Earplugs: just me?

[joliver]

I used many different types of the foam or rubber or .... Finally sprung for the custom silicone ones (from Costco) about 5 years ago and they are awesome. super easy to put in and every once in a while I give them a bath with warm water and dish soap. short of my ear canals changing shape, I expect them to last another 5 or more years.

But whatever you do, use some kind of protection.

Cheers.

 

[LgFJR]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RMFGGY/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3513574162&pd_rd_wg=41EE5&pf_rd_r=6AS1YVG2MH5AQGPPXZX4&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B000RMFGGY&pd_rd_w=tehwi&pf_rd_i=ear+plugs&pd_rd_r=8e32479c-ea0c-4f20-b912-8d2f7d9be8af&ie=UTF8&qid=1524713025&sr=1

I use these soft ones and snip about a quarter inch off the end.....works perfect

 

[scubatech]

I don't have a "ringing" in my ears exactly. I'd describe it as more of a soft wall of white noise. Like a million crickets are outside but the higher frequencies and their loudness muffled by the house, and it's only noticeable when there are no other sounds present.
There are many times I also can't hear what's being said on the TV, even with the sound turned up. There have been some movies I just gave up trying to watch because of this. But I don't think all of it was due to me. My wife, although a few years older, has excellent hearing. We have come across movies on TV that even she couldn't hear what was being said. I think the fault, at least partly, is due to films made with Dolby Surround sound or whatever they use now for theaters. Unless you too have that system at home the dynamic range coming out of normal TV speakers doesn't pair well. When folks are whispering on screen, you can't hear them. If you turn it up all the way so you can (and sometimes you still can't) You're blown out of your chair when something happens that's louder. Watching a movie shouldn't require you to adjust volume up and down as you go.

Older movies don't seem to have this problem. So that kind of shows that sometimes it's the fault of the sound engineering and not just my hearing loss. We both have also tried to watch stuff where the music soundtrack was louder than the people talking, to the point that even turned up my wife could not hear them.

As for not hearing my wife....she gets mad sometimes and won't repeat herself if I ask. Pisses me off too. However, sometimes it's OK

A lot of the problem is word recogntion. I always thought it was just my inability to hear the sound level. I learned that on these hearing tests. I would think, I know I heard that but couldn't understand what said. So trying to come up with an answer was useless!

 

[Bounce]

Older movies don't seem to have this problem. So that kind of shows that sometimes it's the fault of the sound engineering and not just my hearing loss. We both have also tried to watch stuff where the music soundtrack was louder than the people talking, to the point that even turned up my wife could not hear them.

High Dynamic Range

There have been settings in my past 3 receivers that let to attenuate that (bring down loud sounds and up soft sounds). My last 2 let you pick and choose which inputs that was on/off for so you can still hear music like it was meant. The current receiver even lets you dial up dialog (which means a mid boost on the EQ).

 

[Harald]

I better join this old guy discussion.

Same story here with lots of loud rock n roll, gun fire and vehicles. Oh yeah, don't forget a lifetime of riding mosty unfaired motorcycles without earplugs. My FJR in 07 was my first bike with a windshield big enough to get out of the wind. You don't think about the wind roar in your helmet, but it's probably the major contributor to my hearing loss.

Like finally getting glasses after struggling with seeing things near and far, I finally resorted to hearing aids. I've found myself isolated in social settings because I can't hear people over the background noise, and the TV has to be turned up too loud and worst of all I can't hear deer sneaking around in the woods when I'm trying to kill them. What pushed me over the edge was hearing aid coverage at work that got bumped up to $3000 from the previous $300. Conveniently, Costco has really nice hearing aids at about half the cost you'd pay at a traditional hearing aid business and they have excellent customer service. I'm loving my Resound behind the ear aids that cost about $2500, but will be close to free once both insurance companies pay.

I still wear my standard yellow foam barrel 29dB EAR plugs whenever I ride. I had tried a few of the contoured foam 33dB plugs, but they attenuate too much for my Sena communicator music. The contoured plugs do work great for blocking out snoring room-mates though!

 

[DennisJ]

I wear Moldex Pura-Fit 5800 27db, class 5 earplugs. The Boeing Company has these earplugs in the 737 Wing Manufacturing area and were a perk for employees for home use. The Wing line is a very loud environment. I have used these plugs while motorcycling for years. Cheap and disposable. I wear earplugs to save my hearing and reduce fatigue.

This is the same plug I have been wearing for about 15 years now, buy them in the box of 200 which lasts about 2 1/2/ years fro me. Shuld have started wearing them a long time ago. Had my hearing tested last year at VA and found out that I have a almost total los of hearing above 2500Hz. Significant decrease since I was last tested about 20 years ago. Part of that is due to age. I don't know what to blame for the rest of it. VA issued me a pair of Phonak Rechargeable aids and what a difference. My friend no longer has to repeat herself several times and that alone is worth a lot. Can't wear them while riding because of the earplugs but I don't care. Dont do a lot of talking while riding anyway.

 

[El Toro]

Ive ridden with the same friend for 51 years.

Ive always worn the yellow scrunch and stuff EAR variety. I buy them in 200 pack industrial boxes.

He has always hated ear plugs of any kind, and wouldnt even try most.

My hearings still pretty good in spite of the genetic tendency toward hearing loss, and a LOT of time on the firing line as both shooter and range officer.

Hes a non-shooter, and the first in his family to need hearing aids.

Still hating things in his ears, he got a clunky pair of over the ear aids. They were horrid and he abandoned them during their trial period.

He sucked it up and got in the ear aids, and now hes used to them.

If you can figure out how to do it, get used to regular protection plugs when youre young. We may all eventually have hearing aids, but Id rather have them later than sooner.

 

[RichDoyle]

This topic brings up a number of issues for me. First of all, I live with constant tinnitus from the usual accumulation of insults many of us have inflicted over the years.

I acknowledge I do need hearing aids (which I do not yet have) for crowded-room scenarios and for certain other activities such as watching films. Interestingly, various English accents (Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Lee Miller, e.g.) are almost unintelligible to me, but other accents are less so. American dialog is mixed. One of these days I'll ante up, I suppose. I could probably get something from the VA, as the original tinnitus event is service-connected, but I'm loath to do get involved at all with the VA. And frankly, I'd constantly be putting them in and taking them out, as explained below. And I don't know how good an idea this is.

For basic earplugs just to protect my hearing for shooting and quiet the annoying wind-noise of MC-ing, I just use squishy foam earplugs. They work best for me. I've been using Ear-O's, but others are OK also. I've had occasion try a couple of different custom-molded earplug sets, and they quickly become uncomfortable and don't work as well. I've actually figured out why. Basically, when I speak, swallow, yawn and whatnot, my ear canals actually flex. I also have the habit of flexing them routinely. This causes the semi-rigid jobs to break seal (letting noise int) and to rub at certain points. The foam types adapt more comfortably. Of course, as earwax accumulates they need to be cleaned/replaced. I don't know how hearing aids fit into these scenarios.

I have a set of earbuds for when I want to listen to music or whatever while riding. These do a good job of attenuating external noise and delivering clearly discernible speech and lyrics to me. I wouldn't be able to use hearing aids, obviously, and I don't need them in this case. The only problem riding with any earbuds I've ever tried is the hassle getting them in and staying in as I don and doff my helmet.

Then there's flying. I fly with either an over-the-ear ANR headset or the in-ear Clarity Aloft. Either of these work great at attenuating the noise in my plane. And aircraft radios and audio systems have improved so much over the years I have no difficulty hearing and understanding ATC, various audio alerts, and other aircraft transmissions (save the occasional ancient crappy Narco or ARC that someone has - or helicopters with their built-in tremolo). So no need for hearing aids there. In the case of the Clarity Aloft unit, which is effectively an earbud setup, I couldn't use them anyway. I continue to easily pass the (admittedly cursory) hearing tests for my flying medical, as I have no difficulty with one-on-one speech in a reasonably quiet room.

So though I get mailers every week from this or that purveyor of hearing aids I continue to defer doing anything about these pricey little buggers.

 

[ThwartedEfforts]

Cumberbatch uses ye olde Harrovian/Etonian accent very effectively for his career. Please don't think we all sound like that

On the topic of earplugs, a hit first off:

ACS ACS-ER20 Hearing Protectors

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004SBSOKK

This gives precisely the effect I was after. It cuts the sound level but leaves everything audible and intelligible, and the small tube down the middle means they feel like they're shielding noise, rather than blocking it, and as a result I don't get that bunged up feeling like I have a head cold coming on. My quiet ride in this morning was something of an epiphany.

Incidentally in researching these things, and in my local hearing aid centre (they all seem to sell custom moulds these days), I did end up feeling slightly less unique in my predicament in that the sense of remoteness/screwed equilibrium is clearly a common complaint among users. I was definitely not the first person with a motorcycle to contact them, nor the first person to say that plugs just didn't feel right.

Might get myself a pair of customs since I'm not 100% sold on the long distance comfort of the ACS pair linked above. They work, but I started to "notice" them after 30 mins, and didn't think I should.

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

Give the custom ones a shot. That's my advice.

 

[Uncle Hud]

FJRPittsburgh posted:Give the custom ones a shot. That's my advice.

Mine, too. Get some do-it-yourself custom molding EARBUDS, which will keep out road noise but let in John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Tommy Dorsey, Miles Davis, and Melody Gardot.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Take this from an old guy that will likely need hearing aids soon. (Waiting for Medicare to kick in when I retire)
Wear some kind of hearing protection. 40+ years of riding have already done their damage on me. If wearing earplugs effects your balance...there's something wrong. Go see a doctor. You might have a sinus issue or punctured drums. Or something more serious.

I'm pretty happy just using the cheap foam ones now that I get at work for free. Sadly I didn't start sooner. Even the quietest helmet and a tall windscreen will not protect you over time. And that's what it's about....time. Every day you ride will slowly add to it. You will tell yourself "it's not really loud, my ears seem fine" Then you hit 60 and your kids and wife complain about how loud you need to have the TV turned up to hear what's going on. And sometimes you still don't.

Trust me. If you ride a motorcycle on any regular basis and don't wear hearing protection you will end up where I am. You won't see it happening until it's too late.

Medicare don't cover hearing aids, sorry mate!

 

[bigjohnsd]

The man goes to the Doctor, at the end of his exam the Doctor asks him "Is there anything else you want to discuss?"

The man says "Yes", "My wife is losing her hearing, she can't hear me from across the room."

The doctor says "Go home, wait until your wife is across the room with her back to you and ask her a question in a normal tone of voice if she doesn't answer move halfway across the room and repeat the question, if she still doesn't answer move right behind her and ask the question again, come back next week and tell me what happened and we will go on from there."

The man goes home, his wife is cooking dinner in the kitchen, from across the room he asks"Honey, what is for dinner?" No answer.

The man moves halfway across the room towards her and asks the question again "Honey, what is for dinner?" Again no answer, he thinks to himself, This is worse than I thought.

The man moves directly behind his wife and asks again "Honey, What's for dinner?"

The wife says "For the third God Damn time, Spaghetti and meatballs"!

 

[bigjohnsd]

I used foam earplugs for years both for shooting and riding.

I have had Tinnitus for about 15 years, a result of military service listening to 5" Guns at close range from the Bridge Wing with one ear uncovered so I could hear the Captain when he spoke.

The foam plugs help but irritated my ear, fell out etc.

I bought a pair of Fit Ear Premium Plugs (https://www.fit-ear.com/store/c3/Motorcycle_.html ) at the Daytona Bike Week several years ago. These fit well and really improved the sound blockage, I was still able to hear my in Helmet Sena Speakers if turned up all of the way.

I then thought I need some "Ear Buds", being a cheap bastard I tried a pair of self-made Fuze (https://www.earfuze.com/ ) Black Magic Ear Buds.

These also worked well but after two seasons one of the buds stopped working. The cord was quite long and i was always screwing around with it trying to get my jacket on and zipped etc.

In March I was again at Daytona and spoke with the Fit Ear owner, Mark Hood. He suggested his https://www.fit-ear.com/store/p23/M-1_Single_Driver.html Single Driver option as I am not an audiophile and really want these more for communication and sound blockage rather than fancy music. He made a mold of my ear, gave me a new set of Fit Ear Premium Plugs (Part of the process) and told me he would send me my new Buds in about a month. The new Buds were here when I returned from my 40th Anniversary Cruise last night. They fit fantastic, have a very low profile so they won't interfere with taking the helmet on and off, and they blocked the sound from the lawnmower this morning really well. Mark claims a 29-32 dba reduction of outside sound and the music from my phone was just fine. The downside is the price $475. But then again, my hearing aids are ten times that each. More after I've ridden a few thousand miles with them

 

[Knifemaker]

Nice assortment to try here:

https://www.earplugstore.com/unfoamtrialp1.html

 

[dzane]

​Has anyone else tried Mack's Moldable Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs? I started using them a few years back and like them pretty well. Works well with sound systems. For me, damage done though. Tinnitus sufferer for more than thirty years. Logging equipment in southwest Washington. Probably more than a few gunshots too. You can always tell an old logger, but you have to tell it loud.

 

[mophead]

I had a set of custom silicone earplugs made for me as well. My experience was not as good. They fit well and attenuated sound very well UNTIL I put my helmet on. The subtle pressure that the helmet placed on my outer ear evidently changed the shape of the inner ear sufficiently to break the seal so the plugs were ineffective.
I have been using the orange Howard Leight foam plugs for a number of years and find they work very well. Very important to insert them correctly for maximum volume reduction but without causing discomfort after several hours of use. I will typically use a set for several days.

I had custom plugs made at a gun show once and I found the same thing, when I put the helmet on it changed the fit. I dremeled them for a better fit but I just use the orange bell shaped plugs most of the time. They work for me and a box seems to last forever. LIke everyone else too many gunshots, rock and roll, and walking around in refineries and natural gas plants did me in. When I started in the plants they didn't have the hearing programs like today. Natural gas can scream through piping and electric motors turning pumps are very loud. Recip engines in compressor stations were the worst.

I installed a db app on my phone and check things occasionally. We live in a very noisy world.

Find some plugs that work for you OP or you will end up just like every other response in this thread.

 

[Mikesgts1000]

Each time I buy new gear, or upgrade my helmet, I vow to get earplugs that work for me because I know I should be looking after my lugholes.
The problem I have is that ALL plugs I've ever tried, from the cheap twist-and-stuff ones my instructor gave me 20 years ago (and which I secretly stashed in a pocket rather than wore), to today's vastly more expensive silicone rockets that come with their own carry case, all give me that slightly remote feeling I associate with a head cold. They screw with my balance, equilibrium, call it what you want, and I know when I'm using them that I'm a worse rider.

I get scrappy. They make me feel clumsy, like I have congestion. It's quiet but I don't feel safe, so I don't wear them :fool:

First question: is this really just me? Second question: is there anything else that works? I can't have things stuffed into my ears because, try as I might to get used to the idea, the feeling is basically wrong. I've spent days of riding trying to get over the sense of detachment and... I can't.

What I'm imagining is some sort of over-the-ear, noise-cancelling device whose level I can dial in and out to find a sweet spot. Does such a thing exist?

 

[Mikesgts1000]

I use Bose noise cancelling ear buds and although a little awkward to get them under my Arai Sygnet full face helmet they are comfortable and work well. On your note about being able to adjust the noise level my units don’t it’s either on or off, they do now sell Bluetooth adjustable out side noise level units. Just go on eith the Bose web site, Amazon or EBay you’ll find them. Had mine for years and won’t ride without them, comfortable and apart from taking the time to keep them in place as I put on the helmet have been worth the money.

 

[towedjumper]

I am 6'1" and the stock screen really didn't do enough for me but its a bit better since I got the FJR touring windscreen. Having said that I still wasn't happy with the noise so I went out and got some earplugs from sportsman's warehouse that are custom molded jobs (heat in water and then push into ears for a custom fit) and they help a lot.

I personally don't have the dizziness issues you describe but I can't stand anything like the foam earplugs in my ears for extended time lengths. They seem to make my ears sore and itch but these custom jobs help quite a bit and don't have that issue with the soreness or other irritation which is why I mention them.

Here is the link to them on the SW site, I am sure you can find them other places as well.

https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Decibullz-Custom-Earplugs/productDetail/Ear-Protection/prod99999040095/cat100418

As to road noise, I have a Shoei NeoTec (Gen1) and found that MOST of the road noise in that can be cut down by closing the top vent. Yes, this makes it hotter so I need to come up with a better solution or maybe get a new helmet entirely but road noise is never something you can get rid of really. I am a new rider though so take that with a grain of salt.