Introduction
I have gone far too long without proper hearing protection, just ask my wife. Serious shooting really does require some good protection for your ears. Most of the time I am shooting suppressed which is better but still arguably bad for your ears. The advent of electronic hearing protection has given us many better options, and today I bring you another one. In this article I will share with you my thoughts on the Warbird Intrepid BT headset.
Warbird is a safety company as far as I can tell, manufacturing various personal protective pieces of gear. The Intrepid BT is a bluetooth enabled headset to allow everything you want to hear come through, while keeping sharp noises like gunfire muted. Warbird also makes eye protection in various styles, as well as soft body armor.
The Warbird Intrepid BT Headset
Lets go over some of the features of the Intrepid BT:
Bluetooth Enabled
NRR 23dB
Two Omnidirectional Microphones
Full Dynamic Range HD Speakers for Clear, Balanced Sound (40mm, 20 ohm)
High-Definition Sound Effects
Low Frequency Tuned for Natural Sound Clarity
Sound Dampening Composite Housing
Sound Active Compression- 0.01 Second Reaction Time
HiFi Audio Input Jack- 3.5mm
Positive Response Power, Volume and Select Buttons
TPU Covered Gel Ear Pad
Comfort Headband with Metal Frame
USB Charging Port (Rechargeable)
Semi-Rigid Case Included
Like most hearing pro, the Intrepid muffles out the loud noise around you. But it also uses dual microphones to pick up the normal sounds around you so you can hear things like voices and other similar sounds. But it keeps out the deafening report of gunfire and other noises that might damage your hearing.
I was very impressed with the Intrepid as it incorporates a great deal of added benefits as well. The dual mics give you stereo sound, which is far more important than you think. My older set of electric hearing protection had only one mic, leaving you wondering where sounds were coming from. In addition to the dual mics, the Intrepid BT has comfortable dual gel filled ear cups to seal comfortably against your head.
The BT in the Intrepid stands for bluetooth, one of the three settings of the Intrepid allows you to bluetooth to your phone or other device. This morning while shooting at the dreaded public range, I facetimed the office for a meeting while on a live firing range. And when the meeting was over I continued to listen to my favorite 80’s yacht rock while I finished out my range session. All while still listening to others talk guns in the background.
As if that wasn’t enough, the micro USB rechargeable Intrepid also has a 3.5mm input jack that you can plug into your Walkman for old-time sake. The spring suspension fits comfortably over your head or hat, and is adjustable for most sizes.
On the Range with the Intrepid BT
I opened the box to find a nice carry case containing the headset. The zipper closes nicely to keep dust and other contaminants away from your ear pro. I removed the Intrepid and fitted it to my ears, immediately soothed by the gel filled cups. Pressing the power button quickly brought the Intrepid to life, and every little sound around me was suddenly noticeable.
With my ears covered by the Warbird Intrepid headset, I hit the range on various occasions. As much as I hate public ranges they can be good for testing. As I mentioned already, it was nice to be able to hear everything going on around me on the firing line. The stereo mics made it clear where sound was coming from, allowing me to better monitor other shooters on the firing line.
Despite shooting some very large caliber rifles, as well as those of other shooters, I found my noise level to be quite tolerable. Even the deafening blast of my Desert Tech HTI 50 BMG was softened to a safe level. Shooting even in the confined spaces of an indoor range, the Intrepid kept my ears from getting overwhelmed.
But even cheap headsets can keep noise out, so what makes this set any better you might ask. Let me go over some pros and cons that you might use in deciding on what kind of hearing protection you want to purchase.
Pros and Cons
Pros
First of all I found the stereo mics enough reason to never use anything else again. I hate wearing non-stereo hearing protection. You hear something happen and spin around in every direction wondering where it came from. The dual mics of the the Intrepid give you a strong sense of direction based on sound. I don’t know if you could navigate in the dark using them, but that would be worth trying.
The bluetooth feature is also incredibly handy, while more a luxury than anything it is one worth having. Whether it be for listening to music, instructional training or whatever else, it’s nice to be able to do while still slinging lead.
I found the comfort of the Intrepid headset to be very pleasant as well, at least as good as one might expect. The tight fitting yet comfortable suspension band is low profile to prevent getting hung up on things. And it also helps keep other headgear in place while maneuvering.
Not only is the bluetooth feature handy, but being able to plug the Intrepid in is nice too. I didn’t need the audio jack, but plugging it in to charge on the way to the range is way better than going through batteries. The Intrepid is also much more affordable than some comparable hearing protection units.
Cons
As a firm believer in abolishing the NFA, I would much rather use suppressors than hearing protection. So for me wearing them is a bit of a necessary evil, but I must admit that if I must wear over-ear protection, these are a great option.
Like any over-ear set of hearing pro, you are going to sweat in the heat. The gel cushion of the Intrepid is better than foam, but a better seal might make sweating worse. This is just one of the side effects of safety, so not much can be done about it.
There are cheaper options for over-ear hearing protection, but not many of them have all these features.
Last Words
I really like the Warbird Intrepid BT hearing protection, I have several other options in my kit but I often find myself grabbing these. Even if only for the bluetooth feature. Since we all really should start wearing proper hearing protection, I can strongly recommend this headset as a solid option. Other similar models like the Safariland Liberators are more than double the price, as are the Sordin Supreme set.
Perhaps you aren’t the type hanging from helicopters in the dark, and like me just want some quality hearing protection when necessary. For that the Warbird Intrepid BT is fantastic, and brings quite a few features that even more expensive models don’t offer. You get clear stereo sound and ears that don’t ring after you get home.
Get yourself a set of Intrepid’s, you wont regret it!