DX5’s, if that isn’t a bother to you, then save £200 and stick with the DX3’s.

There is an option to purchase upgraded digital units at a later date should you wish to upgrade.

The main thing with the custom moulded units is to have a professional audiologist take your moulds. Any audiologists worth their salt will know that they need to gain a full cochlear impression to the second bend of your ear canal.

My audiologist had extra ‘ear mould gloop’ left over when he did mine, so he duplicated the impressions so that there were two of each ear - giving the CENS technician the choice of the ‘best‘ mould to use for their cast and setting of my devices.
 
The difference is in 1. The warranty period and 2. The number of digital ‘functions’ which the inset units are programmed with. If you want the wireless comms built in, go for the DX5’s, if that isn’t a bother to you, then save £200 and stick with the DX3’s.

There is an option to purchase upgraded digital units at a later date should you wish to upgrade.

The main thing with the custom moulded units is to have a professional audiologist take your moulds. Any audiologists worth their salt will know that they need to gain a full cochlear impression to the second bend of your ear canal.

My audiologist had extra ‘ear mould gloop’ left over when he did mine, so he duplicated the impressions so that there were two of each ear - giving the CENS technician the choice of the ‘best‘ mould to use for their cast and setting of my devices.

So what does different functions mean? Different levels of protection?
 
So what does different functions mean? Different levels of protection?
So the dx3 units have a choice of ‘game mode’, ‘clay mode’ and ‘tactical mode’. Essentially three levels of function which relay less or more background noise back to your ears.

Check out the cens digital website for more detailed info
 
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