Ear Protection ??

[lazyengineer]

I use 'double ears' religiously, including when shooting suppressed. Ear plugs with electronic muffs.

It was mandatory in the Service and habit forming. Why do I do this - hearing loss is cumulative and irreparable.

This, this, this and this.

Ear plugs do not stop bone-conduction from that area just in front of your ear, which some modern headphones now use to play music through even, rather than your ear canal at all. Most muff's don't stop enough total noise to prevent ringing and hearing damage under sustained fire (nor do plugs alone). The correct path is to use disposable foam ear plugs coupled with electronic muffs turned up to maximum over your ears. This way you also tend to hear close to "normal", at the range.
Howard Leight and many others are thin enough now not to be obtrusive and are cost effective. Pro-tip: purchase aftermarket gel cups for them and discard the factory foam ones for improved comfort, seal, and durability. I run a 14.5" Pin and Weld with a muzzle break for my field Grendel - it's loud.

When field hunting, I don't shoot a lot, and open-field is generally doesn't capture and reflect the sound back as bad as at a gun-range - so often I just use the electronic muffs for improved hearing while hunting and ear protection as well. Not as good as doubling up but for a couple of open-field shots, it's fine. If your round-count and setting is louder, double up there too.