Peltor™ Sport Tactical 500

Active protection that adjusts to you, so you can focus on firing.

Want to load the first mag, pop on your ear pro, and start shooting? No fuss, no tuning? 3M’s Peltor Sport Tactical 500s are the active hearing protection to buy. These automatic muffs tune themselves to your range, killing echoes when indoors and damping all gunfire. They also boost voice audio during downtime or instruction, so you’re not screaming at your buddy sitting two feet next to you. 

Noise reduction (NRR): 26 decibels. Automatic, Bluetooth-enabled. 

The Peltor 500s’ Clear Voice Tracking and Dynamic Suppression Time are automatic, so you don’t need to tune them to work. The Sport Tac 500's onboard chip analyzes ambient sound and conversations against any rifle, pistol, and supersonic or subsonic gunfire. The headset automatically compensates for that excess sound, providing reliable protection in or outdoors.

Bluetooth compatibility means you can stream music or take calls over the audio without pausing. A vented headband, soft ear cups, and easy ambient volume controls make the Tactical Sport 500 perfect for any shooter who wants best-in-class hearing protection on a budget.

Additional Specs

• Bluetooth audio for music and calls
• Automatically adjusts to gunfire and voice
• Mixer balances input with ambient noise
• Dynamic sound suppression kills echoes
• Low-profile cups for rifles and shotguns
• Tethered battery door (two AA batteries*)
• 2-hour or 4-hour programmable auto shut-off

*USB recharging available with Alpha 100 li-ion battery pack (sold separate)

Sport Tac 500s: In-Depth Review

Active Hearing Protection

As "active" ear pro, the Sport Tac 500's utilize two recessed microphones, one placed at the front of each ear muff. Triangular foam keeps debris and dust from getting into the unit. 

Power On / Off & Bluetooth

All controls and buttons are located on the right ear muff's outer shell. The center Bluetooth button can be pressed once to enter pairing mode. The unit's up and down arrows control the microphones' ambient volume. Bluetooth volume is controlled by the connected device. The triangular power button must be pressed and held for three seconds to power the unit on and off.

Battery Life & Replacement

Although the 500's AA battery life is not advertised, this writer has not yet had to change the batteries after approximately 4 hours of total use. When battery life is low, the headset will announce "low battery" every 10 minutes. Replacing the batteries requires popping open the left ear muff's plastic cover.

Audio Jack & USB Recharging

The Sport Tac 500 also comes with a standard audio jack. Sold separately, the Alpha 1100 rechargeable battery pack can be charged via the ear muff's built-in USB port. The jack and USB port are protected by a rubberized cover.

Noise Suppression & Comfort

The Peltor 500 provides good comfort for long periods of wear. This writer had no trouble donning these muffs for a little over two hours in the desert heat, while shooting on BLM land. We tested these muffs while firing 7.62x39, .308 Winchester, 300 BLK supersonics and subsonics, and 9mm supers.

We fired these rounds at outdoor and indoor ranges and found the "Dynamic Suppression Time" works well: The ear muffs are capable of accommodating these different environments and calibers, attenuating excess sound effectively in different environments.

The Dynamic Suppression works by measuring the sound energy produced by each gunshot. The onboard processor then applies a suppression time that reduces that excess sound. Suppression time is typically shorter for small calibers, and longer for rifle calibers and indoor echoes.

Ambient Sound & Comparison to the Peltor Comtac V

Any standard ear muff-type hearing protection can provide decent noise reduction. It's the active hearing component -- the ability to amplify conversation and provide crisp ambient noise for situational awareness -- that sets apart a good set of active ear pro from the rest.

So, how well does the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 (right) compare to the top-of-the-line Comtac V (left)? This writer owns both, and paid out of pocket for his Comtacs. I happily admit the Sport Tac 500's "clear voice tracking" and ambient noise is strikingly similar in quality, clarity, and volume to that of the Comtac V.

At maximum volume, the Comtac V's ambient volume is just barely louder. But that extra bit of volume simply isn't necessary. It's just nice to have in a tactical or "threat" environment. The 500 headset provides very crisp audio. I had no trouble having clear, quiet conversations will shooting indoors and outside.

Although the 500 muffs' cups (right) appear slightly larger, its overall construction and comfort are nearly identical to the Comtac V headset (left) when worn. The 500's ear cups and padding are also a bit larger, which may benefit shooters with bigger ears. The Comtac's rubber headband is a tad more pliable and can be more easily worn under a hat or helmet, but both muffs' headbands are comfortable enough for long-term wear.