# Walker Game ear Questions



## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

Got these questions from wishiwashunting and figured I would answer them here.



wishIwashunting said:


> I am considering purchasing the Walker Digital Game Ear and saw your post. I have a couple of questions about your experience with the product and would appreciate your advice.
> 
> 1) Do you find that they reduce the impact of the shot?


They are the best hearing protection I have used in some time. I am in the national guard also and have been to some ranges where they shoot some big stuff for long periods of time. A Bradley Vehicle has a 25mm main gun on it and makes a little sound.

As to the rifle you are shooting, you feel it, not hear it. If you have a flinch from the boom, this will help get rid of it. My hearing hurt the last year I hunted without them and that is why I bought them. I became scared to fire a gun without hearing protection.



wishIwashunting said:


> 2) You mention the Silicon ear plugs, did you purchase them separately or do they come with the Game Ear?


We had to go to our daughters audiologist to get this done. It takes about 2 weeks for this to happen. You go in, he takes a mold of your ear and sends it out. In about 10 days he gets it back and finishes fitting it for you. He also installed the sound tubes at this time. If you have the game ears with you, ours fit the sound tube to it also.

Color is an option, mine are camo, the wifes is orange and the daughter has pink and purple camo.

These sound tubes do get brittle and I have mine changed about every other year.



wishIwashunting said:


> 3) How do they work in the wind?


Straight out of the box, they stink. You hear every movement of the wind....It is better if you have your hat pulled down over your ears. I took a SMALL piece of polar fleece and super glued it over the microphone, No more wind noise.

If you look around the tube where it attaches to the game ear, you can see the polar fleece.











wishIwashunting said:


> 4) Did you consider a digital hearing aid as an alternative?


I would very much consider the digitals if I could afford them at the moment. I started with the $150 set because I didn't know if they would work. At $450 each for the digital game ear, it gets spendy. I would like to know if the digital game ears get rid of the analog hiss I hear.



wishIwashunting said:


> 5) Would you buy them again or have you discovered a better alternative?


I would buy them again in a heart beat. I have yet to find anything that works quite as good as the game ears. Set at the right volume, I have even found them comfortable to drive in and use in the garage. Saws and hammers will set the noise protection off.



wishIwashunting said:


> I thank you in advance for any information you can provide.
> 
> Sincerely,


Your welcome. Anything you can do to protect your hearing is money well spent. I asked my self when I bought them, "do I want to buy something cheap now to protect the hearing I have left? or do I want to buy something expensive to allow me to hear with what little hearing I have left."

It was a $400 choice VS a $5000 choice. $5000 will buy a nice elk trip some day hopefuly.


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## wishIwashunting (Nov 17, 2004)

Thank you for the considered reply. I will post back my findings once I make my purchase and use them in the field.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

Being an audiologist, I see significant noise induced hearing losses each and every day. Majority are obviously males, as we have the noisy hobbies and professions typically. I commend you on considering your purchase of hearing protective devices, any little bit of hearing you can save now makes a huge difference when you are in your 70's or 80's. That said, I have worn custom made (in the ear) electronic protective devices since 1997. The big advantage to these is two fold. One, they are not as clumsy and bulky as the behind the ear devices (when wearing stocking caps, hoods, and in some instances glasses) and secondly, they are custom made for your ear, so the effectiveness of noise reduction is much better and they tend to be more comfortable. The stock molds sent along with the behind the ear product often do not seal well enough in all cases as everybody's ear canals aren't shaped the same. Plus the custom products run in the $500-600 range, so not as expensive as most people think.
For everyone's reference, OSHA considers any noise above 90 dB to be potentially damaging (depending on many factors including duration of exposure). A 12 gauge shotgun with 28 inch barrel is 150+, while a magnum caliber rifle is 160+. Makes it easy to see how so many of us have significant hearing loss.


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## dwshunt (Apr 26, 2003)

I've been interested in the Game Ears too. Do they really improve hearing too, no mention of there ability in the previous posts.

Where do you get the custom fit hearing protectors and do they only protect from loud noises and not improve hearing? That is why I was more interested in the Game Ears.

Thanks


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

dwshunt said:


> I've been interested in the Game Ears too. Do they really improve hearing too, no mention of there ability in the previous posts.
> 
> Where do you get the custom fit hearing protectors and do they only protect from loud noises and not improve hearing? That is why I was more interested in the Game Ears.
> 
> Thanks


bjn, correct where I am going in the wrong ways here......

Do they really improve hearing?.......You have already lost the hearing, 
From what I understand tinitus (ringing in the ear) is caused by the breakage of the hairs in you coclea(?) (sp?). These hairs convert the air movement to electical signals which you hear. The ringing is what you here when the brain attempts to make up for those lost hiars.

There is a study happening in England that I was told about 2 years ago where they are testing medications that would stimulate the re-growth of those hairs.

Maybe in our life time, who knows.

What these WILL do is amplify the sounds around you. With the Game Ear and Game Ear II, they are ANALOG devices. As a result they will have an inherent hiss to them. The digital games hears are supposed to remove that hiss. As you turn up the volume, you turn up the hiss as well, just like a cheap radio. Adusted to the right volumn level, It would be like you don't have them in, you will hear the squirrels, birds, leaves crackle, everything in the woods. Turn the volumn up more and yes, you can hear a deer walking in the woods. On a CALM day, I have HEARD deer as far away as 60 yards.

Yes, I can hear things that I normally do not hear in the woods, but at the same rate, I can't hear things with them that I could without. It is kind of a wash.

It is like bjn stated earlier. OSHA says you start to damage your hearing at 85 db sustained and 120 db pulse (gunshot) noise levels. As least that is the number I see in the safety stuff I deal with. Guns produce noise in excess of 160 db+.

As it is now, if I am laying on my right side with my head on the pillow (right ear covered) I am the easiest person to scare. I couldn't hear a freight train come into the house.

This is the result of being in the wrong place (next to the muzzle) of an M14 WITHOUT hearing protection when someone fired it off.

Anyone who tells me they aren't bothered by a gunshot is point blank full of it. They just don't realize how MUCH it is affecting them.

My custom ear plugs come from the same place you would get custom fit In-the-ear protection, an audiologist. If you are in the Fargo area, I go to Dr. Frisk and his son in South Fargo just off of 13 Ave and 25th ST.

My plugs were $85 two years ago. My wifes plugs this year were $115. Our game ears were $150 each, we each have 2. Didn't matter if it was from Scheel's or off the intenet, now or then. The prices ended up being the same.


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## BobHAJ (Sep 12, 2004)

I have purchased several Peltor Tactical 6 and 7 ear mufs. these alos amplify the sound and keep your ears warm.
BobHAJ


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## wishIwashunting (Nov 17, 2004)

Thanks again to FARMERJ for the advice. Based upon this input and a contact I received from my sister-in-law who is an audiologist, I contact two companies. The first was Starkey; I believe they are one of the largest manufactures of hearing aids in the US. I also contacted ESP. I was able to talk directly with individuals at both organizations. In both cases, both companies were very helpful in answering my questions. Ultimately, I chose to purchase from Starkey because I wanted hearing assistance in addition to hearing protection, liked their product and since they are an Eden Prairie, MN company and I live in the Twin Cities, going in person to their offices was convenient.

Here is my experience.
1)	I purchased a set of SoundScopes Behind -The-Ear model from Starkey. They look very similar to the pictures provided by FARMERJ. 
2)	Greg Austin was very helpful at Starkey. He took the time to answer my questions over the phone and again when I met him at his offices.
3)	Starkey also manufactures the product resold as the Game Ear. 
4)	I also purchased a set of form-fit Silicon ear plugs. Greg Austin created my set in the Starkey Labs. These are more comfortable and stay in my ear better than the standard foam plugs.
5)	I used them for the first time on a windy day and discovered exactly the same thing FARMERJ discovered: A significant amount of wind noise. I put a patch of felt over the microphone and the wind noise stopped. This did not limit the ability to hear as far as I could tell.
6)	I had the opportunity to hunt Pheasants this past Wednesday. I have to admit it took some time to acclimate to the difference in hearing. For instance, initially I had them turned up too high and could hear every swish of grass as I walked. Once I had the volume set properly, I could hear very well and every shot I took was not much louder than a pop.
7)	I also use a whistle to attempt to keep my dog close. The SoundScopes limited the volume of the whistle.
8 ) When I had the volume set where I liked it, I do not hear any hiss that I could perceive.
9)	I could have purchased an in the ear model or an in the canal model. It appeared to me that you would purchase these for esthetic reasons only. They were more expense and the esthetics were not a factor in my decision.
10)	You can spend more money on digital hearing devices but I was advised that the extra cost was not worth the added functionality.
11)	I was also walking my dog one morning this week. A flock of Geese flew over. It was amazing how early I heard them relative to what I would have heard without the SoundScopes. 
12)	I paid $400 for both the SoundScopes and the Silicon ear plugs. This seems like a significant amount of money. Besides the justification that I will be able to hear better in the deer stand next fall, I think the most striking example sat in front of me while I was waiting to visit with Greg at Starkey. I was in a waiting room of sorts in their offices. A number of individuals from America's greatest generation were waiting also. These were customers of Starkey who I surmised were waiting to get their own hearing devices adjusted. All were accompanied either by their wife or family member to interpret the conversation because each patient was having significant difficulty hearing on their own. Once they received the proper equipment adjustment, their hearing improved. Let's just say I plan to use my SoundScopes in hopes that I will be able to live out my life without full-time hearing assistance.
13)	I should mention that other than my wife's voice, I do not suffer from any noticeable hearing loss.

I would highly suggest if you are interested in saving your hearing, you should give Greg Austin a call at Starkey. His phone number is 952-941-6401.

wishIwashunting


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

wishIwashunting,
Glad to hear they are working out for you. The price you paid is right in line with what my wife and I paid for our set ups as well. in 2004 for the wife and 2002 for mine.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you guys on this topic, but I hadn't noticed it had been updated.
The Starkey Soundscopes are the exact product that I have worn since 97 and have been fitting fairly regularly in our clinic. There are some other brands, but patients haven't been as pleased with them.
No hearing protector or hearing aid will restore hearing levels back to normal. They are a rehab process and merely compensate for what has already been lost. The hair cells within the cochlea have been sheared away, usually by excessive noise and most often in the high frequency region. This is why many of us can hear, but not discriminate speech as well as we previously could, especially in background noise. The more of these hair cells that are lost, the worse off we are communicatively, with or without hearing aids. That is our whole rationale for protecting what you have to start with. Of note, it is never too late to begin wearing hearing protection as it can almost always get worse.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

For you experts..........Do the muffs do s better job than the behind the ear ones?????? I am considering them. Thanks.


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## bjn (Jul 17, 2003)

The noise reduction rating listed on any ear protector is rather deceiving. Those calculations are made in an absolutely perfect, sanitary lab environment. In the real world, where dirty fingers are putting plugs in or people are wearing stocking caps or eyeglasses, the actual noise reduction rating is much lower than that listed (generally considered to be between half for stock in the ear plugs and about 75% for earmuffs). The muffs tend to maintain more of the NRR simply because they are more foolproof in their use. If the plugs or muffs aren't in their proper place, one could just as well not use ear protection at all. This is why custom plugs tend to have a bit higher NRR as well, there is really only one way to put them in.


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

djley,

I too am considering the muffs. I got a pair of the Browning muffs for Christmas. I used to have a Walker Game Ear (fits in your ear) a few years ago, but it drove me nuts with the scratching noises and the uncomfortable fit. I ordered a pair of the Walker Game Ear Quad muffs from Cabalea's last week. The Browning muffs have one microphone on each ear while the Walker Quad muffs have two microphones on each ear to supposedly give you better direction and surround sound. I'm going to try to give them a fair test over a few days to see which one is better for me. I'll let you know on this site what I find out.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I would love to hear your opinions on them, thanks!!!


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

Ref said:


> djley,
> I used to have a Walker Game Ear (fits in your ear) a few years ago, but it drove me nuts with the scratching noises and the uncomfortable fit.


Ref,

I found the Game ears to be uncomfortable also until I had my silicon plugs made.

To stop the scratching sound I put the polar fleece on the game ear as you see in the picture above. Stopped the scratching noise and cut the wind to the point it isn't an issue anymore.


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

Well, I received the Walker Game Ear Quad Muffs last Friday from Cabela's. I gave them a comparison test with some Browning muffs that I got for Christmas. I let my wife try them out too.

Without a doubt, the Walker Quad Muffs had a much better quality of sound and when I had the volume turned up all the way on both units, the Quad Muffs amplified the sound much louder than the Browning muffs. I'm not sure if I could hear directional sounds that good, but I didn't test them outside very long. I will give that another test later. I kept the Quad Muffs and am sending the Browning Muffs back.


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