I figured I would post my initial review of the Tetra products I purchased, as it may help others with their decisions. Novel ahead. Let me know if you have any questions.
Background: 27 y/o, good hearing. I would say that my hearing isn't excellent, but I feel like my awareness in the field is on the higher end, so I feel like I hear things others do not. I don't think this is due to the ability of my ears though. I do not have tinnitus. I purchased these devices for about $1100, plus $75 for custom ear impressions.
I decided to invest in electronic hearing protection this fall. I hunt at least one day per week, often two. When target shooting, I wear hearing protection 100% of the time, but have never worn anything when hunting. Last year I purchased a pair of moldable Decibullz ear plugs. I really like them for plinking or trap shooting, but they do not allow enough awareness to be used in the field in my opinion. I did some comparison between the Otopro brand and Tetra, but did not find any definitive performance differences. In fact, I struggled to find any detailed reviews of any electronic hearing product for hunting. I decided to go with Tetra due to cost.
I purchased the Tetra CustomShield plugs with the Upland technology. You can customize them for different pursuits, but I could not find anything detailing what different programming got me. What is the difference between Upland and Waterfowl, or Big Game vs Dangerous Game? I chose to not reach out to Tetra with questions before purchasing, and went with Upland only. I opted against bluetooth, and got the 60 Advanced technology with replaceable batteries. The difference between 60 and 90 tech is their ability to tune each ear specifically for different hearing loss which I do not have, and better wind noise reduction.
I performed the online hearing test and purchased them on 10/7. I found a local clinic for ear impressions on 10/9, and shipped my impressions the same day. I received my Tetra's on 11/9. I was hoping to take them with on my trip to Montana, but they arrived the day I left for the week. Yesterday's hunt was my first time wearing them in the field.
Fit - They are very comfortable. My impressions were done well, and the devices fit in my ear very comfortably. There is no pressure, and they do not feel too large or too small in my ear. The longest time I've worn them is about 2 hours, but no complaints on fit.
Use - To start, the audio is a little unnatural. All sounds are coming from electronics, which doesn't sound like your naked ear. The sounds are clear, but they do sound like they're coming from a speaker. It would be like listening to the inputs over your life coming through your headphones. It works, but is odd. Before yesterday, I'd only worn them around the house. It did not do them justice. There are so many more auditory inputs in the field, wearing them around the house to get used to them didn't do anything for me. Even my stripped-down version came with 3 different sound modes. I honestly have not yet been able to notice any difference between each level. There is also a volume knob, which I played with a little. I am a bit disappointed with the volume knob, as it is difficult to operate with gloves on as it is very small. I also wanted to have each ear on the exact same level, which you cannot be sure of unless you take the device out to look at the knob. I initially figured I'd just leave them on max volume since why wouldn't you want to hear as good as possible. Poor choice. I was hearing noises I'd never heard before. Stopping to listen for the dog and hearing grasses crushing and crackling under my unmoving feet was disconcerting. The amount of walking noise I heard or the noise of grasses touching the back of my vest was insane. I turned them down before proceeding. The piece that is going to take a ton of getting used to is the amount of auditory input you receive. Everything is louder, and it makes it tough to ignore the typical sounds like walking, or the dog moving through brush. I did struggle to locate my dog via ears with the Tetra's in due to this. Everything in the field makes noise, and you can now hear all of it. I anticipate I'll get used to the other sounds over time, but initially it is difficult to filter out unnecessary sounds. When we got into our first birds, we were working a piece of cover I anticipated to get a flush from. Suddenly in my left ear, I heard a loud cackle and whipped around to look for a bird. It wasn't a flush after all, just a cackle from a rooster a ways away. We went and tracked him down and flushed him about 100 yards away from where I was when I heard him. He sounded like he was right behind me. I am sure I would have heard him without the Tetras, but it was so loud it startled me. The first flush was at about 75 yards, and I was able to crisply tell sound and direction with them in, even over the sound of my own breathing, heart beat, and steps. The first shot was very odd. I actually wasn't even sure my gun fired in the exact moment until the audio cutout stopped and I heard the PSHHH of the shot echoing across the land. The second shot I took I was ready for, and it was pretty neat to hear the device cut out on the initial "whump" and open back up to hear the echo. The dB reduction of these is awesome. We got into a good spot and the dog was birdy, and I was able to stand in one spot and over the course of a few minutes watch and listen to at least 40 birds leave one small slough. It was a good test for my awareness with them in. The last bird of the day was in another small patch of dry cattails. Dog pointed and I went ahead. She relocated on point, and I kicked up a hen. A split second later I jumped another hen, which in the sun looked relatively colorful. I ID'd as a hen, but heard a loud cackle when it was about 20 yards out. My eyes and ears weren't agreeing. As the hen cleared shotgun range, a rooster blew up from underneath where her flight path was. I realized then that the cackle was the rooster on the ground making noise at the exact moment the hen flew over, but with the Tetras the cackle was so amplified I had a hard time figuring out what was going on.
Final Thoughts - These things are both very cool, but also need a lot of getting used to. The amplification is great but they amplify things at 150 yards, and at your feet. Geese flying hundreds of yards away sound like they're overhead. Blasts from other hunters a half mile away sound very loud, as the devices amplify those. The challenge is going to be filtering through the noises that the hunter makes that you wouldn't normally notice since those are now so profound. The cutout for the shot is incredible. It really cuts that blast into nothing, and the sound comes back in a flash. No delay in regaining your hearing after a bang. I had a quick limit, so my time wearing them in the field was limited. I feel very positive about the experience, but it will be a challenge to get used to them. If I had magic technology, I'd amplify sounds over 75 yards but keep everything closer than that un-amplified.
Background: 27 y/o, good hearing. I would say that my hearing isn't excellent, but I feel like my awareness in the field is on the higher end, so I feel like I hear things others do not. I don't think this is due to the ability of my ears though. I do not have tinnitus. I purchased these devices for about $1100, plus $75 for custom ear impressions.
I decided to invest in electronic hearing protection this fall. I hunt at least one day per week, often two. When target shooting, I wear hearing protection 100% of the time, but have never worn anything when hunting. Last year I purchased a pair of moldable Decibullz ear plugs. I really like them for plinking or trap shooting, but they do not allow enough awareness to be used in the field in my opinion. I did some comparison between the Otopro brand and Tetra, but did not find any definitive performance differences. In fact, I struggled to find any detailed reviews of any electronic hearing product for hunting. I decided to go with Tetra due to cost.
I purchased the Tetra CustomShield plugs with the Upland technology. You can customize them for different pursuits, but I could not find anything detailing what different programming got me. What is the difference between Upland and Waterfowl, or Big Game vs Dangerous Game? I chose to not reach out to Tetra with questions before purchasing, and went with Upland only. I opted against bluetooth, and got the 60 Advanced technology with replaceable batteries. The difference between 60 and 90 tech is their ability to tune each ear specifically for different hearing loss which I do not have, and better wind noise reduction.
I performed the online hearing test and purchased them on 10/7. I found a local clinic for ear impressions on 10/9, and shipped my impressions the same day. I received my Tetra's on 11/9. I was hoping to take them with on my trip to Montana, but they arrived the day I left for the week. Yesterday's hunt was my first time wearing them in the field.
Fit - They are very comfortable. My impressions were done well, and the devices fit in my ear very comfortably. There is no pressure, and they do not feel too large or too small in my ear. The longest time I've worn them is about 2 hours, but no complaints on fit.
Use - To start, the audio is a little unnatural. All sounds are coming from electronics, which doesn't sound like your naked ear. The sounds are clear, but they do sound like they're coming from a speaker. It would be like listening to the inputs over your life coming through your headphones. It works, but is odd. Before yesterday, I'd only worn them around the house. It did not do them justice. There are so many more auditory inputs in the field, wearing them around the house to get used to them didn't do anything for me. Even my stripped-down version came with 3 different sound modes. I honestly have not yet been able to notice any difference between each level. There is also a volume knob, which I played with a little. I am a bit disappointed with the volume knob, as it is difficult to operate with gloves on as it is very small. I also wanted to have each ear on the exact same level, which you cannot be sure of unless you take the device out to look at the knob. I initially figured I'd just leave them on max volume since why wouldn't you want to hear as good as possible. Poor choice. I was hearing noises I'd never heard before. Stopping to listen for the dog and hearing grasses crushing and crackling under my unmoving feet was disconcerting. The amount of walking noise I heard or the noise of grasses touching the back of my vest was insane. I turned them down before proceeding. The piece that is going to take a ton of getting used to is the amount of auditory input you receive. Everything is louder, and it makes it tough to ignore the typical sounds like walking, or the dog moving through brush. I did struggle to locate my dog via ears with the Tetra's in due to this. Everything in the field makes noise, and you can now hear all of it. I anticipate I'll get used to the other sounds over time, but initially it is difficult to filter out unnecessary sounds. When we got into our first birds, we were working a piece of cover I anticipated to get a flush from. Suddenly in my left ear, I heard a loud cackle and whipped around to look for a bird. It wasn't a flush after all, just a cackle from a rooster a ways away. We went and tracked him down and flushed him about 100 yards away from where I was when I heard him. He sounded like he was right behind me. I am sure I would have heard him without the Tetras, but it was so loud it startled me. The first flush was at about 75 yards, and I was able to crisply tell sound and direction with them in, even over the sound of my own breathing, heart beat, and steps. The first shot was very odd. I actually wasn't even sure my gun fired in the exact moment until the audio cutout stopped and I heard the PSHHH of the shot echoing across the land. The second shot I took I was ready for, and it was pretty neat to hear the device cut out on the initial "whump" and open back up to hear the echo. The dB reduction of these is awesome. We got into a good spot and the dog was birdy, and I was able to stand in one spot and over the course of a few minutes watch and listen to at least 40 birds leave one small slough. It was a good test for my awareness with them in. The last bird of the day was in another small patch of dry cattails. Dog pointed and I went ahead. She relocated on point, and I kicked up a hen. A split second later I jumped another hen, which in the sun looked relatively colorful. I ID'd as a hen, but heard a loud cackle when it was about 20 yards out. My eyes and ears weren't agreeing. As the hen cleared shotgun range, a rooster blew up from underneath where her flight path was. I realized then that the cackle was the rooster on the ground making noise at the exact moment the hen flew over, but with the Tetras the cackle was so amplified I had a hard time figuring out what was going on.
Final Thoughts - These things are both very cool, but also need a lot of getting used to. The amplification is great but they amplify things at 150 yards, and at your feet. Geese flying hundreds of yards away sound like they're overhead. Blasts from other hunters a half mile away sound very loud, as the devices amplify those. The challenge is going to be filtering through the noises that the hunter makes that you wouldn't normally notice since those are now so profound. The cutout for the shot is incredible. It really cuts that blast into nothing, and the sound comes back in a flash. No delay in regaining your hearing after a bang. I had a quick limit, so my time wearing them in the field was limited. I feel very positive about the experience, but it will be a challenge to get used to them. If I had magic technology, I'd amplify sounds over 75 yards but keep everything closer than that un-amplified.
