Siemens SecureEar @ 35dB - Cens Mino @ 31dB - Cens Proflex 1e @ 25dB SNR - £325-ish

Alantoo

Alantoo

Well-Known Member
In Memoriam
I am researching/working myself up to a pair of in ear active protection.

Siemens SecureEar @ 35dB £325, Cens Mino @ 31dB £299, Cens Proflex 1e @ 25dB SNR £325

All the above are in the £300-325 bracket. The Siemens SecureEar has much better passive reduction...has anybody real world experience of any of them...efficacy, comfort, longevity, running costs, ability to wear muffs over the top etc...?

I also looked at Custom Fit Digital at £349 but could not find any SNR rating for them.

The Siemens ones should be available through Specsavers branches which also has advantages.

Alan
 
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If they fit in your ear and stay there they are very good.

We tried them for work and some people got on really well, but mine would not stay in my ear.

See if you can find somewhere to try them first.
 
Unfortunately i can't help you, but am watching with interest. Currently I shoot moderated rifle (when stalking) with no protection and no concerns as the science is pretty solid on that but, clearly, shotgun is a little different as it is unmoderated and I've decided to give the shotgun a try so I'm considering some of the active in ear options. As you've found hard info seems to be difficult to find and this also seems to be an area where people are willing to talk complete balderdash and so getting reliable information, even when the person giving it claims it is reliable, seems to be a little tricky.

If you want to "educate" yourself a little bit then a chap called Brian Moore is the expert and he has written a number of great books including "An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing" and "Cochlear Hearing Loss." I have both but they are so good they are almost permanently on loan to someone (this is the area in which I work, I don't imagine a banker working in the City would find his copy in high demand!) however although they are expensive to buy new you can get them second hand from the likes of Amazon for literally a few quid, even if you get an older edition it will still be useful:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0125056249/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1512308570&sr=8-5

This is probably aimed at degree level students so it isn't especially difficult reading if you have school level physics or similar but if you have no background in maths/physics/engineering then it might be a little difficult to be considered a casual read. It will not answer your exact question but will certainly give you a good idea of what you need, and of what questions to ask, plus having the background gives you a good idea of what is possible, what has been established, and what is simply people talking rubbish.
 
Cooter said:
If they fit in your ear and stay there they are very good.

We tried them for work and some people got on really well, but mine would not stay in my ear.

See if you can find somewhere to try them first.
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Are you referring to the 3M / Peltor ones?

If so, do you know where your company got them from? I have not been able to locate a source of replacement tips...they have the same name as my passive plugs but are different. :(

Alan
 
caorach said:
Unfortunately i can't help you, but am watching with interest. Currently I shoot moderated rifle (when stalking) with no protection and no concerns as the science is pretty solid on that but, clearly, shotgun is a little different as it is unmoderated and I've decided to give the shotgun a try so I'm considering some of the active in ear options. As you've found hard info seems to be difficult to find and this also seems to be an area where people are willing to talk complete balderdash and so getting reliable information, even when the person giving it claims it is reliable, seems to be a little tricky.

If you want to "educate" yourself a little bit then a chap called Brian Moore is the expert and he has written a number of great books including "An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing" and "Cochlear Hearing Loss." I have both but they are so good they are almost permanently on loan to someone (this is the area in which I work, I don't imagine a banker working in the City would find his copy in high demand!) however although they are expensive to buy new you can get them second hand from the likes of Amazon for literally a few quid, even if you get an older edition it will still be useful:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-l...?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1512308570&sr=8-5

This is probably aimed at degree level students so it isn't especially difficult reading if you have school level physics or similar but if you have no background in maths/physics/engineering then it might be a little difficult to be considered a casual read. It will not answer your exact question but will certainly give you a good idea of what you need, and of what questions to ask, plus having the background gives you a good idea of what is possible, what has been established, and what is simply people talking rubbish.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendation, I have ordered a copy though it will probably go over my head...or in one ear and out the other given the subject!

I have kept my hearing good through 45 odd years of blacksmithing, by always buying the most comfortable high spec SNR PPE I could afford...comfort meaning I would be able to wear it continuously rather than keep taking it off and then forgetting to put it back on...

Lost a bit in my left ear following an infection.

A few incidents have really made me look harder at active in-ear protection. Some time ago I was helping at a DSC1 shooting test and stupidly took off my passive muff protection briefly in order to hear why the guy I was helping was not following instruction re some quad sticks and kept lifting the stock off the back rest, when the guy next lane went bang with a very immoderate rifle. Over ear muffs when stalking get in the way of my hat on a cold day but the amplification of my crashing around is useful to be aware of. A couple weeks ago at the tunnel range someone was firing off 20 round magazines from a gun with a muzzle brake which was horribly uncomfortable even with passive plugs and active muffs. The in-ear active ones would enable me to still hear RCO instruction in extreme situations. They would also be good when flagging in front of the guns when beating...ten guns blazing away over your head can be quite loud on occasion.

Alan
 
caorach said:
Don't know if this helps?

3M Peltor E-A-R Buds EARBUD2600N and EARBUDS2600 Replacement Tips (Pack of 3 Pairs) - Earphone Tips & Accessories

If you want to try foam plugs these people do a great "selection pack" of nearly everyone on the market. Well worth the few quid to get something that fits you and is comfortable.
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I found this site for the 3M OEM version tips.

Freeworker - Peltor LEP-100 - climb up high!

But maybe an advantage of the LEP-100 is that the system should be able to use other manufacters tips if the 3M ones don't suit one's ears.

Alan
 
Alantoo said:
Thank you for the recommendation, I have ordered a copy though it will probably go over my head...or in one ear and out the other given the subject!
Click to expand...

I hope you will find it interesting, as with all these things you will probably read bits of it and ignore other bits and some of the very in-depth stuff I certainly find I want to skim over but if you want to know a little more about how your hearing works then I'd be sure you will find some bits of it interesting.

I will be interested to see how you get on with the 3M earplugs as they seem about the best value. Unfortunately I really don't get on with the triple flange type earplugs that fit them otherwise I'd be tempted myself so in the longer term I might end up with one of the "custom fit" solutions but in the mean time I will stick with the passive foam plugs.
 
caorach said:
I hope you will find it interesting, as with all these things you will probably read bits of it and ignore other bits and some of the very in-depth stuff I certainly find I want to skim over but if you want to know a little more about how your hearing works then I'd be sure you will find some bits of it interesting.

I will be interested to see how you get on with the 3M earplugs as they seem about the best value. Unfortunately I really don't get on with the triple flange type earplugs that fit them otherwise I'd be tempted myself so in the longer term I might end up with one of the "custom fit" solutions but in the mean time I will stick with the passive foam plugs.
Click to expand...

The LEP-100s come with four trial pairs of ear tips...a solid one one called "Torque" in Europe (evocative "skull screw" in the USA!) the Torque may suit you as it is unflanged foam. The other three pairs are small medium and large triple flange ones...but they are the soft latex-y type.

I have found that not all triple flange ones are equal as far as comfort goes...I have had a few different triple flange varieties over the years, all 3M origin. Translucent yellow E.A.R. Ultrafit, the opaque yellow latex-y Ultrafit and the clear disco non SNR rated ones. The opaque yellow and the clear ones were much more comfortable than the translucent yellow ones which were quite hard edged and seemed to get even harder with use, but maybe that was in my perception as my ears got sore. I found the opaque ones about the same comfort-wise as the E.A.R SOFT foam plugs, very good. The old classic E.A.R square ended cylinder ones are somewhere between the opaque yellow and translucent yellow for comfort. The E.A.R SOFT and the opaque yellow tripe flange are the most effective for both attenuation and comfort, the triple opaques are a better deal from the point of view of being reusable...I clean them every time I wash my hands and they go on for a few months.

I converted some of the 3M disco plugs to wear with the Peltor LEPs today by snipping off a bit of the extended tube/handle...the disco ones have a speech hole running through. Will try the Torque version tomorrow.

Alan
 
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