One bang and it's gone

Firstly I would like to point out I am not an ear expert and what I have written below is purely opinion based. Despite always knowing how important it is to wear hearing protection, I must admit that there have been times when I have neglected to do so, particularly when I have been participating in activities for which I felt it crucial that I could hear what is happening around me and there was a chance that I would only have a shot or two (if any) such as wildfowling or stalking.

However, when a friend told me of how he suffers terribly from tinnitus at the age of 28, and in the same week my father suffered an ear infection which the doctor said may have arisen from a perforated ear drum caused by a loud noise whilst working on the farm it dawned on me just how instantly things can go wrong. One single ‘bang’ from a shotgun can cause irreversible damage to your hearing, I'm told.

On driven days or at the clay ground I have always worn over-the-ear ‘cans’. No doubt shooting instructors would say it is a problem with my mount, I find wearing over the ear defenders uncomfortable and I often clip the bottom of them with the top of my stock, which is incredibly annoying and off-putting.

All the advantages of over-the-ear protection

Given that I want the ability to hear what is going on around me and I don’t want to wear the over-the-ear protection, I decided to take a look into the electronic in-ear variety. With more options coming onto the market, I thought I would contact a brand that I had heard a lot of good things about and that record breaking, world champion clay shot George Digweed is an ambassador for: CENS.

I arranged to visit Technical Director, Martin Dickman at the CENS headquarters in Kent to find out more about electronic in-ear hearing protection and about their new product the DX5.

Ready in a matter of minutes

My original concern with moulded in-ear hearing protection was that it was a lot of effort to have your ear impressions taken, however most local audiologists (even Specsavers) can do it for you and it honestly takes a matter of minutes. They squeeze a putty-like substance into your ear cavity, let it set and then remove them. The sensation is oddly pleasant.

This creates a cast from which CENS produce a perfectly shaped silicone earpiece for your ears. Into that mould there is a rectangular slot where the electronic module sits. CENS will then keep your ear impression digitally by scanning them with a precision 3D scanner so that if you need to replace your hearing protection you do not need to get impressions re-done.

This is what the insides of my ears look like, apparently

The module which sits inside the silicone earpiece is where the magic happens: although much of the intricate inside of the module is top secret, it is absolutely amazing to watch the specialists putting them together and testing them. On the module you have two buttons; one that turns the ear defenders on and off and one that you use to alter the volume and the ‘mode’. 

There are five modes, Game, Clay, Hunter, Comms and Range; all of which kill off the crack of the gun but allow differing levels of outside sound to be heard, such as voices from neighbouring guns or the wingbeats or calls of the quarry.

On the technical side of things; Martin explained to me that the DX series are protected from light water exposure by a 'Teflon-like' amorphous carbon polymer coating that they called 'Water-Shield' and have been tested to EN-352-2 & EN352-7 and are certified as PPE; they are also IPIL tested to ANSIS12.42-2010. The DX models also come with a two year warranty which is great for peace of mind.

Totally customisable ear protection

Once I had chosen the colour of the silicone earpiece and the modules (there is a vast array to pick from), after a couple of weeks they arrived in the post in their fantastic packaging and they were ready to go. Within the package there are several spare batteries (they take a size 13 zinc air battery), a cleaning kit and wipes etc.

I have now worn them in a number of scenarios; on clay days, driven days and walked up days and I must say they have performed absolutely brilliantly. It may sound a little cliché, but once you have had them in for an hour or so, you forget that you are wearing them.

The ProFlex DX range starts at £399 for the DX1’s, going up to £699 for the DX5’s. I appreciate that this is a lot of money, however it comes down to comfort and what you consider your hearing to be worth to you… another thing to consider is the price of hearing aids!

Find out more about the DX range of hearing protection products and other CENS products on their website.