I need to purchase a set of electronic hearing protection headphones. I get headaches from constant pressure on my ears and in trying on most of the headsets they have very firm ear pads. I have been told to take a look at Pro ear headsets because they have very soft supple ear pads. I am looking for input on what headset to buy to keep the ear pain to a minimum. All input is welcome.

If you're not "doubling up", start now. Plugs and muffs are the best protection.

For electronic protection, I wear the following:

• Pro Ears Gold Magnum
• Peltor Tactical Pro

They're not cheap, and run over $200 per set. However, I only got one set of ears at birth, and this combination is as safe as you can get. The cups are soft enough to be very comfortable.

Almost impossible to beat the Ryobi electronic muffs from Lowes (unavailable home depot here) for < 40$. A rechargeable battery that lasts a surprisingly long time, blocks out the loud sounds while improving your ability to hear squibs/ RO instructions and talking with other shooters without shouting. Drawbacks for YOU might be the ear comfort if real sensitive, I have no issues. They are likely larger & bulkier than ones costing MUCH more, and can get in the way of rifle & shotgun stocks, YMMV. Many of us are using them at steel challenge or B/P. If they don't work out for shooting, returns are easy, or use them around the yard/shop. I can hear much better with them on than the naked ear. I missed hearing a squib using non electrics & plugs & couldn't feel the squib due to hand neuropathy, luckily it was caught before anything bad happened. I just can't use them for rifle/shotgun, you may be able to.

I bought a set of Howard and Leight impact sports a while back and really like them. To me they don't put much pressure at all on my ears. My wife and son both have a pair as well and none of us have complained about them even after 4 to 5 hours of use.

Try some electronic in-ear styles if you must have electronic. In-ear gel plugs work fine for me, they're just more secure and consistently better at hearing protection than muff styles. Maybe your headaches are caused by the combination of muffs and glasses.

I'm 71 with serious hearing loss from shooting .357 without hearing protection back in the 1960's. Who knew in those days? I now use custom in-ear plugs under electronic Pro Ears. McE is on the money re: glasses. I have a couple pairs and use the ones with the smallest side pieces. The other pair has thick ear pieces and is very uncomfortable under muffs.

Thank you Dennis. I am going to Cabelas today to look at the Pro Ear units. When I look at the Pro Ear website, they don't really tell you the differences between the various models. What made you buy the Gold instead of the other Pro Ear models available? I hadn't considered doubling up on the ears plugs, thanks for the heads up. Are the Tactical Pro in ear units electronic also or just nice in ear plugs?

If you can swing it, the MSA Sordin line with the gel cups are excellent.

I have a set of the HL Impact Pro, Impact Sport, and the MSAs are easily the most comfortable. Especially if they have to fit around glasses earpieces (like me).

They aren't cheap ($300 ish) but well worth it, in my opinion, if you are going to wear ear pro for say a day's class.

For occasional trips to the range, doubling up with foam plugs and the HL Impact Sports ($40) are the economic way to go.

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Take your time, fast. J.Hughes

I wear Pro Ears Gold. I wear them a lot (most days of the week and just about every weekend). I've gone through a bunch of different brands before getting these. The Peltor tactical were the best of the rest but still don't compare to the Pro Ears. I have the NRR 32 model (mainly because I shoot Open division and RO a lot of Open shooters).

This can be a good point. I wear bifocals w/ prisms for glasses but add the bulky safety glasses over. Then ear muffs. Some days no problem but others (after an hour+ at the range) it can be a little sore.
Not enough to take the joy from shooting though lol

I flew airplanes most of my life. I wore various kinds of active and passive noise reduction headsets for years.
Buy the best you can afford. Then, spread the headset onto the thick arm of an easy chair or recliner to loosen up the tightness of the headset. Keep it there for days at a time when you don't need it. It will loosen up and still provide the protection that you need. Also, there are often after-market cups that are softer and more comfortable than the originals.

I could not find a gun store in the North Dallas area that had any of the Pro Ears to take a look at. I guess I will just order them on Amazon and if I decide that I don't like them I can return them to Amazon.
I really appreciate all of the input. Thank you all so much.

Thanks for this feedback. I can't seem to find on their website any muffs rated above 30. Do you have a model number or other description of the NRR 32? In fact, I haven't found any product rated above NRR 30. Perhaps I am missing something...

I can't find any model numbers on mine, I just recall the rating when I bought them. Maybe they "revised" their ratings downward. These look like the ones I have. Pro Ears | Pro Mag Gold Black | GS-DPM-B | Hearing Protection for Shooting

Or maybe they stopped making them, they offer a reconditioning kit for a NRR 33 model, maybe I got one of the last ones. Pro Ears | Reconditioning Kit | HYRK6 | Fits NRR 28/30/33 Models

Thanks very much. I think you may be right that they have revised the numbers downward.

I bought a pair of the Howard Leight muffs off of Amazon for about $40. They are working great. I was surprised with such an inexpensive pair.

Normally I use ProEars and am happy with them but wanted to see if the hype I've heard on the HL was real. It was.

I wear hearing aids when I shoot and these muffs are large enough that I can still keep my hearing aids in. That's a problem with the ProEars.

I'm a 65 yr old hearing loss sufferer. I wear hearing aids for everyday wear. I find that you have to adjust your protection gear for what you are doing. Nothing beats custom molded silicon plugs for attenuation. Wearing any kind of muff over plugs helps block sound energy transferring through your skull. I found Howard Leight muffs to be very good for hunting, even though they can bang against a buttstock. Foam plugs are okay, but require careful compression and insertion and a short wait to work. Their best virtue is size. Use what works for the occasion, but get them in early, before you think you need them. I get surprised at the range all the time. Nothing works for tinnitus once you get it.

Why are your mufffs hurting your ears? Everything I have ever worn are a cup over the ear and doesn't touch the ear at all.

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Back to back World War Champs.

If I had to guess, I would say that my ears are bigger than yours.
I received my Pro Ears Gold last night. I wore them around the house for a couple of hours. They are very comfortable and my ear/headache issue was minimal. They are very impressive with their noise enhancement. I kept hearing my refrigerator fan running that I normally don't hear. I'll be trying the at them range along with in ear ear plugs this weekend. So far, these seem to be an excellent choice. Thank you for the comments and recommendations.