Warning: Do Not Buy Otto Noize Barrier Ear Pro

[Rimbaud]

I was curious if my post would spark this kind of discussion. Unfortunately, it has. I was simply trying to alert fellow hunters to a problem that I had with a lightly used ear pro that I found to be expensive. In my experience, premium products tend to come with premium customer service and that exists regardless of the warranty.

 

[Ray B]

I’d love for you to expand on your comments?

The comment reminds me of MSM talking heads who ask a question of someone but before they allow the answer proceed to answer their own question- That aside, since you'd love for me to expand on my comments, my expansion is:
There were four assertions:
That @Rimbaud got 4 years of service
That @Rimbaud omitted the whole story
That @Rimbaud referred to the product as Junk
That @Rimbaud provided No details.

NONE of these allegations by you are true.

My comments are that your inaccurate claims, as noted above, and the manner in which you expressed them show excessive condescension. This opinion is further supported by your feeble attempt to deflect the comments into a discussion of Costco's return policy. My suspicion is that you are a lifelong member of the Labor Party- but I won't speculate on that.

 

[Aaron N]

The comment reminds me of MSM talking heads who ask a question of someone but before they allow the answer proceed to answer their own question- That aside, since you'd love for me to expand on my comments, my expansion is:
There were four assertions:
That @Rimbaud got 4 years of service
That @Rimbaud omitted the whole story
That @Rimbaud referred to the product as Junk
That @Rimbaud provided No details.

NONE of these allegations by you are true.

My comments are that your inaccurate claims, as noted above, and the manner in which you expressed them show excessive condescension. This opinion is further supported by your feeble attempt to deflect the comments into a discussion of Costco's return policy. My suspicion is that you are a lifelong member of the Labor Party- but I won't speculate on that.

So the OP didn’t clearly state that he bought them in January of 2022? I’m not mathematician, but by my count is January of 2026. Correct me if I’m wrong.

I would argue that the OP did omit the whole story because he never said how much, and in what manner he used the product. Your second and fourth points are more or less the same.

I will concede that he never officially called it junk, but he didn’t start this thread to recommend it, so we can surmise.

Sorry, I don’t know what the Labour Party is, as we don’t have an official political party in Canada, but if it’s a thinly veiled attempt to paint me as a lefty, wouldn’t me siding with a business over the proletariat contradict that acquisition?

 

[Ray B]

Reading comprehension- @Rimbaud main issue was not the product. The main issue was the response from the customer service unit of the manufacturer.

 

[Rimbaud]

So the OP didn’t clearly state that he bought them in January of 2022? I’m not mathematician, but by my count is January of 2026. Correct me if I’m wrong.

I would argue that the OP did omit the whole story because he never said how much, and in what manner he used the product. Your second and fourth points are more or less the same.

I will concede that he never officially called it junk, but he didn’t start this thread to recommend it, so we can surmise.

Sorry, I don’t know what the Labour Party is, as we don’t have an official political party in Canada, but if it’s a thinly veiled attempt to paint me as a lefty, wouldn’t me siding with a business over the proletariat contradict that acquisition?

Proletariat? That’s hysterical, Comrade.

 

[BRICKBURN]

 

[deewayne2003]

This is one of the biggest crocks of BS that I have ever read fom a company. It's almost laughable.

Paul

You should try dealing with YETI customer service!

 

[Aaron N]

Proletariat? That’s hysterical, Comrade.

A little hyperbole never hurt.

Also, I am sorry you ended up with a set of lemons. It happens to all of us now and then.

 

[glblanchard]

I have had good service with the Axil products.

 

[farmer_john]

I have a very lightly used set that has ceased to fully function. Company does not stand behind the product. See below. They charge a lot of money for ear pro that they know does not last.

See Otto response to my query about a product bought on Jan 2022:

Thank you for your email. Based on the proof of purchase the earpieces are no longer under warranty. The warrant is 18 months from date of purchase or date code on the earpieces. The earpieces are not repairable, unfortunately. Below is information we received from our QA department on product life on the earpieces. It’s very hard to provide any kind of accurate life span expectation due to the variable use cases. The biggest variable seems to be body chemistry and function – some people’s body oils/sweat/etc attack the device, including the electronics, much more than others. Some people generate copious amount of cerumen but many do not. The there is the frequency and duration of use and the effect on the battery cycle life. Environmental factors may play a part – anecdotal evidence indicates that frequent usage in hot/humid environments may decrease the life span (or this may simply relate back to the sweat factor). Rough handling can certainly decrease life span. Based on all of those variables the life span can be expected to vary between 1 to 5 years, with little ability to predict what an individual can expect.

Im a peltor comtac guy. Love em even if not all features are needed/useful all the time.

 

[coreydb]

Thanks for the heads up.....I'm looking for new
ear protection but will avoid them like the plague.

 

[Rem280]

If it makes you feel better I had an issue with my Sordin Pro-X Ear Muffs. The company is useless.

 

[Sabre]

I have a very lightly used set that has ceased to fully function. Company does not stand behind the product. See below. They charge a lot of money for ear pro that they know does not last.

What did you think of the sound quality before they went bad?

How long before you started noticing battery issues?

 

[Sabre]

Thanks for the heads up.....I'm looking for new
ear protection but will avoid them like the plague.

I have had pretty good success with the Walker Silencer BT 2.0

They aren't perfect, but they are comfortable and work fairly well. I had some issues with a pair starting to make an electronic noise but the company warrantied them.

I am considering trying the Peltor TEP though.

 

[Rimbaud]

I have had pretty good success with the Walker Silencer BT 2.0

They aren't perfect, but they are comfortable and work fairly well. I had some issues with a pair starting to make an electronic noise but the company warrantied them.

I am considering trying the Peltor TEP though.

Glad it helped. I have been stunned by Otto's customer service, or lack thereof.

 

[Edwardthehunter]

Thanks for the heads-up - sounds like these Otto Noize Barrier ear pro aren’t very reliable and the warranty is short. Definitely something to think twice about before buying.

 

[Rimbaud]

What did you think of the sound quality before they went bad?

How long before you started noticing battery issues?

Initially, the sound quality was great, and the plugs were comfortable to wear. I had good sound awareness on hunts, and the plugs were good enough for the range. Sadly, the quality faded rapidly, even though the plugs were stored in the case, and the case was stored in a climate-controlled gear room. I think battery issues probably emerged within a year. I encourage you to review the response from the company, which includes absurd statements about ear wax, and an utter lack of regard for customers. In my experience, when you sell a premium product, and charge premium prices, you also offer premium service. I have never piped up like this to warn anyone about a product, but frankly I have never encountered such a situation. BTW, the plugs were recommended on another site, and endorsed with a review by an editorial staffer.

 

[Sabre]

Initially, the sound quality was great, and the plugs were comfortable to wear. I had good sound awareness on hunts, and the plugs were good enough for the range. Sadly, the quality faded rapidly, even though the plugs were stored in the case, and the case was stored in a climate-controlled gear room. I think battery issues probably emerged within a year. I encourage you to review the response from the company, which includes absurd statements about ear wax, and an utter lack of regard for customers. In my experience, when you sell a premium product, and charge premium prices, you also offer premium service. I have never piped up like this to warn anyone about a product, but frankly I have never encountered such a situation. BTW, the plugs were recommended on another site, and endorsed with a review by an editorial staffer.

I read the entire thread. I think the most ridiculous thing about it is their warranty period for such expensive ear pro. I was just curious how the quality was initially.

Unfortunately, I see that a lot of ear pro items have short warranties like that as well. I have had friends that also had similar issues with their hearing aids.

It's unfortunate they don't clock hours of use (like mileage) so you could have a warranty for a certain number of hours of use. That would help for people who just use them on hunts.