Review: Starkey SoundGear Shield & Phantom

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Never was an aphorism more accurate, or impactful, than when hunting and shooting. Take it from anyone who’s lost his or her hearing, or even just part of it: it stinks. Without exception, that woeful, half-deaf hunter wishes he had been smarter and protected his hearing all along. 

I’m one of those regretful victims of his own erstwhile apathy—but luckily, it’s not too late. My hearing loss is only partial, and I’ve found an easy, effective way to save what’s left: SoundGear Hearing Protection. Their products aren’t cheap, but as far as I’m concerned, no money is better spent. Less-expensive alternatives abound, but none of them offer the protection and the sound quality I need to safely maintain my aural awareness while afield.

The Shield ($399) is a convenient plug-and-play earplug with a built-in enhancer for dynamic protection—which means you can hear all the sounds of field and forest when not actively shooting. When you do pull the trigger, the device delivers instant noise reduction.

Two product options allow you to choose between intermittent or sustained noise (the former is better for hunting; the latter, for shooting at the range); both use standard zinc-air batteries. Speaking of, a caveat: there’s no power button on the Shield, so the batteries should come out after each use. If you’re like me, you’ll invariably forget to pull them once in a while, especially after a particularly fun hunt, so I advise keeping a handful of extras on hand.

During hunting season, the Shields are my everyday earplugs: simple, quick & easy, always ready to go. I keep them handy for everything from after-work grouse hunts to all-day jaunts into the elk woods.

For a more comfortable fit, enhanced sound quality, and unparalleled protection while afield, the Phantom ($1,599) takes things up a notch. Several notches, in fact—these impressive earplugs reduce the wind-blur and ambient intrusion common to other brands, all while sending the subtlest sounds of nature right into your ear canal. Minimal static and up to 30 decibels of amplification mean these plugs serve double-duty: protecting your hearing and enhancing it at the same time. (Note for those with premium health insurance: the Phantoms are FDA-listed as a prescription hearing device and thus may be covered under your plan.)

Like the Shields, the Phantoms have a dynamic decibel reducer that actively blocks gunshots, leaving you free before reports to communicate with your hunting partners, even at a whisper. And that’s where these devices really shine, at least for me: when quietly creeping up on game, looking & listening, ready to take a shot at any moment. Before the Phantoms, I always had to make some sort of compromise with protection level, shot readiness, or sensory awareness. Not anymore.

The Phantoms require custom ear impressions beforehand, which can be made at a local audiologist office—in my case, Treasure State Hearing prepared the mold and sent it off to SoundGear for me. Once the Phantoms arrived, Treasure State helped me with fitting and gave me some usage tips. By the time I took them out into the field, I felt sure that they were dialed in just right, for both my particular ear architecture and the intended outdoor applications.

Both power and volume can be adjusted independently, so for those with asymmetrical hearing loss, the Phantoms help even things out. The rechargeable batteries last up to 23 hours, and the charging station has its own internal battery, for convenience on multi-day hunts in remote areas. The price of the Phantoms may seem daunting, but consider it an investment—one with respectable dividends and a huge future payout. Just like starting an IRA, your future self will thank you.

Available at soundgear.com