AllOutdoor Review: Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Initial Unboxing & Setup
Travis Olander 11.01.23
We recently covered ballistic ear pro. A key takeaway was that to ensure proper protection from hearing damage when shooting, you need to double up on ear pro. That means wearing over-the-ear muffs and ear plugs to achieve the proper Noise Reduction Rating. But doubling up on ear pro also means you’re losing situational awareness – you simply can’t hear what’s going on around you. That is, unless you wear some active hearing protection. So, we are going to review a pair of the Peltor Comtac V Defenders and share our initial unboxing and setup of these popular earmuffs for hearing protection.
Hearing Protection Coverage on AllOutdoor
- Noise Reduction Ratings: How Much Shooting Ear Pro Do You Need?
- AllOutdoor Review – 3M Peltor Comtac III Hearing Defenders
- Tactical Games Competition – Lessons Learned from Brownells – Part IV
- Teaching Others About Firearms – Taking a Second Swing through Classes
Enter Peltor. Yes, kit kids love to spend hundreds of dollars on mil-spec gear that’ll never truly serve its purpose. But Peltor’s Comtac series of headsets are the exception. The Peltor Comtac V Defenders provide some of the best active hearing protection I’ve ever worn. Let’s take a closer look at these shooting muffs.
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Specifications
- Noise Reduction Rating: 23 dB (ANSI tested)
- Max Impulse Noise Reduction: 32.6 dB
- Battery Life: 150 Hours
- Battery: (1) AAA
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Additional Features
- “Talk-Through” automatic voice tuning
- “Earplug Mode” for doubled up ear pro
- New omni speakers and microphones
- Adjustable release time for indoor reverb
- Automatic equalizer enhances ambient noise
- Compatible with U-174, 6-pin and Motorola APX adapters
- Compatible with helmet ARC rail connectors
- New rubberized headband for added comfort
As I said, I think the Comtac Vs are the best active ear pro on the market. I’ve worn plenty of active hearing protection – both plugs and muffs – and none have satisfied all the factors that make active ear pro work well. Those factors include:
- Actual noise reduction: The total, real-world level of protection provided
- Response time: How quickly the microphones shut off in response to fire
- Release time: How quickly after the fire ends the microphones reactivate
- Audio quality: How clear and crisp pass-through noise and speech sound
- Battery life: How long active protection lasts per battery or charge
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Fitment and Functions
Everyone lauds the optional gel ear cups that are sold separately. But I found the provided foam cell cups to be perfectly comfortable, even when worn for a few hours. They don’t pinch or cause hot spots, and they provide plenty of noise reduction.
The padded rubber headband is noticeably more comfortable than the Comtac III’s old canvas band. The adjustment range is plentiful, and they’ll generally stay put when stretched or compressed to the size you require. Peltor claims the headband will fit fine under most helmets; but I wouldn’t bother. The ARC adapter system is a vastly better setup.
The headset’s powered by a single AAA in either cup, which is waterproofed by an O-ring compressed under each battery compartment door. Speaking of waterproofing, the Comtac V’s are fully waterproof and handle rain just fine. The only external controls are just below the left ear’s battery compartment: Two rubberized buttons provide volume adjustment for ambient noise and conversation. Powering the Comtacs on and off simply requires pressing and holding one of the two buttons for about 3 seconds.
“Volume Boost” mode for doubled up ear pro is also activated or disabled here. You’ll need to press and hold the forward button for 10 seconds to enable it. “Balance Mode” is also accessed by button holds. This allows you to bias the volume for the left or right ears. To enable adjustments, you’ll need to hold down both buttons for 10 seconds. Then you can click either button to bias the volume left or right.
Lastly, the onboard equalizer can be tuned via button presses. Although the Comtacs automatically adjust for various frequencies, I found mine had the tiniest high-pitched hiss in certain indoor environments. Adjusting the EQ’s accomplished by holding the rear button for 10 seconds, and adjusting the frequent range of the microphones up or down using both buttons. This remedied the hiss, and I enjoyed crystal-clear audio at my favorite indoor range thereafter.
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Noise Protection & Performance
My first experience with the Comtac Vs was outside, in a relatively narrow valley on public game lands, shooting unsuppressed 300 BLKs. Some active ear pro simply struggles to accommodate all types of gunfire – namely supersonic and subsonic loads – but the Comtac Vs handled both without issue. Response and release times were immediate, with no latency on either end. In holding normal conversation in between shots, I found no excess suppression of voice or ambient noise; the Comtac’s processor is great at providing immediate return to hearing-safe noise.
Even without doubling up, noise suppression was more than adequate when firing supersonic loads. Although the Comtac V’s advertised NRR is “only” 23 decibels, the tested impulse noise reduction is around 32 dB. Impulse noise reduction is a more accurate figure to reference when estimating real-world protection against typical semiautomatic fire, and the Comtacs provide some of the highest protection on the market.
Inside, performance is just as good: The Comtac Vs handle reverb and sound suppression in confined spaces better than any other active ear pro I’ve worn. I was able to send .308 loads at my local indoor range’s underground, 100-meter tunnels – essentially giant echo chambers – with no need for doubling up on plugs, either.
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Hearing-Safe Sound/Amplification
Situational awareness with the Comtac Vs is a game changer. The omni mics and stereo speakers do an excellent job of providing proper directional, hearing-safe sound pass-through. The ambient sound amplification is excellent, too – these may not be Sony’s finest cups, but the equalizer, bass, mid tones, and treble are balanced and solid. No tinny noise, no hollowness.
You may find (as I did) that some indoor ambient noise can induce a faint hiss. Simply adjust the equalizer range manually, and you should be able to eliminate this if you experience it, too.
Battery Life (is definitely not 150 hours)
Comtac Vs are clearly meant to worn on a regular basis – not worn once a week, or so. There is clearly some parasitic battery power loss over time, because mine never lasted 150 hours. My best estimate puts battery life with off-the-shelf Energizer AAAs at around 100 hours – so 66% of advertised performance.
That’s still a helluva lot of battery life, and I imagine you can get closer to that 150-hour mark with more regular use and higher-quality, rechargeable AAAs.
Peltor Comtac V Defenders – Cost is $500… Worth it?
Simply put: Yes. If you regularly attend courses, or just go to your local range once or twice a month, the Comtac Vs are the active ear pro to end all others. Buy once, cry once. They’re incredibly comfortable, lightweight, totally waterproof and shockproof, and their omnidirectional sound quality and onboard processing is second to none. You can often find sales on these base Comtacs (kitted out LEO and mil version often cost closer to $800), which occasionally discounts them to below $500. But even at this price, the Comtac Vs might just be too much ear muff. If you’re looking for something more budget-minded, check out our review of the new rechargeable Firemax Digital Earmuffs from Walker’s.
