Pyramex Amp BT
New-Age Hearing Protection With a Twist
The grimace? Not from a measly 26dB noise level, but the Pyramex Amp BT
can’t help the felt recoil a .357 makes in an S&W J-Frame!
If you’re a card-carrying member of shooting’s “Senior Division,” and still have a large percentage of your hearing left, congratulations! If you’re anything like me, you’ve seen your share of different types of hearing protection employed over decades of exposure to gunfire. Everything from such jury-rigged measures as torn off cigarette filters, to empty shell casings and foam plugs, to plain-Jane earmuffs and finally high-dollar, custom-fitted “inside-your-ear” gizmos.
The real breakthrough came with electronic, “noise-attenuating” earmuffs. These made it possible to carry on a normal conversation while wearing them, which is no small thing when on a crowded range with range masters calling for a ceasefire as instructors shout directions. They protect all those delicate elements in your inner ear by shutting out the high-decibel bad stuff milliseconds before any harm can be done. After all, few things are more painfully disconcerting than yanking off your ear protection just as somebody one bench away lights off a .22-250.
Hookup: You can use the Bluetooth feature — or you can use a 3mm patch cord —
to combine superlative hearing protection with your smartphone’s capabilities.
The Pyramex Amp BT is exceptionally comfortable and features independent volume controls,
Bluetooth connectivity and four microphones.
The new Pyramex Amp BT from Venture Gear has kicked the whole earmuff concept up several notches. For starters, the “BT” stands for Bluetooth, meaning you can seamlessly connect with smartphone or you can use the supplied 3mm patch cord — allowing you to either talk on the phone or listen to music.
I’m not altogether sold on the day-to-day utility of the music feature while blasting away but being able to take an emergency phone call on the firing line definitely rates as a good thing. You still have the “Rapid Noise Suppression” feature in either case that is, ultimately, the main benefit of electronic earmuffs. On top of this, it amplifies surrounding sounds via four microphones for maximum coverage.
The Pyramex AMP BT has independent volume controls for both ambient and Bluetooth sound, meaning you can control the volume from the shooter next to you vs. what’s being piped through the headset from your smartphone. The whole deal runs off a pair of AAA batteries but there’s another feature pretty much cinching the deal as far as I’m concerned — the unit automatically shuts itself off after four hours. If you’ve ever forgotten to click off the volume knob on your headset and found it Dead On Arrival at your next shooting session, you’ll appreciate this.
At the range they were exceedingly comfortable; the headband is cushioned and is “ergonomically arched” in company terminology so there’s no danger of crushing your favorite hat out of shape.
We shot a .357 Magnum and the Rapid Noise Suppression worked as advertised. It drove the noise level down to a very welcome 26dB whether we were listening to some old Jimmy Reed stuff on our smartphone or while carrying on a phone conversation with friends unlucky enough to be stuck back in the office. The Pyramex Amp BT’s MSRP is $119.99
