TBAC Sound Summit Silencer Results – The Quietest Suppressors
September 30, 2025Posted by Silencer Central Team
Ever wonder who makes the quietest suppressor? Every year the team at Thunder Beast Arms Company (TBAC) gathers suppressors from across the silencer industry for a head-to-head comparison. The testing is done to compare products in controlled shooting environments, giving each suppressor a fair shake by testing them under the same conditions as other products in their class. Want to know which suppressors are the quietest? Read on.
How the tests were conducted
The annual Summit took place over five days, during which more than 375 silencers were tested. Every shot was recorded using three microphones and waveform recordings were made and saved.
The microphones were positioned at Mil-Spec Left, Mil-Spec Right, and at the ear. Mil-Spec left and right was set as one meter direct from the muzzle, pointed toward the muzzle. The shooter’s ear position was a microphone bracket placed to recreate where the shooter's ear would be. It was set at 10.75 inches to the rear of the trigger area and 6 inches to the side of a firearm.
Running the numbers
A post-analysis was done to determine the following parameters for each mic position:
Peak pressure (Pa)
Peak pressure (dB)
Peak pressure (dBA)
Impulse (Pams) Impulse (dBms)
Leq(10ms) dBA.
Pascals (Pa) should be a relatively familiar unit of measure for pressure, and decibels (dB) are commonly used for measuring volume or loudness. A-weighted decibels (dBA) are similar to decibels but are specific to measuring loudness as perceived by the human ear. The dBA measurement gives extra weight to noise transmitted at frequencies within the hearing range of human ears, and less weight to those that fall outside or on the edge of human hearing.
Finally, Leq is a sound energy metric that includes a time element in its measurement. It is calculated by averaging the sound pressure level (SPL) over the defined time frame and then converting that value to decibels or A-weighted decibels. For this testing, the window for each Leq (dBA) value is a 10 millisecond (ms) SPL average.
These measurements, along with suppressor characteristics such as caliber, length, weight, etc., were used to create categories and identify stand-out products. Obviously, comparing rimfire results to centerfire magnums, or compact suppressors to full-length units does not offer an accurate representation of either can’s performance.
Since the summit does not test the same suppressors every year, but the testing done is the same, we have compiled results from the past two summits, 2024 and 2025, for this article. In total. 609 supprerssors were tested on various gun combinations over the past two years.
Below you’ll find an assembly of suppressors that performed well among their peer group.
Rimfire Rated
At the summit, all rimfire suppressors were tested using both a pistol and a rifle. All suppressors were rated for .17-.22-caliber rimfire cartridges. In total, 27 dedicated rimfire suppressors were tested between the 2024 and 2025 summits.
#1 Rimfire suppressor - Off Grid Scorpius
The Scorpius is a 3D-printed suppressor made from 100 percent titanium. At the summit, it was the quietest .22 Long Rifle (LR) suppressor on a pistol host, measuring just 115.4 dBA at the muzzle, and 118.73 dBA at the shooter’s ear.
#2 Rimfire at Shooter's ear - B&T PRINT-X TIGER TI .22
The B&T PRINT-X TIGER 22 Ti Suppressor is a 3D-printed, lightweight suppressor made for .22 LR rifles and pistols. It’s great for small game hunting and target shooting. At the summit, it ranked as the 9th quietest .22 LR suppressor on a pistol host at 117.8 Muzzle dBA and 2nd quietest at shooters ear with a 120.17dBA.
#3 rimfire at shooter's ear - TBAC 22 Take Down Gen 2
The Thunder Beast Arms 22 Take Down is a tough, lightweight suppressor built for .22 LR, .22 WMR, .17 HMR, and 5.7×28mm firearms. At the summit, it came in as the 7th quietest .22 LR suppressor on a pistol host at 117.6 Muzzle dBA and 3rd quietest at shooters ear with a 120.50 dBA.
The Phantom .22 features an indexed, interlocking baffle stack made from heat-treated 17-4 stainless steel in an aluminum main tube. At the summit, it was the 10th quietest .22 LR suppressor on a pistol host at 118.0 dBA at the muzzle, and 12th quietest at shooters ear with a measurement of 122.08 dBA.
The BANISH 22 is a user-serviceable, titanium suppressor that is full-auto rated and available in multiple colors. At the summit, it came in as the 13th quietest .22 LR suppressor on a pistol host at 119.7 dBA at the muzzle and, at 120.97 dBA, ranked 6th quietest at shooter’s ear.
The .223/5.56 category is a popular choice for suppressors both using AR-15 platforms and bolt-action rifles.
#1 Quietest .223 suppressor - Banish 223
The BANISH 223 is an all-titanium, user-serviceable suppressor that fits all calibers .224 and smaller. At the summit, it did very well at both the quietest .223 suppressor on a 16 in. barrel AR-15 rifle host at 132.8 Muzzle dBA and was the quietest under 13 oz.
#2 .223 at Shooter's ear - SilencerCo Velos LBP 5.56
The Velos incorporates state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, such as a 3D-printed Inconel and the core of the Velos LBP is fully welded to the 17-4 front and rear modules for amazing durability. This suppressor was the 2nd quietest .223 suppressor on a 16-in. barrel AR-15 rifle host at shooters ear with a 138.14 dBA.
The Operator Ti is an all-titanium 5.56-specific, direct-thread suppressor designed using 3D-printing technology. At the summit, it was the 8th quietest .223 suppressor on a 16 in. barrel AR-15 rifle host at 135.4 muzzle dBA.
The subcompact XH-556 SC suppressor is designed for 5.56/.223 firearms, using a 3D-printed titanium body with a 718 Inconel blast baffle to handle high heat and pressure. At the summit, it was the 19th quietest .223 suppressor on a 16 in. barrel AR-15 rifle at the shooter's ear with a 139.2dBA.
At the summit, there were several variations of the .30 caliber being tested. The popular .300 BLK was tested using subsonic ammunition and a 16 in. barrel AR-platform rifle as well as a 16 in. barrel bolt-action rifle. The .308 testing was done using a 20-in. bolt action rifle. On the magnum side, they used a .300WM with a 26-in. barrel.
#1 .300 Win Mag at Shooter's ear - Otter Creek Labs Hydrogen
The focus of the Hydrogen L design uses weight-saving external cuts that eliminate unnecessary material, keeping this suppressor strong yet lightweight. At the summit, it was 3rd quietest .30 cal suppressor on a .300 Blackout AR-15 at 126.4 muzzle dBA. With the .300 Win Mag, this was the quietest at the shooter’s ear at just 125.17 dBA.
Designed primarily for precision shooters, the light weight of the Enticer LTI makes it a superb choice for hunting, too. It was the 5th quietest .30 cal suppressor at the summit on a 16 in. barrel .300 Blackout rifle at 126.5 muzzle dBA.
BANISH Suppressors best AR-10 can, the 30 Gold V2 is completely user serviceable and made from titanium. At the summit, it was the 2nd quietest .30 cal suppressor on a 16-in. barrel AR-15, chambered in .300 Blackout, at shooter’s ear with a 134.91dBA.
The YHM Resonator R2’s tubeless design uses heat-treated 17-4 stainless steel, and a heat-treated 718 Inconel blast baffle, allowing the suppressor to be full-auto rated and designed for rigorous use. With .300 Blackout, it was the 6th quietest .30 cal suppressor on a 16 in. barrel AR-15 rifle at 126.8 muzzle dBA.
#6 quietest .300BLK - Dead Air Silencers Nomad LTi XC
A popular can from Dead Air, the Nomad LTi XC is extremely lightweight for its length and very quiet. At the summit, tested on a 20" .308 Win. bolt-action rifle, it was the 2nd quietest .30 cal suppressor at the muzzle with a .308 Win, and 4th at the ear. For .300BLK, using a 16-in. AR-15, the Nomad LTi XC was 6th quietest, making it a great all-around .30 caliber suppressor.
The Thunder Beast Arms Magnus-RR-CB-30 is a full-auto-rated, welded titanium magnum rifle suppressor built for maximum recoil reduction and precision performance. At the summit, the Magnus-RR-CB-30 was the quietest suppressor for the .300 Win Mag bolt-action rifle category, tested at 136.1 dBA at the muzzle. It was also the 5th quietest .30 cal suppressor on a 20-inch barrel, .308 Win bolt-action rifle, with a 132.7 muzzle dBA.
This popular model from SilencerCo uses materials like Cobalt-6, Inconel, stainless steel, and titanium to make it weigh just 14.8 ounces with a length of 7.08 in. In a stacked category, it was the 20th quietest .30 cal suppressor on a 20 in. barrel, .308 Win bolt-action rifle host at 134.9 muzzle dBA.
Length: 7.08 in.
Weight: 14.8 oz.
Materials: Inconel, Titanium, Stainless Steel, and Cobalt
The 9mm is the most popular pistol platform and there are many outstanding suppressors available for the cartridge.
#2 Quietest 9mm - Banish 9
The BANISH 9 is a full-size 9mm suppressor that uses BANISH's Micro Booster to make the can run smoothly on most pistols. It has 14 baffles, which helped make it the 2nd quietest 9mm suppressor with an average reading of 121.9 muzzle dBA at the summit.
The Sidewinder M2 is a quiet and affordable suppressor that works with the pistons from many top manufacturers, letting you mount it however you’d like. At the summit, it was the 4th quietest 9mm suppressor at just 122.8 muzzle dBA.
The titanium Fly 9 is a modular 9mm suppressor designed for tactical use. It can handle, and is full-auto rated for 9mm and calibers like .300BLK up to .350 Legend. At the summit, it was the 7th quietest 9mm suppressor 124.6 muzzle dBA.
The popular Rugged suppressor for the 9mm uses the modularity of Rugged’s ADAPT Module to give shooters the ability to choose between the full configuration and the compact configuration. It was the 9th quietest 9mm suppressor at the summit at just 125.0 muzzle dBA.
The modular Mojave 9 uses Dead Air’s Triskelion baffle system that promotes continuous, yet efficient flow of gases. This leads to a less toxic, lower recoil, and more enjoyable shooting experience. It was the 15th quietest 9mm suppressor at the summit at 127.2 muzzle dBA.
The above data was taken from the 2024+ Consolidated Rankings from the TBAC website. A few things to keep in mind about how these suppressors are ranked: the differences between the first and the fifteenth suppressor in a category are not as great as you might think. You might grab suppressor "A" and compare it to suppressor "B" and not be able to tell the difference in sound levels. Plus TBAC measured the sound output from several different areas. If you want to get a better understanding about decibel measurement, check out our blog on hearing safety.
Additionally, we tried to list them based on inventory levels, too, so if you don't see a "number one" suppressor listed, it may be out of stock and on a long backorder. Know that we are always trying to keep our stock updated and continue to try to get new suppressors available to our customers.
Why is this test important?
One of the things that is very difficult for any suppressor manufacturer is to compare it’s products to the competition. Brand “X” can make a claim and brand “Y” can likely make the same exact claim. Which is correct? Who can say exactly. That’s why this test is so important. It sets up a parameter and then tests every suppressor the same exact way.
TBAC does this test using their own brand of cans as well as much of the competition, and they invite them to be on hand to see the results. Not only is this helpful for the suppressor industry, but it is also very cool.
The end result is, every suppressor tested during the summit is used in the exact same way, using the same firearm, ammunition and measured precisely in the same manner. It’s fair and balanced. What the testing revealed is quite significant.
There are a lot of factors that go into answering who makes the quietest suppressor. It depends upon caliber, firearm, ammunition, and more. We have listed some of the top performers at the Sound Summit here.
For the Sound Summit, the team set a microphone to record sound levels roughly where a shooter's ear would be in relation to the firearm. They then used this position for every test, switching between firearm types to keep it the same across the board.
The closest you'll get to "movie quiet" with a suppressor is by using a rimfire model with subsonic ammunition. Take a look at the rimfire section of this story for some suggestions.
A suppressor is a great way to protect your hearing and the hearing of those around you. Here is some more information on how it works.
While many suppressors can be used on several different caliber firearms, we have some specific models that can make your shooting more enjoyable. Pick the caliber that you have in mind. If you don’t see your caliber, pick one close to it to see our recommendations.
