Another ear protection thread

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jc100

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My hearing isn’t great. I’ve had tinnitus since I was a kid and things are only getting worse so what little I have left I want to protect. I always ride with earplugs and for the longest time just used Howard Leit foamies as they gave me maximum noise reduction at a great price and I thought that would be that. I’ve found though that you really need to swap these out more regularly than you would imagine for maximum benefit, and by regularly I mean a couple of times on a day long ride. That gets a bit wasteful.

It’s been quite a few years since I went on an earplug hunt and before the foamies I tried custom moulded plugs (from a specialist, $$$), moulded at home (pretty cheap actually but not that comfortable or easy to use) and a few others (earpeace with noise filters…not too bad). So I wondered what progress may have been made since I last checked and found these:
www.flareaudio.com

Flare Audio

Our mission is to disrupt the audio industry with world-first products and technology to change the way we experience sound. Long Live Ears®
www.flareaudio.com www.flareaudio.com

So I just bought the pro version and will report back at some point. Reviews look pretty good. They don’t have a noise filter in them, they use the metal body to attenuate noise. Supposedly everything sounds clear just at lower volumes so we will see if this is voodoo or ********.

I also keep searching for any new cures for tinnitus but sadly there’s none. That I’ll have to live with it seems. For any new riders out there…wear earplugs, you do not want to hear ringing noises 24/7 it’s not fun.
 
jc100 said:
My hearing isn’t great. I’ve had tinnitus since I was a kid and things are only getting worse so what little I have left I want to protect. I always ride with earplugs and for the longest time just used Howard Leit foamies as they gave me maximum noise reduction at a great price and I thought that would be that. I’ve found though that you really need to swap these out more regularly than you would imagine for maximum benefit, and by regularly I mean a couple of times on a day long ride. That gets a bit wasteful.

It’s been quite a few years since I went on an earplug hunt and before the foamies I tried custom moulded plugs (from a specialist, $$$), moulded at home (pretty cheap actually but not that comfortable or easy to use) and a few others (earpeace with noise filters…not too bad). So I wondered what progress may have been made since I last checked and found these:
www.flareaudio.com

Flare Audio

Our mission is to disrupt the audio industry with world-first products and technology to change the way we experience sound. Long Live Ears®
www.flareaudio.com www.flareaudio.com

So I just bought the pro version and will report back at some point. Reviews look pretty good. They don’t have a noise filter in them, they use the metal body to attenuate noise. Supposedly everything sounds clear just at lower volumes so we will see if this is voodoo or ********.

I also keep searching for any new cures for tinnitus but sadly there’s none. That I’ll have to live with it seems. For any new riders out there…wear earplugs, you do not want to hear ringing noises 24/7 it’s not fun.
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The metal body is just a handle. The foam is doing the work.

What made you change leights so often? I have worn foamies until they got gross before (multiple days) and didnt notice performance issues.

If you're near barrie, stop in and I can give you a few kinds of foamies to try. There is no universal best, it depends on the wearer.
 
GreyGhost said:
The metal body is just a handle. The foam is doing the work.

What made you change leights so often? I have worn foamies until they got gross before (multiple days) and didnt notice performance issues.

If you're near barrie, stop in and I can give you a few kinds of foamies to try. There is no universal best, it depends on the wearer.
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I used them for days too, however with my newer (quieter) helmet I noticed things sounded crap after a coffee stop after a few hours and realized that there’s a bit of degradation that wasn’t noticed with my louder helmets. That bugs me now. I just figured there must have been a technology advance after quite some time. The metal stem seems to actually do something though according to reviews.
 
With foam plugs they go in ok at first use and then they become progressively more difficult to insert properly because the wax or sizing that enables them to remain compressed doesn't work the same. If you can get them properly inserted into the ear canal they're fine, but often they don't go in all the way and you end up with more noise. Typically I use mine for a day or day and a half before they become just about impossible to reinsert properly.
 
mixedup said:
I just picked up some “Earpeace” plugs. Haven’t tried them out yet but they seem comfortable and can offer 3 different levels of attenuation.
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I'm excited to see what comes of this thread!

Wife recommend I look into Earpace plugs, she wanted to get some for concerts and noticed the moto specific line. I'm still going through my 100 pack box of laser lites, but I'm not super fond of the disposable nature of it. What did you use before?
 
Evoex said:
I have ear peace’s, I wear them when I don’t want music. No complaints.
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What do you wear when you need music? I’m hoping these will work to reduce wind noise but still allow use of Cardo for music/comms.
 
monkeyfarm said:
I'm excited to see what comes of this thread!

Wife recommend I look into Earpace plugs, she wanted to get some for concerts and noticed the moto specific line. I'm still going through my 100 pack box of laser lites, but I'm not super fond of the disposable nature of it. What did you use before?
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I previously used disposables. I had a custom pair a few years ago but they degraded over time and I didn’t find them particularly comfortable.
 
mixedup said:
What do you wear when you need music? I’m hoping these will work to reduce wind noise but still allow use of Cardo for music/comms.
Click to expand...

Plugfones Liberate 2.0 Wireless Bluetooth In-Ear Earplug Earbuds- Noise Reduction Headphones with Noise Isolating Mic and Controls (Blue & Yellow) https://a.co/d/79rabK0

I don’t like the in helmet units, always gets drowned out by wind.
 
Evoex said:
Plugfones Liberate 2.0 Wireless Bluetooth In-Ear Earplug Earbuds- Noise Reduction Headphones with Noise Isolating Mic and Controls (Blue & Yellow) https://a.co/d/79rabK0

I don’t like the in helmet units, always gets drowned out by wind.
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I’ve been eyeing these….might just take the plunge now! Thanks!

Was previously using wired headphones plugged into my Scala, or directly into my Zumo 590 if riding solo. Upgraded to a Zumo XT which doesn’t have a wired connection, so need to go full Bluetooth.
 
I just use foam earplugs with the standard Sena speakers. I get great wind / engine noise reduction + I can hear music perfectly.

I'm typically wearing these plugs 8 - 9 hours a day 4 - 6 days in a row. This setup works well for me.
 
ReSTored said:
I just use foam earplugs with the standard Sena speakers. I get great wind / engine noise reduction + I can hear music perfectly.

I'm typically wearing these plugs 8 - 9 hours a day 4 - 6 days in a row. This setup works well for me.
Click to expand...

I can hear my music through my Nexx XCom (a Sena system) with foamies just fine but the music is cranked up to max. I’m hoping I can lower that a bit if these new plugs can do some witchcraft. They arrive next week so should know soon.
 
I changed to a quiet helmet -- no more earplugs.

I used to notice my hearing degrade progressively over the summer, by fall I could barely hear my students' questions in class. It would bounce back over the winter and my hearing tests were always OK -- but I was concerned so I started wearing earplugs a few years ago.

Then I bought a quieter helmet -- it seems to have done the trick. I commute 60km a day at highway speeds, 60 riding days into the season and I'm not noticing any degradation.

Might not work for everyone, it's sure working for me.
 
Mad Mike said:
I changed to a quiet helmet -- no more earplugs.

I used to notice my hearing degrade progressively over the summer, by fall I could barely hear my students' questions in class. It would bounce back over the winter and my hearing tests were always OK -- but I was concerned so I started wearing earplugs a few years ago.

Then I bought a quieter helmet -- it seems to have done the trick. I commute 60km a day at highway speeds, 60 riding days into the season and I'm not noticing any degradation.

Might not work for everyone, it's sure working for me.
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Please can you share this helmet brand, price and availability?
Thanks!
 
monkeyfarm said:
I'm excited to see what comes of this thread!

Wife recommend I look into Earpace plugs, she wanted to get some for concerts and noticed the moto specific line. I'm still going through my 100 pack box of laser lites, but I'm not super fond of the disposable nature of it. What did you use before?
Click to expand...
I use these and I'm happy with them. One note. The Moto ones? Just marketing. I'm pretty sure they are all the same. Moto, concerts, sleeping...
 
jc100 said:
I can hear my music through my Nexx XCom (a Sena system) with foamies just fine but the music is cranked up to max. I’m hoping I can lower that a bit if these new plugs can do some witchcraft. They arrive next week so should know soon.
Click to expand...

I don't really understand this. As long as the music you hear is comfortable to you and not too loud the setting is really irrelevant, whether it's at half volume or at maximum.
 
ReSTored said:
I don't really understand this. As long as the music you hear is comfortable to you and not too loud the setting is really irrelevant, whether it's at half volume or at maximum.
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Most things sound worse at max. Also, having the car beside you at a light judge you for listening to (insert embarassing music choice here) is less likely if you aren't cranked all the way up.
 
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