I don’t envy newer manufacturers trying to break into a crowded market space, especially one with an established, long-term market leader. Scopes, AR-15s, and, yes, ear protection.
So when I say in the intro that the Savior Equipment Apollo ear protection is worth your time to read about (and your money to buy), it’s because I’ve been impressed, and I think you should know why.
Apollo Tech Specs:
- Passive Sound Dampening – 24dB NRR
- Batteries: 2xAAA
- Battery Life: ~60 hours
- Active Electronic Sound Compression
- Compact Collapsible Design
- Includes
- Adaptive Cool Gel Ear Pads
- 1x American Flag Patch
- 1x Savior Writable ID Patch
- 2x AAA Energizer Batteries
- U.S. Patent No. D1055397
- Imported
- Padded Mesh Handband w/ Adjustable Wire Frame
- Stainless Steel Microphone Mesh Covering
- Dual Omnidirectional Microphones
- High Dynamic Range Speakers
- Frequency-Tuned Drivers w/ Enhanced Black PCB
Where To Buy
So, there’s thankfully little hyper-tech-lingo, and a lot of specs in blue-collar English. Here’s what I think before the first range days: The Apollo is sturdy. This is clearly well-built and easily on par with the $300 Peltors I’ve been using. No foam on the exterior covering the mikes. The gel cups are slightly more solid than the Noisefighters I’ve used for years, and are comfortable. The Apollo is simple. One knob, that’s it.
One of the big technological leaps over the last few years is the jump from analog to digital circuits. In my opinion, Analog gives a much better sound quality (think old-school Howard Leight Impact Sport).
Digital gives a faster “attack” time, meaning how many milliseconds after a loud noise is detected before the audio circuit dampens that noise. The digital sets perform better in this metric, but I dislike the “tinny” sound quality and squealing feedback (consider Howard Leight Bolt, Auto Ears).
With digital headsets, it sounds like I’m listening to the world through a video being played on a nearby cell phone. The Savior Equipment Apollo uses analog circuity, and I’m glad it does. Sound quality is much more natural, with better differentiation as to near/far noises.
The Apollo ear protection headset has just as good of sound quality as the Peltor 500 and the original Howard Leight Impact Sport (not the HL Bolt or the New Impact, both of which I like less).
I’ve waited for improvement in the total Noise Reduction Rating (NRR).
The industry sales leader Howard Leight Impact Sport headsets offer a 22 NRR at ~$60. HL’s New Impact Sport is 21 NRR at ~$181. The excellent Peltor Tactical 300 series gives a 24 NRR at ~$122. Peltor 500? 26 NRR at ~$160.
The Savior Equipment Apollo ear-pro brings 24 NRR at $49.99, the best bang for your buck.
How is the cost kept down? One way is by eliminating excess tech. A lot of ear protection I’ve reviewed lately has Bluetooth, and while I like it well enough, I don’t use it often. Judging by the comments section, lots of you don’t either.
There’s no need to pay for a feature you don’t use; let the premium-priced headsets offer that. That’s the Bluetooth hardware, the on/off/connect button, and the volume controls—eliminated.
The battery cap pops off easy enough, sliding upwards like so many other brands.
A little bonus feature the Savior Equipment Apollo offers that most don’t? Patch panels. A little strip about 1″x2″ on each side of the headband allows you to attach your own patches via velcro hook loop pile, or use the included American flag and name badge patches.
Finally, the Apollo comes in 12 colors. These range from tactical (FDE, OD Green, Black), to wild (Peach, Prison Pink, Safety Orange). I’m pretty sure they have something for mom, dad, and any of the kids as well. The surface is a nice matte material (on my OD Green set at least, can’t speak for all colors) that doesn’t
Savior Equipment Apollo At The Range:
Too much BOOM? Try some boom. That’s the point of ear protection right?
Traditional muffs have a far higher NRR than even the best electronic ear pro because the space usually taken up by circuit boards is instead stuffed with foam. The trade-off is that electronic ear pro offers a significant improvement in situational awareness, primarily in the ability to communicate without shouting at people right next to you.
So, features and bullet points aside, how does the Apollo work?
Damn well. The increase from 22 NRR (my usual go-to headset) to 24 NRR is noticeable. Muffling gunshots isn’t a problem for the Apollo. You also don’t get the “dead mike” effect with some other electronic headsets, where there’s a noticeable lag of silence before the circuit opens back up. The Apollo is responsive.
Hearing the people you’re shooting with is one of the big benefits of a headset like this, which is all for nothing if the sound quality sucks. Thankfully the Apollo excels here as well. The audio is leaps and bounds better than the last headset I reviewed, Auto Ears. I’d say this is on par for the best audio quality around, given that it’s easy to forget you’re wearing it. That’s both in regards to how natural the sound quality is, as well as…
Physical comfort. The Apollo’s headband has a padded, mesh lining. The ear cups are gel filled, and stay cool even on a hot range day. The whole assembly is adjusted via the same sliding bars nearly every unit uses.
There was a bit too much pressure on my head, so I bent the headband slightly, similar to metal framed eye protection. Easy! The Apollo matches up well with the Intrepid Warbird BT, and the Peltor 500. After a few hours at the range, I didn’t feel the need to pop the headset off during every “cold range” period, as I have to do with so many others.
The bottom line is that the Savior Equipment Apollo just works. There’s only one, small downside so far, and that’s mild to moderate wind noise.
I didn’t notice anything with a small breeze, it actually started when I was sprinting (I’m not that fast). I think it’s due to the steel mesh covering the microphones, instead of using foam like most do. Foam cuts wind better, steel is obviously much more durable.
The microphones are recessed, so I don’t really have any ideas for a quick DIY fix on this. If you shoot in a really windy area (hello Utah), expect some wind noise.
Bottom Line, Bottom Dollar:
It’s shocking that Savior Equipment is not only bringing an electronic hearing protection headset to market that’s competitive features wise, but they’re also pricing it under nearly every other option out there. $49.99 is a damn good price for a headset that’s comfortable, sounds good, and has a better NRR than the best selling headset out there. This is a better deal than pretty much anything else available.
If you need an effective set of ear protection and don’t need to pay for unused comms or bluetooth, I highly recommend the Savior Equipment Apollo. I’m confident that if you try it, you’ll like it as much as I do.
–Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer
@Rexnanorum
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