Peltor Sport Tactical 500 Hearing Protection: Tactical, Meet Practical

Rarely after evaluating a product am I left with the impression that the manufacturer thought of everything, but that was the case with the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 hearing protector. To say this headset is "feature rich" is an understatement. From comfort and features to loads of functionality, the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 is an excellent value.

If hearing protection isn’t comfortable enough to wear all day or at the range, who cares about its advertised features and specifications? The Peltor Sport Tactical 500 is comfortable due to its vented and adjustable headband design. Adjustability is expected, as it allows most users to custom fit the unit over their heads. Venting improves comfort and keeps the headband from pushing down against the button that’s almost certainly on top of your favorite ballcap.

The ear cushions are soft, which is important since they are literally pressing against the sides of your head for as long as you wear them. The low-­profile cups, however, are tapered so as not to interfere with obtaining a proper cheekweld when shooting a rifle or shotgun. As if that weren’t beneficial enough, the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 features rubber bumpers to dampen vibration and enhance purchase should the cup still contact the stock. Clever.

It’s time to realize all of the functionality of the Peltor Sport Tactical 500. The unit is powered by either two AA batteries or 3M’s lithium-­ion Alpha 1100 rechargeable battery. A 3-­second press of the power button activates or deactivates the unit, prompting a reassuring "power on" or "power off," as appropriate. The up and down chevrons located on the right cup control volume and are identified by touch.

Between the volume control arrows, you’ll find the tactile and discernable Bluetooth button. This enables you to pair the unit with your smart device, as well as pause and play music, advance to the next track, or go back to a previous track. The Bluetooth button also answers, disconnects or rejects incoming calls.

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Still, there are a couple of notable features that set the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 apart. The first is Dynamic Suppression Time (DST), which measures a gunshot’s energy and automatically adjusts the time of noise suppression; shorter suppression for smaller calibers, and longer for larger calibers. The function also minimizes echo, which can be annoying, especially in indoor ranges.

Another characteristic of the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 is Clear Voice Tracking (CVT), which reduces background noise to improve speech clarity. This, coupled with the fact that the microphones are recessed to minimize noise from the wind, contributes to the unit’s high audio quality.

When used as directed, the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 provides a noise-­reduction rating (NRR) of 26 decibels. If you’re in the market for comfortable, feature-rich and user­friendly hearing protection, give the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 a try. Visit 3M.com/PeltorSport to learn more.