3M Peltor ComTac III Review – 2024

Our Comprehensive Review Of The Peltor ComTac III

Before we go into too much depth, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The Comtac III headset is expensive. Like, really expensive.

Depending on sales and such, you could buy your whole household sets of fairly nice consumer-grade electronic hearing protection for the price of one Comtac 3.

This is because Peltor makes these to a completely different standard than your run-of-the-mill consumer-grade headset. Keep reading for detailed review.

You can view the current price of the Peltor ComTac III on Amazon.com below:

Features & Benefits At A Glance

*Helps provide protection from hazardous steady-state and impulse noise

*Clear, intelligible two-way audio communications via radios and intercoms

*Environmental listening (aka “talk-through”) for auditory situational awareness and face-to-face verbal conversation

*Meets the single hearing protection requirement listed in DA PAM 40-501 Army Hearing Conservation Program 2015 for both steady-state and impulse noise

*Tested in accordance with MIL-STD-810F, Department of Defense Test Method Standard for Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests

*Tested in accordance MIL STD 461E, Department of Defense Interface Standard, Requirements for the Control of Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Subsystems and Equipment

*Two AAA batteries provide approximately 500 hours of battery life
External communications and “talk-through” are battery independent for Rx/Tx fail-safe. In the unlikely event of electronic failure or battery depletion, external communications will continue to function

*Ambidextrous noise-canceling boom mic can be mounted on either left or right side of operator

*Hearing Defender, Single COMM, and DUAL COMM configurations available
Optional gel ear cushions available

*Multiple color options available

*Suspension options: Headband, Back-band and Rail Attachment

Sound Features & Sound Quality

The Peltor ComTac III’s offer incredibly well-engineered noise circuits, a high-quality boom mic that can be attached to either ear and an absurd amount of ruggedness. They’ll withstand almost any abuse you can think of putting them through.

They’ll work while submerged in up to 3 feet of water. Your standard $50 set of consumer hearing protection will not.

I maintain that the electronics in the Peltor Comtac 3 are some of the best I’ve heard to-date. Part of this might be how adjustable your sound levels are.

The volume controls are easy to use and responsive, and you’ve got the ability to adjust stereo balance and other finer controls to get things just the way you like. This is difficult to prove, but I feel like the Comtac 3 has the very best sound quality in any set of electronic hearing protection I’ve ever worn.

Still, the overall functionality offered by the Peltor Comtac III is not groundbreaking. As much as I might say that the speakers and microphones that are built-in to this unit sound incredible, they still operate on the same basic premise as a set of much cheaper Peltor earmuffs.

They take quiet sounds from outside of the ear cups and play them back on the inside. When the microphones pick up noises that are loud, they don’t play them back inside the ear cups.

This enables you to keep your situational awareness up while wearing hearing protection. You can take part in a conversation equally well wearing these, a set of Peltor Sport RangeGuards, or nothing at all.

While consumer-grade earmuffs offer 3.5mm audio jacks, these Peltors instead have a plugin for military radio hardware. Peltor sells some proprietary cords and adapters that allow you to plug in your iPhone, but you’ll have to shell out a little bit more for those.

Of course, if you’ve got military radio hardware, these will work perfectly. If you don’t, however, be sure to factor in the cost of any equipment or converters you’ll need to buy.

 

The Radio Microphone & Features

I didn’t have a chance to play around with the radio mic much, but I’ve heard it’s excellent. One thing I do know for sure is that any environmental sound can be practically muted while this headset receives a radio transmission.

If you’re out in the field with your friends, this means you’ll lose a bit of situational awareness anytime one of you talks. In a situation where voice comms are extremely important, this is a great feature. I’m not sure how necessary it is for us civilians.

Batteries & Battery Life

The batteries on the Comtac 3 are easy enough to change with a quarter or a pocket knife. Peltor claims something like 500 hours of battery life, but people with more experience with this headset say it’s closer to 250.

The battery packs stick out from the ear cups and look kind of goofy, but they don’t interfere with functionality in any way.

Comfortability

When it comes to comfort, these aren’t exceptional in either direction. You probably won’t love wearing them for more than a few hours.

One notable feature is how easily these fit under helmets and the like. You’ll have no problems integrating these with any headgear you choose to wear.

Noise Reduction Rating

Finally, the noise reduction offered by the Peltor Comtac III is pretty high. This headset is rated at 25 dB of noise reduction, which is fairly high for an electronic headset.

Overall & Final Thoughts

All things considered, the Comtac III is one of your better choices when it comes to hobby shooting. It’s just really, really expensive.

Whether or not the added cost is worth it is up to you, but I personally think I’m going to stick with a cheaper model for the time being. If you do a lot of outdoor hunting in the rain or other activities where you need a rugged, survivable set of hearing protection, the Comtac 3 might just be worth it.

Alternately, if you’re part of an LEO tactical team or do military work, you might want to pick these up and use them at work. In that case, however, you probably already know all about them.

 

---