REVIEW: EARMOR M32 Hearing Protection

An electronic hearing protection for the shooting range? And that for a third of the price (or less)? That's roughly what we thought when we first saw Earmor. But what can this headset, which aims to compete with 3M Peltor and MSA Sordins, do? Let's take a closer look in today's review.

We opted for the M32H model. This one comes with a microphone for communication and can be directly mounted on helmets with OpsCore rails. The price range for Earmor headsets is between 59-75 euros.

And let's get this out of the way upfront: please note, this review does not cover the new MOD1 models. More about that at the end of the review. When unpacked, you get: Headset, manual, and additional small parts such as a RIS rail, which can be screwed onto the rail adapters. On the left side, there is a warning sticker. This warns that the hearing protection only provides one layer of protection and that earplugs should be used for prolonged use in very loud environments. This is recommended regardless of this hearing protection, especially for prolonged shooting in enclosed spaces. On the right side are the controls. With these, you can turn on the headset and adjust the volume in four levels. The overall construction is decent, and the ear cups are also equipped with thicker plastic to make them more durable. On both sides, there is a battery compartment. Here, you can immediately see the rubber seal around the compartment and the buttons. This makes the hearing protection IPX5 certified, allowing you to use it in the rain without worry. To open the compartment, only a small twist is required. The hearing protection is powered by two AAA batteries, one for each side. With these, the Earmor have a battery life of 350 hours. The caps are additionally secured with a rubber band to prevent them from being lost. Practical! Side view of the hearing protection. The design resembles Peltors. At the top, you can see a small jack plug. This is where the microphone can be connected, as it can be switched depending on whether you want to wear it on the left or right side. The height adjustment functions similar to Peltors and is continuous.  Interior view with the hearing protection mounted on an Ops-Core Fast Base Jump helmet. The cable is long enough to route it outside over the helmet if needed. The ear cups are well-shaped and offer sufficient space. Remarkably, they are very comfortable. The foam is soft and molds well. Even when wearing glasses, they do not press uncomfortably. However, the foam cannot easily be removed and replaced, as it seems to be glued on. Mount for Ops-Core rails. They are attached and a kind of wing lock snaps into the recesses to prevent the headset from slipping. Unfortunately, the Earmor cannot be rotated or flipped up. Interior view of the adapter. Plastic, and a screw. Nothing special. Front view of the mounted adapters. It's hard to show, but the adapters are too loose in the rail. They have play, causing them to wobble up and down. Also, the wings that should lock into the rail are not tight enough, and the adapters easily slide out of place. We could only temporarily fix this by bending them slightly and sticking insulating tape on the rails. Note that Earmor headsets only work with their own PTT units - or with NATO Mil. PTTs with the appropriate Nexus TP120 plug. For our test, we used our Nexus U94 PTT unit with a Kenwood TK3301, which we normally use with our MSA Sordin. Listening works flawlessly, and the sound quality is very good. However, we were unable to transmit audio. The microphone was connected to each side of the headset to rule out any potential issues. Testing with the Sordins and transmitting audio was successful.

CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, the headset did not impress us much. We had hoped to find a cost-effective alternative, but the shortcomings, such as an adapter that does not move or sit well, and the subpar audio quality, lead us to conclude that you should consider spending a bit more to invest in a proven hearing protection. However, the price, craftsmanship, and incredible comfort remain positive points. They might be an alternative for individuals looking for active hearing protection with headset/communication function. For this purpose, they could be considered, although this is more aimed at airsoft players and the like.

But beware: there are MOD1 models