Photo Dave Spaulding
FEATURED IN TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS
Anyone who spends more than a few hours a year shooting a gun faces two potential health problems: lead poisoning and hearing loss. Both can be avoided with just a few reasonable precautions, primarily washing the face and hands after shooting and making sure your ears are protected from the loud clap of gunfire. The best way to protect hearing is to plug and cover the ears with foam inserts and ear muffs, which is fine for individual practice but problematic when trying to hear the instruction and commands of an instructor during training.
Like many things, you get what you pay for with ear protection. It s best to do a bit of research before you put down your hard-earned money. I recently had the opportunity to work with Pro Ears Dimension Gold electronic ear muffs, which I m informed is the company s top-of-the-line product. I was impressed. These muffs were quite comfortable, even when wearing eye protection.
The Pro Ears Dimension Gold is one of the best lines when it comes to protection. The new Gold model, with soft ear seals, has an industry NRR rating of 28 and incorporates military-grade circuitry for the best connectivity and sound control. The Dimension model is designed for high-noise situations or shooting in an enclosed area, such as indoor ranges, shoots houses, very high caliber loads or related circumstances. Dimension Gold units are likely to become a favorite choice for use by firearms instructors or anyone exposed to an extraordinary degree of loud noise. The DLSC circuitry means that officers will hear everything with the clearest, most natural sound quality, yet be protected against the dangerous sounds weapon discharges.
All Dimension Gold models are 7/10 of an inch larger in cup size than the Pro-Slim Plus models to accommodate additional insulation for greater sound attenuation. The Dimension Gold models have one of the highest attenuation of all the models we offer with an NRR of 28 with NRR 33 being the highest in the industry of any electronic hearing product. The Dimension Gold also has the capability of being connected to other electronic devices such as PA systems or electronic music devices, something younger officers might find advantageous.
The Dimension Gold Series includes the following features:
- Clear, natural sound quality ever.
- Dynamic Level Sound Compression (DLSC) protects hearing without shutting off/down amplification system.
- Harmful noise levels are kept to within 70 dB while sounds below 70dB are amplified up to 8X normal hearing so every sound is heard even at great distances.
- Programmable units allow user to change gain sensitivity.
- Automatic Gain Control.
- Stereo for true directional sound detection.
- Independent volume controls. No connecting wires.
- Replaceable Pro Foam leather ear cushions for comfort.
- Padded, adjustable headband.
- 200 hours minimum battery life with low battery indicator and auto shut-off. Batteries included.
- 5-year warranty.
- Receiver/input capabilities for: AM/FM radio, cassette tape, stereo, CD and other electronic communication/entertainment receiving devices.
For more information, visit www.proears.com.
