The new WarBird Intrepid RC rechargeable ear pro is a crucial piece of gear for any firearms enthusiast. Even when shooting suppressed, your hearing is at risk with each trigger pull. Minimize that risk of permanent hearing damage with ear pro which not only performs, but is comfortable enough to wear for extended range trips. Since I happened to be in the market for some new hearing protection, and the WarBird Intrepid RC ticked the important boxes for me, I got a set to try out.
WarBird Intrepid RC features
- Noise Reduction and Hearing Protection:
- The Intrepid RC has a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 23 dB, making them good for rimfire and suppressed centerfire. For heavy calibers, users may want to combine them with earplugs.
- A composite housing offers contributes to additional sound dampening.
- Digital compression circuitry offers a 2 mS attack time, to reduce loud sounds before they can reach your ears.
- Sound Quality:
- Experience clear and balanced sound from the Full Dynamic Range HD 40mm speakers.
- Low-frequency tuning offers natural sound clarity.
- Ambient sound amplification can be adjusted for both ears or independently.
- Bluetooth is not included, but a 3.5mm input jack is built-in in case you want to play some tunes.
- Comfort and Wearability:
- TPU-covered gel ear pads are paired with the padded headband for all-day comfort.
- Their slim design works well with rifles too.
- Battery Life and Functionality:
- An internal rechargeable battery lasts up to eight hours and recharges in just 90 minutes.
- Battery life is further protected with an auto shut-off function, should the user forget to turn them off.
Range time
My first outing with the WarBird Intrepid RC ear pro, I was immediately impressed with the comfort. Somehow, I had never used TPU-covered gel ear pads. They are much more comfortable than other pads I have used, and my ears fit inside the cavity. Even though they got slick with sweat, they stayed in place. After nearly three hours, I still had no hot spots from them, which is a huge bonus. I’m unlikely to go back to regular ear pads again.
Powering them up, there is a tone that plays, then they’re good to go. Shooters far away instantly got pretty quiet, while shots near me (mostly 9mm and some . 22 LR), were reduced to acceptable levels. And I could still hold a conversation with my shooting buddies. One feature I really appreciate is the independent sound adjustment. With rimfire on my left, and 9mm on my right, this was really handy. And it’s easy to set, since there are only four buttons on the left muff. Volume up, power, volume down, and S, for selecting left, right, or both, when making adjustments. Recessing the power button was a smart design move, as that provides a quick reference point for the other three buttons.
Pros and Cons
The padded headband offered more comfort than other models I own, but that was expected, given the higher (currently $95.00) price tag. And the gel was great too. While I don’t miss the Bluetooth, WarBird has the Intrepid BT (Bluetooth model) on sale for $127.00 at the time of writing. For an extra $32, that’s probably worth it.
All my other hearing protection use AAA rechargeable batteries, and I’m a bit on the fence about an internal rechargeable pack. It’s convenient, but I can’t swap batteries mid-shoot. With eight hours of life, that’s plenty for a weekend though. If I was in the habit of shooting more than eight hours at a time, it would be a different story. Being able to charge in 90 minutes with the included cable is helpful, but they chose USB micro rather than USB-C.
Conclusion
I shoot a lot of suppressed rimfire. But I shoot on public land. So most of the time, my ear pro is about protecting me from everyone else. Although I do shoot my fair share of 9mm and 5.56 too. Either way, WarBird Intrepid RC offers sufficient protection for about 95% of the shooting I do. And I can just add plugs for when things get really loud. Sound quality is excellent for my needs as well. When I can forget that I am wearing ear pro, I know they’re good. At the end of a shooting session, I don’t want my head or my ears to hurt. And that pretty much describes the WarBird Intrepid RC.
Longevity is hard to gauge, but the semi-rigid case probably helps. Most of my gear gets stuffed in a duffel, and thrown into a 4×4 which sees a little rough use. So that case may help them live a longer life. Battery technology is at the point where I don’t worry how many charge cycles I put on them. I’ll probably do something stupid or have some sort of accident long before the batteries start to lose their charge. Meanwhile, they are keeping disposables out of landfills.
As always, I’d like to thank the folks at WarBird for providing their WarBird Intrepid RC ear pro for my testing and evaluation. They are a little pricier than basic electronic ear pro, but the sound quality is better, and the overall comfort is incomparable. Plus, they process and ship orders with above-average speed! My order (which did not get any special handling) only took two days to get from Michigan to Utah. To learn more about them, visit the WarBird website.