So I am going back and forth on comms......I have a set of Sordins that attach to my opscore helmet......but Have been thinking lately I may want to switch it up........I was looking up systems like the Silynx c4 ops and I like That it incorporates ear buds .......less weight and bulk is a big plus.

What other systems do you guys recommend or set up that is similar to the Silynx.......also where can they be purchased?

Those Silynxs look sweet. I have never seen them before. Do they amplify ambient noises like Sordins do?

On amazon these are $900, does that seem about right?

I've got the Silynxs and they are awesome but over 6 months in the sandbox I broke quite a few of the parts (spares are included but sooner or later they will run out and then what).  It will amplify sounds if you want, it will split multiple radios or radio nets between you ears so you know which radio the transmission is coming from.  You do have to find space on your kit for the box and it has to be where you can reach it so you can transmit and adjust settings so that is sort of a pain because that box is a lot bigger than it sounds.  There are three sizes of ear buds included and they are great but you do have to pull them out and dry them off after an hour or two as things get humid if you're moving around, sort of like getting a wet willie

edit: yes even after those considerations I like them better and they are my "go'to" set of earpro when I'm using comms.

A few points on these:

The canal tips wear faster than you might think.  The noise cancellation technology that Silynx and QuietPro earsets use depend on a pressure test when they're calibrated (when you first turn the set on for use).  If the canal tip is worn or separated from the hard plastic inner tube, it will not pass a pressure test and that means that it won't calibrate and that means that it won't attenuate noise.  Both sets will allow for normal radio communications even if the noise-cancelling features don't work (at least... as long as the ear set has power).  

OK, so what does this mean to you?
It means that you need a ready supply of ear canal tips.  And therein lies the rub.

The Comply canal tips for these earsets are not easy to find on an open market, you need to source them from Comply or from Silynx or Honeywell.  Neither are very good at dealing with individual buyers unless you find a secret handshake or someone in their company that is willing to actually do some legwork for you.


OK, so let's say that you actually solve that canal tip supply problem.  There are a few other issues that aren't readily apparent to a person who hasn't used one of these earsets before, let me explain:

Sweat.  Actually, sweat in your ear.  It's a problem.

See, dirty and sweaty ear canals prevent these things from testing > calibrating > operating properly.  I think it's because they were originally designed by Norwegians.
If your ears are sweaty or dirty, the canal tips are a pain in the ass to mount in your ear in order to allow the the unit to calibrate, they won't seal.

My last, and probably biggest gripe: if you thought you were good at working under time constraints... try these on for size.  
A typical scenario for putting these on, AKA welcome to hell:
You roll up the canal tips and gently and deliberately shove them into the most sensitive orifice in your head, your ears.  Oh yeah, time... you have about 5 seconds to get this done quickly because the foam on the canal tips expands pretty rapidly.  If it expands too much, you can't insert it far enough into your ear canal for it to pass a self-test.  If the canal tip is worn, and the foam expands too rapidly, then the hard plastic tube insert also breaks away from the foam.  You remember your secret handshake with the guy in the supply room, right?

After that, you route the wires behind your head, make sure it's plugged into the box correctly, then you power it on and it runs a self-test and calibration.

The QuietPros were my favorite for this part; there's a warm-up tone that blares into your head, then each ear runs a set of beeps to let you know if [that side] is working or not.
If not, you have to power off, undo that side, roll it back up, put it back in, power back up, run the test again... and then see if it works.  Again.

It's maddening.

Here's the best part of that, I almost deliberately jammed a piece of plastic into my ear drum.  
It was from a worn ear canal tip when the foam separated from the plastic tube insert.  It felt amazing.


You'll come to your own conclusions, but I hope this helped you with more information.

Wow thank you

Yeah, regular earmuff-style earpro has a lot going for it.  For instance: I can place it in operation in seconds and in the dark.

I have a set of quietpros and every post in here pretty much nailed it. It should be said though that once they are setup they do work quite nicely.

Thanks to everyone........I think my best option is to stick with some kind of behind the head/neck ear protection like the Sordins or TCI. But that will offer ability to hook up comms.

Does Sordins make anything like that? I was pumped about the Sordins supreme x but then noticed it has a 3.5mm input port but I don't think you can hook up comms or such.......just phones and iPods and things of that nature to listen to music

I have used Peltor Comtac III's and Silynx C4OPs here in Afghanistan. Like previously discussed, Peltors were straight-forward and easy to use. However, since I wore them under a standard ACH they would become uncomfortable over time. Also in 120 degree heat, they accumulated sweat.

As for the Silynx system, I decided to use it since my job requires me to monitor two different radios at the same time. I was able to drive in my truck with the system hooked up to the truck comms, jump out and immediately communicate over two different radios and manipulate them from the control box if I needed to. As far as the downside to the supplied earbuds, I agree. But I decided to buy some Surefire EP3 and EP4 ear protection. If you remove the little red and white insert, you can insert the Silynx earbud into them. This setup worked just fine. My ears did not sweat nearly as much as they did under the Peltors.  Using the Surefire EP3 or EP4's drastically sped up the mounting process associated with the Silynx system, so I had no problems there.

Great advice dude thank you

also, forgot to answer the part about the original poster asking where Silynx can be purchased. As far as I know, I think you can only get it with a government or military email, unless it is supplied by your unit. It is very expensive. The control box probably costs close to $1000, and all of the cords for the radios and headsets cost anywhere from $100-$700 i bet.

edit: but i have seen Silynx offered on Ebay as well as here on AR15. still expensive though if you need to buy all the accessory cords depending on the intended use.

Amazon

I almost forgot to add: if you decide on the Silynx set, the canal tips are a single-hole arrangement, the Nacre/Honewell sets use a two-hole canal tip.  If you need canal tips for the Silynx set and have an attack aviation unit nearby, stop by and ask if you can get some Comply tips for an Apache helmet, they use the same tips... only without the fancy color-coding.  You'll  need to know your size before you ask, the Apache canal tips come in blister packs of ten or twelve (approximately) and a supply dude that's trying to hook you up won't want to open a bunch of packages just so you can size yourself for ear pro parts.