Otto NoizeBarrier High Definition Electronic Earplugs

In 2019 Hearing is precious. It is a part of wellness and wholeness cherished by those who catch the lilting giggles of grandkids or the pianissimo of Tchaikovsky's most sublime symphony. Otto Noise Barrier High Definition Earplugs performed every function far more effectively and with crisp resolution compared to the Silynx Clarus Pro or the Axil's tested. HOW TO PREP Be VERY careful to install the ear canal cones as instructed and there will be no squealing of feedback and only crystal-clarity. Also, do your self a favor in using a warm-water ear irrigation to loosen and evacuate ear wax. Follow this by an few drops of rubbing alcohol to dry the outer ear canal and prevent an excessively moist ear canal. Playing or working around abrupt and explosive noise requires tools to suppress blasts noise and yet to allow conversation. Being fond of long distance shooting practice involves nearness to very loud noise and the desire to hear friendly conversation and the rustle of pine needles, the footfalls of deer and the misting of my tent. Many hearing protection systems have been rumored to work, yet test after test revealed failures and dismal designs. WHY BOTHER My requirements were to acquire electronic noise suppression of gunfire and that allowed conversation. To attend the Front Sight Institute for training, all hearing protection MUST be electronic. Knowing the inexpensive foam earplugs nearly always surpass electronic suppression in suppressing noise, it is the electronic enhancement of conversation that makes trainers safer when coaching people in safety and skills. Earphone/headphone designs invariably bump the rifle or shotgun stock and make comfortable sighting down the barrel or into the optical scope. The Otto design is flawless and eliminates any bumping of ear protection on any of the rifle or shotgun. The charging system using the USB port of my PC or the auto-Cigarette Lighter adaptor with USB cable is perfect. The charge lasts multiple days (at least 4 days at 52F temperatures) when using medium resolution. The case for charging and storage is brilliant with its charge indicator and protective quality of this hearing instrument. Today, March 22, 2022, after three years of use, I still applaud the Otto Communications engineers who designed and made these devices! My unit is functioning without any flaw or performance trouble. In fact, I just ordered replacement parts just to have spares from the maker (earpieces and cleaning kit) as they are not available in Amazon. Having friends who also bought these, I have seen their process of using them well. I urge each buyer to understand earplug style hearing protection and noise suppression systems --- the silicone or foam inserts muts--absolutely MUST be inserted thoroughly so the plus seals in all directions to the ear canal. To accomplish this, I reach over my head with my left hand which pulls the top of my external ear upward so the ear canal is opened well for inserting the plug. The right hand reaches over my head to pull upward on my left external ear. This allows perfect insertion of the left earplug before turning on each earplug.

The hearing protection is very good for earbuds and the charging case is convenient. However, battery in one earpiece dropped to about 40 minutes and the other is down to about 2 hours after 3 years. I have read others have had them go down even earlier. I was expecting at least 5 years from these given the price and the fact that my over-ear headsets have lasted nearly 10 with almost no degradation. Warranty is 1 year. If you don't mind spending $400+ every 3 years they're great. I won't be buying another set.

I did a review of these on YouTube. I compared to many other brands out there and didn't want bluetooth or any other technology except great hearing protection, long battery life, ease of use, and a lithium battery base for recharging the buds in between uses. They are EXPENSIVE. They are worth every penny I spent. After using these in three 3-gun matches, two PRS matches (6.5 Creedmoor, .308, 6mm, etc...) and at least 4 range sessions, I can say that these are the best hearing protection earpieces I've ever used. Battery Time: I have had them in my ears and on for up to 9 hours and when I replaced them in the case, they were at 50% remaining batter time. I use them on the low setting which is just like talking and hearing without earbuds in your ear. I don't need to use them on the high setting. Battery Charger: After 3 matches and 3 range sessions, the battery charger was at 70% remaining charge available. That means that after regarging the ear buds 6 times to 100%, I still had 70% left to recharge them another 10-15 times (instructions state that you should be able to recharge the buds ~20 times before needing to recharge that charging station itself, which is awesome! Comfort: Extremely comfortable in the ear and in 3-gun, I’m moving fast and into different positions (same with PRS but not as fast). They have never come loose or fallen out. Ease of Use: Smoosh the soft ear insert, place in your ear, rotate to set them in the ear and press the on/off button. An ascending tone lets you know they are on…A descending tone let’s you know they are off. EASY! I have seen reviews talking about difficulty pressing the on/off button…Take your time and you’re fine. NOTE: There is NO volume control here, which is another thing I like…They are on or they are off. Easy. Hearing Protection: Excellent! I promise you that you don’t even realize shooting is going on they are THAT good at cancellation. But you have no trouble hearing anyone and there is no strange echo when you talk. Indoor ranges? Yep, gonna still wear my muffs over these because, yeah, you’re indoors!

These are great. I typically use the cheap Howard Leight earmuffs, but I've been so frustrated with over-ear protection when I'm behind a rifle (Cheek weld would force my earmuffs to not seal properly). Cheek weld is not a problem with these, I can get comfortable and be consistent in my form. I have not tried them in an indoor range setting, but I suspect they would be fine (I didn't buy them for that purpose). ****************** Updated review, considering these only lasted for about 4 years, I would not buy again. Contacted the company and was told "The earpieces are not repairable."

I’ve used these for about 5 duck hunts, they are pretty good, a lot better than the walkers micro ear buds which were both uncomfortable (I have small ears) and the wind noise was unbearable. Two of the hunts we got drenched and wind noise wasn’t bad until we got into the 30 mph + stuff, but I could just turn them down which is nice. What is really neat about these is they have option to AMPLIFY sound, so you can hear better than naked ear. I can hear geese honking and ducks quacking from far away. To the tactical guys, I’m just a “Fudd” but I also shoot plenty of those, these are not sufficient for a range day with those. Maybe if you use foam inserts (included) but with three prong ear inserts my ears rang. Id buy again, you can wear for several hours and almost forget they are there. I just hope batteries don’t leak while they are in storage in off season but we’ll see!

Short review buy them it’s worth it. Not convinced? Read on. So you’re thinking $400 for ear protection... I get it quite the sticker shock. But prevention now might avoid hearing aides later, yes hearing aides are covered by insurance and these aren’t, logic doesn’t always prevail. So I bought these for two purposes one for when I’m popping caps with my piece and the other for when I’m performing my side hustle (home improvement). At the range you could ask for better protection! You can hear all instructions and the ears activate perfectly with every shot. With the side hustle I was amazed at how well they deaden the sound of circular saws, impact drivers, miter saws, hammer blows, and Jack when he someone takes his last Fresca . And they accomplish all this awesome while being super comfortable being worn all day. They have held their charge for 8+ hour days and the case recharges them so well you might get an entire union work week out them before needing to plug them in. One side effect is that while everything else sounds fine your own voice sounds like an echo but once accustomed to it you don’t even notice. So buy them once have a good cry and thank yourself later when you can still hear without an antenna sticking out of your ear. Oh plus their customer service is amazing.

I have not finished testing. When on high there is a squeel but on low they seem fine. I have not tested with really strong sounds.

First, let’s forgo any talks of non-electronic devices. If we need to discuss them here, just stick something in your ear and call it a day. As for the rest of us, this will explain why you will buy an in-ear hearing device and why you will buy the Otto noise barrier Micro (even if you have to save up to get them). The bulk of earmuffs: Unlike earmuffs, “in-ear devices” are extremely low profile and not encumbered by the bulk of earmuffs. If you ever fired a riffle with earmuffs, you know how much of a pain it is to get a “proper” cheek weld on your buttstock. You had to move your head all over the place to find a position where your cheek, not earmuff, made contact with the buttstock. Once you found this spot, your eyes were not in line with your optic and you had to move your head even more. By the time you finally found an acceptable cheek weld, your target is long gone. If you were lucky enough to still have the target in sight, your head was contorted in such an unnatural position that taking the shot was nearly impossible. And then there is the weight, admit it, earmuffs are equivalent to strapping a bag of potatoes on your head. At best, a 1 lb bag vice a 5 lb bag. You might not feel it at first, but we all know they feel heavier the longer we wear them. The headband or absence of one: Try taking your baseball cap off, at the range, while wearing earmuffs. In the few seconds it took to remove your hearing protection and hat, and then put the hearing protection back on securely, your ears will get blasted by about a dozen shots from the person next to you. How about un-intentionally removing your hat? If you are a hunter, ask yourself, how many times have you had your hat or earmuffs stripped from your head while moving around in the brush. Competition shooters suffer as well, shooting on the move and from unnatural positions. They can’t afford the fraction of a second readjusting their hat and hearing protection. Wired in-ear devices: For example, wired earplugs that connect to a band that hangs around your neck. This solves the issues thus far, and they are typically slightly more expensive. But, the microphone(s) are located on the neckband, so it must be worn on the outside of your clothing. Take note, these neckbands are not large enough to accommodate the diameter of your neck with your most lightweight jacket. As for the wires, some are retractable. This feature is for storage, the wires are extended during use. But extended wires are exposed and easily snagged. On several occasions, I had the plugs ripped out of my ears. You could minimize the length of wire you extend, but this will result in constant tugging between the neckband and the earpieces. Behind the ear: A higher price tag. You no longer have to worry about them getting ripped out of your ear. But, these are not really compatible with glasses. For example, nearly all shooting glasses have temple pieces that curve down behind the ear to secure them to your head. This curve occupies the same space as the electronics. Even if you get straight temple pieces, the part connecting the ear tip and the electronics behind your ear fight for the same spot on top of your ear. Remember that sack of potatoes, trust me, it will soon feel like you hung them from your ear. If you can convince yourself that you can live with this discomfort, there is the microphone aspect. You could pay good money for something that has a microphone located “behind” the ear. They pick up sounds extremely well, “behind” you. This is perfect for listening to a Drill Sargent screaming at you from behind the firing line. But they lack any sense of direction necessary to zero in on that 8 point buck hidden behind the bush. In-ear devices: The smallest option available. They come with a $$$ but have none of the issues discussed. And this is where the Otto noise barrier Micro reigns supreme. The first time I used them was at an indoor range. After I put them on, I shook my head as if I was at a heavy metal concert to see if they would come loose. The result, not even remotely possible. And because they sit within your ear it’s almost impossible for someone to knock them out. So crowd surfing is a go. On to the electronics. One button for the electronics is nice. But,… Most single control devices leave you hanging in that you don’t know what you set it to. Was that one beep for on, two for off, three for… Otto has this beat, hold for three increasing tones telling you it is turned on, three decreasing for turning it off. Switching to enhanced mode with two tones where the second is higher than the first. Switch back to normal and you guessed it, two tones where the second is lower than the first. How good is the noise suppression? Numbers are lost on most of us. XX db? To put it plainly, the loudest I’ve come across is someone shooting an AR next to me at an indoor range. This is my standard. And the Otto plugs passed with flying colors. But the ability to suppress loud noises is only the beginning. Many electronic devices protect your ears from impact and loud noises with a technique that cuts out for the duration of the noise. It’s like watching a show that the sensors bleeped out the bad words but you don’t hear the beep. In fact you don’t hear anything. So don’t even try to listen for the ting of hitting a steel target, not going to happen. But with the Otto, I could hear that ting, as well as all range commands while everyone was firing, most importantly, cease fire. Truth is, I turned my ears off so I could hear the things I bought them for in the first place. Again, this is not a problem with the Otto. With Otto in normal listening mode, I could hear everything as if I wasn’t wearing anything at all. I even took them to the office and wore them all day, often checking to see if they were still there. When I put them in enhanced mode, I could listen in on everything my boss was saying in the other room. Not promoting this, but goes to show they are that good. As for any sound feedback, whistling, or squealing, there was none. Ok, that’s not entirely correct, I managed to get them to squeal in enhanced mode when I held my hands over my ears and squished. So let those naysayers have their day when you purposely try to get them to do it. Additional factors: Rechargeable earpieces: No need to try looking for replacement batteries for something this small. This includes trying to find the correct size, which can be next to impossible. And since you don’t need to change them out, there is no need to replace them on the range, or worse; in the field or in the woods. Rechargeable case: Again, no batteries to replace. The Otto has a standard USB plug so just plug it in and charge on the go. Similar devices have replaceable batteries that charge a rechargeable earpiece, but still needs replacing. LED display: Shows you the charge bar and % number for the rechargeable case as well as separate % for each earpiece. Other devices only have a green or red light for the earpieces indicating the earpieces need charging or are fully charged. So how is this better? With the Otto display, you know the actual charge, vice partial charge and bring spare batteries just in case. As for the earpieces, with the Otto, you know the exact current charge. You know they will work for that quick two-hour trip to the range, vice only knowing they are not fully charged and have them quit 30 minutes in. Compact case with onboard cleaning kit: This could be a negative comment if you open for the first time in the woods. There are extremely small parts in the kit. Several pieces are smaller than a grain of rice. But I was lucky in that I opened it over a table. The point is, you have the tools you need in one location in that tiny little case so you don’t have to look everywhere for them. Ear tip Sizes: It come with one installed and 2 additional re-useable three flange ear tips. There is a set of foam tips in the rechargeable case, but I’ll probably never use them and I’ll keep them in the case. I almost forgot, if the price tag is your deterrent, think about all the batteries you could buy for non-rechargeable versions. And while you're at it, the time and effort to find those batteries.