Getting custom ear plugs made

N

NuggyBuggy

Well-known member
Site Supporter
Forum Sponsor
Anyone know if there are audiologists who might specialize in motorcycling clients, perhaps offering specially designed products?

I was going to book a fitting for custom plugs with the same audiologist (Hearing Life), primarily because I know I have difficulty getting foam plugs (Howard Leight -33dB) properly inserted into my left ear and the increased noise there is pronounced. I've tried a bunch of the moto-targeted plugs on Amazon (Alpine, EarPeace, etc) and none of them work nearly as well for me as the foams.

Are there audiologists with motorcycle-specific products available to them or who have special expertise in the domain?

Any experience with custom plugs would be appreciated. I want to go to whatever the maximum noise suppression is available, whatever that might be. Audiologist said some plugs go up to -44dB (really?), which if true would probably leave me completely deaf to the environment.
 
I have a custom fitted pair from ProtectEar called dbBlocker that are still comfortable after eleven years. I can wear them for 16 hours straight.

There's a tiny pinhole that allows sounds in the frequency ranges of most human voices, so it blocks it a lot of wind/engine drone despite how much you can still hear.

They said I could insert earphones into it, but I haven't found any that fit. My in-helmet speakers (Sena SMH5) work really well with them for music and calls. I can hear traffic, horns, audible crossing walks.




Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
NuggyBuggy said:
Anyone know if there are audiologists who might specialize in motorcycling clients, perhaps offering specially designed products?

I was going to book a fitting for custom plugs with the same audiologist (Hearing Life), primarily because I know I have difficulty getting foam plugs (Howard Leight -33dB) properly inserted into my left ear and the increased noise there is pronounced. I've tried a bunch of the moto-targeted plugs on Amazon (Alpine, EarPeace, etc) and none of them work nearly as well for me as the foams.

Are there audiologists with motorcycle-specific products available to them or who have special expertise in the domain?

Any experience with custom plugs would be appreciated. I want to go to whatever the maximum noise suppression is available, whatever that might be. Audiologist said some plugs go up to -44dB (really?), which if true would probably leave me completely deaf to the environment.
Click to expand...
I've never heard of -44. In any case, no level of ear protection ever leaves you deaf. Practically, in-ear protection achieves something like half of NRR. So the -44 plugs lower a 100 dB sound to ~78dB effective. Just less than 1/4 of the perceived level. The -33 foamies (when they fit well) lower 100dB to about 83 dB effective. Just more than 1/4 of the perceived level. If testing them separately with some time in between and you might have trouble distinguishing between the two.

If you want to try different foamies, swing by sometime and I can give you a care package. I have something like a half-dozen different makes/models and the fit is different and some people have a clear preference for their canal shape.

As for moto-specific, I am firmly of the belief that that is nonsense. Proper fitting protection reduces sound levels. Like audio-foolery, there is a lot of marketing wank but whether the source is a motorcycle, concert or generator doesn't change the design and engineering just the packaging and premium added.

Custom fit can be worthwhile for many people as fit is critical regardless of the source of noise.
 
I have a set from the place that Wingboy suggested and they worked really well. But as we get older the shape of our ear canals change apparently, and in my case has made them EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

I found these at GP Bikes and they are excellent. I wore them faithfully on my recently completed trip around NFLD and home and found them comfortable, even on long days up to 7 hrs.

I used them with my pactalk helmet set so I could listen to entertainment.

www.alpinehearingprotection.com

Buy Motorcycle Earplugs | Alpine Hearing Protection

Protect your ears and reduce harmful noise! Order Motorcycle Earplugs online at Alpine ✓ Experts in Hearing Protection for 30 years ✓ Free delivery over $20
www.alpinehearingprotection.com www.alpinehearingprotection.com
 
xrljoel said:
I have a set from the place that Wingboy suggested and they worked really well. But as we get older the shape of our ear canals change apparently, and in my case has made them EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

I found these at GP Bikes and they are excellent. I wore them faithfully on my recently completed trip around NFLD and home and found them comfortable, even on long days up to 7 hrs.

I used them with my pactalk helmet set so I could listen to entertainment.

www.alpinehearingprotection.com

Buy Motorcycle Earplugs | Alpine Hearing Protection

Protect your ears and reduce harmful noise! Order Motorcycle Earplugs online at Alpine ✓ Experts in Hearing Protection for 30 years ✓ Free delivery over $20
www.alpinehearingprotection.com www.alpinehearingprotection.com
Click to expand...
And there we have another example of individual fit being very important. I can wear most foamies all day with no issue. I haven't tried those specific plugs but I have tried many pine tree style plugs and they all leave me in pain after a few hours (or less).
 
Princess Auto had -33dB foam ones that fit me the best, but they changed 10 or 15 years ago. Same box/packaging, but the plugs themselves were subtly different (the new ones are wider and less tapered). I bought every box I could find of the old ones.

I got a set of custom-molded silicone ones at the Jan bike show shortly after that and never went back to the foamies. In terms of noise blocking, the custom silicone ones feel like they land somewhere between the -33dB foamies and the -22dB rubber ones. I prefer the noise blocking of the foamies, but the custom ones are just so much more convenient to use. I picked up a second set at the bike show last year as a backup just in case I lose one of the originals.
 
@NuggyBuggy
I have had 2 sets made by Peter from RideSafe in Newmarket. Contact them at 905 841 7233 and ask for Peter.

I was put in touch with him when I reached out to BigEar Earplugs.

Cost is about $90

I am not sure what the decibel rating is of the ones I have but they have worked well. They are custom made on the spot and take about a hour to do. They do not have any filters in them. If you want filters, you need to send a mold away and it is not done on the spot.

When I stared riding in 2005, I never wore earplugs as I thought that they would make me deaf while on the bike and I wouldn't be able to hear anything, my surroundings. When I got back on the bike in 2020, I went out for a ride without plugs and after 1/2 I had a pounding headache.
I tried the foam version and decided I will never ride without earplugs again. I just did not like the way the foam fit, specifically that it would often get out of place while putting my helmet on. Not to mention that they hurt your ears after a while.

I tried a few other Amazon version and nothing compares to the custom made ones. I have worn mine for about 10 -12 hr rides and no pain from them.
I am still able to hear my surroundings and even engine noise, but the high pitch noises are gone and cant hear the wind much.
Highly recommended.

I have Peters cell number if you prefer , PM me and I will pass it on.


Pro Tip.
Get them made in some high viz color (yellow, pink etc) this was if they fall on the ground they will be easy to find.
Even better if you get 2 different colors, makes it easy to remember which is left and which is right. I have a yellow and pink.
 
Wait till the next bike show, there is always a booth for custom made ear plugs.
I made my first custom ones 2 years ago, before I used foam plugs for years - every single brand and option available.
Now, based on my experience I can say for sure that custom plugs work the best and most comfortable for long rides.
 
I see a few recommendations for the bike show customs. How do they compare to ones that the audiologist would sell - are they the same? And what would they go for?
 
NuggyBuggy said:
I see a few recommendations for the bike show customs. How do they compare to ones that the audiologist would sell - are they the same? And what would they go for?
Click to expand...

Hearing Clinics custom plugs are terribly overpriced (x3-x4 times), but the process is the same as I see it - they put soft rubber into your ear, let it harden, form it a bit after to smooth sides and last step is to cover it with protective surface layer. BigEar is the company made my custom earplugs at the show and they were in the business for a long time and product is great, can't complain so far.
I think I paid $80 as they give me $10 discount for working at the show and having vendor's pass. But it was 2.5 years ago, prices might gone up...
Also I do use these earplugs on the shooting range as well, works great for small calibers instead of bulk over-ears, or double up when indoor. So I don't think there is any big difference between "Music", 'Shooting", 'Factory' kinds that Hearing Clinics try to up-sell you...
 
Last edited:
Sochi said:
Hearing Clinics custom plugs are terribly overpriced (x3-x4 times), but the process is the same as I see it - they put soft rubber into your ear, let it harden, form it a bit after to smooth sides and last step is to cover it with protective surface layer. BigEar is the company made my custom earplugs at the show and they were in the business for a long time and product is great, can't complain so far.
I think I paid $80 as they give me $10 discount for working at the show and having vendor's pass. But it was 2.5 years ago, prices might gone up...
Also I do use these earplugs on the shooting range as well, works great for small calibers instead of bulk over-ears, or double up when indoor. So I don't think there is any big difference between "Music", 'Shooting", 'Factory' kinds that Hearing Clinics try to up-sell you...
Click to expand...
This is exactly the process that I had done to my earplugs.
I had it done twice in the last 4-5 years. Both times was about $90. I would highly recommend this method. Best $90 you will spend on a motorcycling.
 
GreyGhost said:
I've never heard of -44. In any case, no level of ear protection ever leaves you deaf. Practically, in-ear protection achieves something like half of NRR. So the -44 plugs lower a 100 dB sound to ~78dB effective. Just less than 1/4 of the perceived level. The -33 foamies (when they fit well) lower 100dB to about 83 dB effective. Just more than 1/4 of the perceived level. If testing them separately with some time in between and you might have trouble distinguishing between the two.
Click to expand...
The -44dB was what my audiologist mentioned. I didn't get any literature or product details, but I know that number is well beyond anything I'd yet seen specified.

I started reading about IEMs... Apparently Etymotic is one of the better known brands, and made a name for themselves with music professionals.

According to the Etymotic website:
Etymotic IEMs are world renowned for their class-leading passive isolation, providing 35-42 dB attenuation (depending on eartips used and the depth of insertion). For comparison, most custom IEMs provide approx. 25-28dB attenuation and foam ear plugs attenuate up to 32 dB
Click to expand...

The higher claimed attenuation piqued my interest, but here's where I get confused. Etymotic claims a 20dB attenuation for their passive hearing protectors (not IEMs).

How or why would a device designed solely for hearing protection (like their plugs) offer lower attenuation than an IEM? As far as I can tell their IEMs have no electronics to boost attenuation.

They DO have hearing protection with electronics but those pages are even harder to comprehend. They state amounts of "automatic hearing protection" which are less than the amount of attenuation claimed for their IEMs... which would also seem to make no sense, unless those amounts are in ADDITION to the passive attenuation that their IEMS would also yield.

:confused:
 
Here is what they look like
PXL-20240908-213140835.jpg
 
NuggyBuggy said:
The -44dB was what my audiologist mentioned. I didn't get any literature or product details, but I know that number is well beyond anything I'd yet seen specified.

I started reading about IEMs... Apparently Etymotic is one of the better known brands, and made a name for themselves with music professionals.

According to the Etymotic website:


The higher claimed attenuation piqued my interest, but here's where I get confused. Etymotic claims a 20dB attenuation for their passive hearing protectors (not IEMs).

How or why would a device designed solely for hearing protection (like their plugs) offer lower attenuation than an IEM? As far as I can tell their IEMs have no electronics to boost attenuation.

They DO have hearing protection with electronics but those pages are even harder to comprehend. They state amounts of "automatic hearing protection" which are less than the amount of attenuation claimed for their IEMs... which would also seem to make no sense, unless those amounts are in ADDITION to the passive attenuation that their IEMS would also yield.

:confused:
Click to expand...
The Etymotic er-6i's were amazing IEM's. The only weak point about them for motorcycling was the cords were a little thin and therefore prone to failure after repeated use. If you were careful with them, (which I was not) they could last for many years. Mine typically lasted a couple years and then I would buy another pair, until they discontinued them. They did an excellent job at blocking wind noise - just as good as the foam earplugs - maybe better.

I did a quick search and found someone selling a pair on ebay! Etymotic ER-6i Black In-Ear Portable Isolator Earphones With Bag & Accessories | eBay

If I still wore IEM's I would have bought these, but I've long since moved to foam earplugs and helmet speakers instead.
 
Sochi said:
Here are mine - i’ve chosen have on teh string so they just dangle on my neck, harder to loose :) Blue is for left, Red is for Right

View attachment 69669
Click to expand...
I considered putting a tether onto mine but I thought it would always get in the way. But I would like it simply for the fact that I wouldn't need to put them away when stopping for a break or to talk to someone.

I may add it somehow or have another spare set made.
 
shanekingsley said:
The Etymotic er-6i's were amazing IEM's. The only weak point about them for motorcycling was the cords were a little thin and therefore prone to failure after repeated use.
Click to expand...
If the (passive) noise attenuation afforded by the Etymotics was anywhere near what they claim, wouldn't they work well as hearing protection even if the cords were broken or cut off?
oioioi said:
I considered putting a tether onto mine but I thought it would always get in the way. But I would like it simply for the fact that I wouldn't need to put them away when stopping for a break or to talk to someone.
Click to expand...
I will DEFINITELY need to have some sort of tether on any ear plugs that I buy over $20-30. I've lost so many singletons from the moto-specific pairs I've bought over the years, which didn't bother me so much because by then I determined that they weren't doing enough for me.

Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I haven't bought something like AirPods for off-bike use. I just know I'm going to lose those damn things within a week or two.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I haven't bought something like AirPods for off-bike use. I just know I'm going to lose those damn things within a week or two.
Click to expand...
you can ping the earphones so they make noise as long as they have battery left, can also locate the case via GPS.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom