Are these the coolest ear defenders on the market?

Shooting is a world replete with fun kit. Who among us hasn’t spent a few moments drooling over some stunning shotgun or other, or examining different tweeds, for example? However, there is one bit of kit that is, well, a bit less sexy, but nevertheless vital. I’m talking about hearing protection. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Despite the high tech world in which we live, gadgets don’t often make their way onto the shooting field, but the Swatcom Active8 ear defenders bring some wizardry to the world of ear defenders that makes me think they might actually be not only the coolest ear defenders on the market, but among the coolest shooting accessories too.

What are active ear defenders?

We’re all familiar with the bog-standard ear defenders that look like a pair of headphones. These work by creating a physical barrier between the source of the noise and your delicate lugholes. But the problem with these is that, duh, they make it hard to hear what’s going on around you. Active ear defenders get around this problem by incorporating a mic, on the outside, and a little speaker, on the inside, to allow you to hear the ambient sound, make conversation. 

However, most ‘active’ ear defenders have a volume at which the microphone cuts out, to prevent noises - such as a shotgun discharging - from being transmitted through the speaker. This means that on a busy drive, for example, the mic is off most of the time. Where the Swatcom Active8s differ is that instead of cutting the mic, the mic remains on, but there is a limit to the volume at which is can be relayed through the speaker. Consequently, you never need to take them off, as the mic is always live. Furthermore, the 360 degree stereo sound means that not only will you be able to hear the tell-tale beat of wings in cover, but you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly where it is coming from. So far, so practical… but not exactly ‘cool’.

What makes the Swatcom Active8 different?

I promised you tech, and that’s what you shall get. The Active8 ear defenders, rather than hindering communication, make it easier. Swatcom sell a bluetooth neck loop that turns your ear defenders into a set of headphones that you can link to your smartphone or other bluetooth-enabled device. The neck loop also features a microphone, so this would allow you to make a discrete phonecall while you’re standing on your peg, and you could also use them to stream some audio. 

It would probably be the act of a cad to have The Ride of the Valkyries or the 1812 Overture playing while pheasants stream over your head, so this feature might not be for driven shooting, but consider a day in a pigeon hide or a morning wildfowling. I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing that I could have had Test Match Special in my ears when in the hide. You could even listen to the back catalogue of The GunsOnPegs Podcast!

What’s more, doing this wouldn’t reduce your ability to hear the ambient noise or the tell-tale sound of approaching ducks, as the input volumes can be independently adjusted, so you can have the music or radio comparatively quiet, while enhancing the ambient volume, effectively giving you bionic ears.

Taking shoot day communication to the next level

It is also possible to connect the Active8s to two-way radios, which got me thinking. Imagine the scenario: you and a few mates are out doing a bit of pigeon shooting, protecting the farmer’s crops. You each have a hide set up on different fields, and are out of earshot of one another. If each of you had a set of Active8s hooked up to a two-way radio, you could remain in constant communication, enabling you to coordinate your efforts far better. 

Olympic gold medalist and 24-time world champion clay shot Richard Faulds is a fan of the Active8s

But wait... what if your entire team of guns on a driven day had this setup? You could give each other a hard time about missed birds from the far end of the line, continue the conversation from the gunbus as you walk to your pegs and keep the craic going from the start of the day to the final horn - if you were feeling generous, you could even call birds for your mates without having to raise your voice. 

No doubt there are some more traditionalist guns who would splutter and hurrumph at the very idea of any of any of this, but the fact remains that if you like the sound of having technologically enhanced hearing, having the ability to give your mates a hard time, or have some entertainment in your ears during the lulls in activity in the hide… these are the coolest ear defenders around, no contest. But don’t take my word for it: Chris Horne reviewed a pair a couple of years back on a grouse day, and wrote “once you’ve tried them, you’ll never go back”.