A headset having a talk-through microphones incorporates an audio circuit that compresses a signal representing sounds detected by the talk-through microphones in response to the audio circuit detecting the onset of a peak (positive and/or negative) in the signal that exceeds a predetermined voltage level (positive and/or negative voltage level, perhaps a predetermined magnitude of voltage from a zero voltage level), and that does so with a rate of change in voltage level that exceeds a predetermined rate of change in voltage level, the degree of compression possibly being a compression to or near a zero amplitude (perhaps to or near a zero voltage level) and the duration of the compression possibly being controlled by a timing circuit set to a predetermined period of time that may be retriggerable while amidst the predetermined period of time.