The MSA Sordin Supreme Pro-X Earmuff is one of those pieces of gear that we associate with the iconic special forces operator. It’s considered by many to be the gold standard in electronic hearing protection in the industry and has many loyal supporters. Does it live up to the hype?

Design:

The Supreme Pro-X comes standard with a high quality leather headband. Surrounding the Leather strap is a removable strap that exposes the wire harness. The headband itself, features a snap-in system that allows you to adjust the size to whatever suits your head size. There are 4 different size adjustments on each side. The clicks in these changes are audible. When adjusting size, especially from bigger to smaller, the strap will sometimes stay in place and bunch up and has to be pulled down. The cups themselves are made of sturdy polymer and feature a slanted form on the bottom, to avoid bumping into rifle stocks. In practicality however, this works most efficiently with stocks that also feature a slanted cheek weld design. The rounded stocks will still interfere if you go deep into your stock. The cups swivel smoothly and efficiently. What captures the sound are two microphones, fitted on the front side of the two cups. On the side, you have the three control buttons, which are built in an indented space to avoid accidental pressing. (More about the functions in ‘sound’). The battery compartment is on the back of the right cup. The batteries needed are two AAA batteries that should last you up to 600 hours. The headset will automatically turn off after 4 hours of inactivity to save battery life when not in use or to avoid draining the battery when in storage only to take it out to find it empty. Hitting any of the three buttons will reset the process. Inserting the batteries involves inserting one AAA, tapping the headset to get it to drop down into the lower compartment, and then inserting the second one which will help the first one down too. Many people complain about it being too complicated and while it really isn’t, if for some reason you have to change them out quickly during operations or similar situations, this wouldn’t be very practical. The battery compartment is closed by a waterproof cap with an o-ring. On top, the cap features a knob that allows for attaching a steel cable if you’re afraid to lose it. On the back of the left ear-cup, there is an aux connector to connect all your various devices. The device also comes with a 3.5 audio jack cable. All the parts are meant to be completely waterproof and the electronics on the inside are even lacquered to avoid impact or water damage, but I still wouldn’t try dunking it in water though it does seem to stand up to water pretty well (apart from the headband, see ‘material’).

Sound:

The Supreme Pro-X offers a very clean, natural sounding audio, that is of notably higher quality than most of its competition. The gel cups seal outside sound very well and the high quality microphones give you great situational awareness. As a matter of fact you’ll hear better with this than with the naked ear. They are powered on with a central button and then you have the up-down volume controls on either side. It amplifies safe noise up to four times. When putting these on however, the feedback is an unpleasant shrill chirping sound, which goes away as soon as they’re on your ears.The Sordin’s will dampen harmful noise to 82dB. They have a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 18dB and the noise reduction works mostly very efficiently. Mostly, because indoors, it often won’t muffle the sound of the gunshot reverberating completely, so you may want to double up and use in-ear too. You also may experience crackling from time to time though I’ve found that to happen when touching specific parts. Still, the quality and audio depth offered in this headset is fantastic.

Material:

The entire headset is made out of top-notch material. The Polymer feels rock solid and tough and MSA boasts of the fact that all the moveable parts are made out of steel and you can really tell. While usually you take great care with moveable parts, they seem sturdy on the Sordin’s. When it comes to rain, the headset is completely waterproof. However, after using these in the winter rains, we did notice mold forming on the leather headband. This is of course easily treated with any leather care product, but it shows that if you’re an operator or someone who likes to shoot in adverse weather, maybe synthetic is the better choice.

Comfort:

The Sordin’s can be adjusted to your head size very well, and fit tight, yet comfortably. The gel cups they come with are very soft and comfortable, and won’t cause any pain, even after hours of wear, something that definitely can’t be said about the regular ear-cups. The gel cups however, tend to get more slippery than the regular ones when sweating profusely so that’s something to keep in mind, but still an easy sacrifice.

Storage:

The Supreme Pro-X folds nicely cup to cup when set to the side and can also be double folded within itself for clean and compact storage. That being said, for the high price that these go for, it is very disappointing that they come in regular plastic wrapping, without a case. Something this expensive you’d want to protect in a case and expect it to come in one, especially when storing it in a bag or pouch that could see some impact damage.

Versatility:

The Sordin’s can be used both on the range and outdoor, though they are definitely built more for the outdoor. You can make some definite changes to them. This model is not very practical with a helmet so MSA sells them with a neckband too. Many operators like to use these with adapters to attach them to their helmet ARC rails. Most popular among these are the SARA Adapters, but they don’t run cheap.

Price:

Selling for around $280, give or take, these are definitely not a cheap option. Are there companies offering similar products for lower price tags? Yes, but they wouldn’t be as combat proven as these are. For regular civilian ranges, especially indoor shooters, this may be over the top. However, if you take your shooting seriously, or LEO/Military, this is definitely something to look into. The headset comes with a 5 year warranty.

The MSA Supreme Pro-X is definitely a good choice for serious shooters and operators. Its popularity speaks for itself, even with the hefty price tag. Military and LEO Operators all over the world prize these headsets and they are combat tested all around the globe, in the most extreme climates. This headset has definitely earned its place as an icon among hearing protection.