MePaBlu, a German firearms accessory manufacturer introduced their line of hearing protection made specifically for women. Taking into account the ergonomic differences between male and female shooters, MePaBlu took the time to evaluate all of the gender-specific changes needed in order to create one-of-a-kind hearing protection for women shooting any type of firearm, rifle or pistol.

It’s all in the Genes

The firearms industry as a whole has taken notice of the dramatic rise in firearms and accessories for the female shooter. In response, manufacturers have taken items previously made for a predominantly male audience, painted them feminine colors (pink, purple, “Muddy Girl”, etc), and introduced them “for the female shooter”. However, many times the parts and accessories introduced were originally created, tested, and produced for a physically different individual. For example:

• Men typically have longer necks than women.
• Swedish researchers found that women (especially under duress) are more sensitive to sound than men. (Source: Medicinenet.com).
• Women typically have “smaller” faces than men (ie – the distance between the cheekbone and jawbone).

TFB has covered female-specific hearing protection in the past proving that these differences, among others, make variations on gender-specific hearing protection beneficial as well.

What’s That Noise?

Active noise canceling headphones use an actual microphone to “listen” to noise going on around the user, then create and send the “opposite sound” back into the ear, thus “canceling” out the extra noise. As many shooters already know, conversations at the range are still audible but the retort of the firearm being shot is dramatically reduced. MePaBlu utilizes the same technology and has dubbed their ear pro line as “ear defenders”.

The MePaBlu Ear Defenders are on par with other active noise canceling shooting range-specific headphones with a 25db SNR rating. SNR stands for Single Noise Rating, a standard typically used by European countries. Tests to determine SNR are slightly different than the NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) used by the United States in that they look for different environments in which the noises will be heard (low, medium, or high frequencies). (Source: HowardLeight.com)

This female-specific, specialty ear protection also boasts a 10X amplification of surrounding sounds, ensuring that hunters can still hear a crushed twig under hoof or bench rest shooters can catch the satisfying ‘ping’ of ringing steel at distance…without having to move the headphones out of the way in order to cheek weld and fire the rifle. Can average ear protection do this? Yes. But if you’re a female who has ever cheek welded an AR-15 with Mickey Mouse-style ear protection on, you’ll appreciate the statement above.

About the MePaBlu Hearing Protection Line for Women

The Ear Defenders from MePaBlu are available in “Lady Hunting”, “Lady Sport” and “Silencer Lady”, depending on the female shooter’s desired application. Flat cups are available for rifle shooters as well. MSRP is €279 (approximately $325 at current market rates).

More information can be found via their website at https://mepablu.de 

An example of the MePaBlu Soft Gel Ear Pads for use in their Ear Defender line.