My sons suppressed 22 makes virtually no noise, except for the action cycling.
Its my understanding that on centerfires ( non subsonic) the noise is still above the level where hearing protection should be worn. Yes the noise is less than non suppressed, but still potentially harmful to your hearing.
You are correct, if you were doing a lot of it earplugs would be a good idea. But you hear stuff ever day that is just as loud as the supersonic round through a suppressor, I'd imagine most folks dont put on ear protection when they are hammering in a nail.
