SILENCER SATURDAY #66: VOX Versus Saker; Decibels For Subs And Supers -The Firearm Blog

Good morning suppressor fans and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, where taking the red pill means a life of silencer freedom and taking the blue pill means an unthreaded muzzle and blissful ignorance. Today we are wrapping up last week’s coverage of the Energetic Armament VOX – a virtually indestructible 7.62 silencer that is just over 12 ounces, capable of handling short barrels and heavy fire rates and costs less than $700. That combination is almost unheard of in the NFA world. But what about those pesky decibel numbers? Stick around for the full details below. Spoiler alert: I’ve already announced my intentions to purchase a smaller VOX K in the future.

As a preview for next week, let’s take a look at the specifications for the CZ USA Ti Reflex silencer:

Manufacturer product page: https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-ti-reflex /

Product Name: CZ 7.62 Ti Reflex
SKU: 90507
MSRP: $1,279.00
Weight: 8.7 / 11.4 oz.
Diameter: 1.63 in.
Overall Length: 5.6 / 8.83 in.

Besides being an over-the-barrel suppressor, the CZ Ti Reflex is also modular, meaning it can be transformed into a standard muzzle threaded silencer in less than a minute. We’ll be testing this CZUSA beauty with the Discreet Ballistics subsonic 300BLK ammo in both expanding and target flavors. I’m really looking forward to shooting this setup.

SiLencer saturday Announcements:

I am happy to announce that Yankee Hill Machine (YHM) has decided to sponsor TFB’s Silencer Saturday for the remainder of 2019 so we can keep bringing you the latest and greatest on industry news, announcements and reviews every weekend. None of the sponsorship money comes to me; the separation of content from advertising here at TFB helps keep our content unbiased. Of course, we hope to bring you additional YHM suppressor reviews in the months ahead, starting with their new 5.56mm Turbo K.

YHM Dealers: shoot me an email with a link to your YHM products if you like to be hot-linked every week right here on Silencer Saturday. silencers@thefirearmblog.com

The B&K meter that Allen Engineering graciously loaned me for over a year has returned home. And according to you all, decibel data is important for making purchasing decisions. So give me a month or two to locate and invest in a new meter. Until then, you’ll have to rely on my highly trained ears.

SILENCER SATURDAY #66: VOX And Saker; Subs And Supers

Since we have already done a deep dive into the VOX’s features and specifications, let’s just get down to the numbers. By popular demand (thanks a lot, Ed) I’ve included supersonic .308 and 5.56 in the metering regimen.

Disclaimer: I am not a scientist, but I do play one on the internet. Decibel meter data alone, even if done correctly, is a poor way to evaluate silencers. Your personal use case, requirements and applications are more important than any list of numbers. Decide how you are going to use your suppressor and what is important to you, then use all the factors combined to make a purchase decision. When in doubt, ask. My email can be found below.

Environmental Variables:

B&K 2209 (Courtesy Of Allen Engineering)
A Weighted
54 degrees Fahrenheit
23% Humidity
29.97 in Hg
5.56mm Host: 12” Dynamic Defense Sierra
300BLK Host: Sig Sauer Rattler 5.5”
.308 Host: PTR G3K 12”
Bolt only MILSTD: 116.2 dB
Bolt only ear : 118.2 dB

Energetic Armament Vox – 300BLK 5.5” Rattler
Wipe & Ablative

MILSTD Muzzle

120+
120+
119.1
121.6
122.6
122.5
126.5
124.2
123.9

At The Ear

124.5
123.5
122.2
128
130+
126.6
126
121.3
126

Energetic Armament Vox – 300BLK 5.5” Rattler
No wipe or ablative

MILSTD

117.9
122.9
118.9 FTE
120.6
121.9
117.1 FTE
(Gas+)
118.1
119.5
120
121.4
119.1

At The Ear

124.4
124.8
126.6
128.7
128.3
(Gas -)
123.9
122.7
125.1 BHO

SilencerCo Saker 762 – 300BLK 5.5” Rattler

MILSTD

130+
123.1
120
119.9
120.5
121.5
124
127.1
125.5
125.8
128.6

At The Ear

125.4
126.6
127.8
127.4
126.2
127.8
127.5
126.6

SilencerCo Saker – .308 PTR G3K

MILSTD

140+
141.8
145.9
143.5
143
144.9
147.1
145
145.5

At The Ear

138.2
133
137.1
137.6
136.6
137.9
140+
138.5
137.9
138.2

Energetic Armament Vox – .308 PTR G3K

MILSTD

137
140.1
141
144.4
139.8
143.5
142.4
139.1

At The Ear

136
134.5
137.1
136.3
136.8
136.3
137.1
137.6
135.8
136.1

Energetic Armament Vox – 12” 5.56mm

MILSTD Muzzle

136.9
135.4
134.6
134.1
136.7
136.4
136.6
137
134.5
135.2

At The Ear

134.4
131
131.4
130
133.1
133.5
132.4
131.9
132.5
137

SilencerCo Saker 762 – 12” 5.56mm

MILSTD Muzzle

140+
140+
146.6
144.5
143.6

At The Ear

136
136.6
137.2
135
134.6

Observations

Somewhat surprisingly, the wipe and ablative media combination of the VOX on the SIG Rattler didn’t seem to have a significant much of an impact on decibel reduction. This could be due to the fact that the Rattler’s barrel is so short that even ablation can’t tame the blast. Theshort PDW did need a gas adjustment to reliably cycle rounds using the VOX without a wipe. That may warrant a little more research on my part.

The SilencerCo Saker and the VOX seemed to keep pace with each other during the supersonic .308 testing phase. One important fact to remember is that the VOX Is about two inches shorter than the Saker (sans mount) and at least a third lighter. Note: several of you asked for clarifications on whether the mounts were included on the weight and length measurements. I’ll get those sorted out in a future data dump.

Interestingly, the 5.56 comparison between the Saker and the VOX had a wider gap than I would have expected, with all the VOX’s muzzle numbers falling under 140dB. The ‘at the ear’ numbers were especially good for a 12” barrel, suggesting that the smaller projectile forced less blowback into the action and out the ejection port. Either way, low 130’s for a 12” barrel is fairly magical.

Conclusions:

The Energetic Armament VOX is a real performer in the “bombproof”, end-of-the-world type silencer. As an added benefit, the VOX is on the lower edge of the weight scale and priced in what I would consider an affordable category for all but the most frugal shooter. To top it off, the Energetic Armament team consists of top notch, easy going scientists that appreciate building quality products.

I have no reservations recommending anything from Energetic Armament. Including the VOX.

Silencer Saturday is Sponsored by Yankee Hill Machine:

Buy YHM at: Silencer Shop – Hansohn Brothers – All YHM Products At Brownells

Published on Mar 22, 2019 – Silencer Shop

Chris Graham dropped by Silencer Shop’s vault to drop some knowledge and answer some questions.

5:02 Does YHM accept keymo mounting hardware?
5:37 Always afraid to run my suppressors hard because I want them to look decent but it will be tough to do on a 5.56 and 7.62 seeing how hot it gets after a couple of mags. What are the limitations and warranty? Excellent customer services options because I would like to use my resonator without worrying about it? P.S. I do have a barrel/suppressor cooler and running a bowers rubber cover on it for after burn
9:50 Tell them I want a 9mm can to compete with the Omega 9k at a Turbo price. Also to send stickers with their products
12:09 I just want better muzzle brake options. I absolutely love my YHM cans and the mounting ysstem but the muzzle brakes leave something to be desired
14:02 Do any of the Yankee Hill models support adapters for other companies? (I have ASR mounts and Q mounts and am trying to avoid a 3rd mount)
14:31 Also, you might want to just call out their lightest and quietest models. For companies that have a large lineup, I find just knowing that can help. Or if you know of a model that is best for most people as an introduction to the brand.
17:13 I’ve got an LTA-30 can. I’ve also got bolt guns that I run the can on from time to time. Since most of these are long enough, is there a chance to get a direct thread style adapter similar to what they offer for the sidewinder or what Griffin offers for their cans? I love my can but it doesn’t look very good on a bolt gun.
19:43 How about a 30cal can designed around 300blk? Kind of like gemtech but with less suckage.
21:12 10.5″ 5.56 AR – Turbo or Resonator, which offers better suppression/lower db levels at the shooter’s ear with standard 55gr supersonic ammo?
23:20 Also, have you guys ran the Resonator on a 16″ AK? How was it?
24:20 When do you anticipate that the Turbo/Resonator might be back in stock?
26:41 Why are the measurements not taken at the shooter’s ear as well?

The Firearm Blog