Safariland is now entering the electronic hearing protection market. They’ve recently released the Safariland Pro Impulse Bluetooth alongside the classic Liberator HP 2.0.
Whenever a company releases two similar products, there can be a bit of confusion. To give you a first-person perspective on the two, I’ve got hands-on with both. Today, we will dissect both sets of electronic hearing protection and explain why Safariland offers two models and what the key difference is.
Bottom Line Up Front
The Safariland Liberator HP 2.0 is designed for the professional tactical market. They utilize key design features to make this system more aimed at military and law enforcement markets, or shooters at a professional level.
The Pro Impulse Bluetooth is aimed at the consumer market. It’s designed for people who train, who hunt, and who compete. It combines features and price to create an attractive overall design for shooters of all types.
That’s why Safariland makes two different types of electronic hearing protection. They’re appealing to different markets while still providing protection for your ears.
Features and Specs
Noise Reduction
The Pro Impulse reduces noise by 23 dB, and the Liberator HP 2.0 brings it down by 26 dB and is ANSI certified. Three decibels doesn’t sound like much, but dB is measured logarithmically, meaning 3 dB is a massive difference.
The Pro Impulse is going to work well in 99% of situations. For most shooters, that’s adequate protection for indoor and outdoor ranges, for firing short-barreled rifles, and beyond. The extra protection of the Liberators covers people who might be shooting artillery, mortars, Carl Gustav launchers, and similar extremely loud weapon systems.
The Pro Impulse uses instant compression technology to block sounds within 0.02 seconds. It’s perfect for mixing amplified hearing for conversation with instant gunshot noise reduction. The Liberators use Active Noise Reduction (ANR) and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) simultaneously to provide anti-noise waves to cancel everything from gunshots to the hum of loud engines and similar sounds.
Audio Quality
The Pro Impulse allows you to amplify your hearing by 5X, making it easy to hear conversations, range commands, shot timers, and more. When a noise is too loud, it cuts it almost instantly to provide hearing protection.
The Pro Impulse comes with four omnidirectional microphones to make it easy to localize noise and sense the direction it’s coming from.
The Liberator HP 2.0s use an industry-leading 360-degree sound localization with high-definition speakers. The end result is a system that provides clear audio with even easier recognition of the direction of sound. Ultimately, this leads to greater situational awareness.
Hearing Modes
The Pro Impulse provides two modes. One is simply amplified hearing up to 5X. The other allows you to integrate Bluetooth to take phone calls or listen to music.
The Liberator HP 2.0s offer you three modes:
- Enhanced: Blocks dangerous impulse noise while enhancing nearby audio.
- Move: Blocks all external noise.
- Clarity: Blocks all external noise while amplifying nearby speech and audio.
Modularity
The Pro Impulse Bluetooth comes as it comes. It doesn’t have much you can change besides the AAA batteries.
The Liberators HP 2.0s allow you to make all sorts of changes to the system. First and foremost, it can be converted for use with a helmet. Options exist for under- or behind-the-helmet mounts, as well as the option to mount to a helmet. Liberators can also be converted to work with push-to-talk (PTT) radios, creating instant radio integration.
Users can swap to gel cups for greater comfort for long-duration use. Finally, Liberators HP 2.0s are a dual-fuel design that allows the use of AAA and CR123 batteries. There is also a rechargeable set with a fixed battery that uses USB-C charging.
Comfort and All-Day Wear
Overall, the Liberator HP 2.0s are probably going to win the comfort competition. They are the most comfortable option if you’re going to be wearing them for 12 hours or more without the option to remove them. The lightweight design and gel cups work wonders for comfort.
The Pro Impulse Bluetooth provides a fair amount of comfort. I’ve been to the range for several hours wearing them, bumping Wu-Tang Clan, and never had a comfort issue. If I were crawling around in the dirt and mud for 12 hours, that might change, but for a few hours, I have no complaints.
The Value Discussion
Pro Impulse Bluetooth has an MSRP of around $75. They pack a lot of features and comfort into a fairly small price point. For most shooters, high-quality electronic hearing protection for $75 is a decent bargain.
The Liberator HP 2.0s have a retail price of around $350 for a base pair. The various helmet mounts, gel cups, and PTT conversion add on to that cost. For a professional in a violent profession, that’s an investment worth making.
Verdict: Who Should Buy Which
If you are a police officer on a SWAT Team, a member of the military, a firearms instructor, a high-level competition shooter, or in a similar role, the Liberator HP 2.0s are for you. They are excellent for shooters who need a higher level of situational awareness or have to integrate helmets and radios into their daily lives.
The Pro Impulse Bluetooth is perfect for 99% of shooters. If you’re serious about training, competing, or simply a casual shooter, these ear muffs will take you a long way. The Bluetooth addition allows you to listen to music, take calls, and more, which can be convenient in a noisy environment. Heck, I even use them while mowing the yard.
Getting Loud
The Liberators offer you more: more protection, more modularity, more modes, and they cost a bit more money. Most of the features the Liberator offers aren’t going to be all that useful to the average gun owner. That’s where the Pro Impulse swings in to save the day.
Regardless of which direction you go, you’ll have a high-quality set of ear protection that keeps tinnitus at bay.
