I used to have a set of cheap Silencio electronic earmuffs. Each time a round is fired they shut down completely, then slowly come back on. I found them very disorienting – they actually made me dizzy.
I now have a set of Pro-Ears like GLOCKshooter mentions, which are infinitely better. However, they still have a couple of problems.
They have a microphone built into each muff – put the muffs on one way and the microphones face forward, reverse them and they face to the rear. Sounds are much louder with the microphones facing toward them than away from them.
With electronic muffs, you lose your natural ability to select and ignore certain sounds.
For example, the sound of an exhaust fan at a range may drown out spoken words that you normally could hear with no muffs on.
Also the electronics actually change the nature of the sounds, making it harder to identify the sound (essentially the sound has been processed, making it somewhat unnatural sounding). It’s also harder to pinpoint the exact direction the sound is coming from.
Electronic earmuffs are great, but they’re a long way from giving you sounds like you hear with no muffs at all.
Confederate: Question – what noise reduction rating would you give to Rosy’s thighs?