Effective ear plugs

[runnerhiker]

I wear 31 dba foam orange ear plugs, I love the quietness in my riding.  Every once in a long while I know my ride is only a ten minutes or so and I don't wear the ear plugs - the motorcycle sounds like it's going to fall apart!  I can't wait to put the ear plugs back on!  Ignorance is bliss.

[sanemancured]

I have very narrow ear canals and foam ear plugs cause me pain after half a days riding. I have tried many different types and sizes.

For quite a few years I've used a set of custom fitted ear plugs. I can get 2 or 3 days without any soreness.

I don't think they are as good as foam plugs for reducing background noise though.

[DrDave39]

I use the Etymotic in-ear buds for both music/GPS and sound isolation. They are comfortable for hour at a time and really block out the noise.

[Grumpy Goat]

I have very narrow ear canals and foam ear plugs cause me pain after half a days riding. I have tried many different types and sizes.

For quite a few years I've used a set of custom fitted ear plugs. I can get 2 or 3 days without any soreness.

I don't think they are as good as foam plugs for reducing background noise though.

Not many are. Lately I have used the foamies for sleeping and I get a better sleep as a result.

However, I have found that you need some noise to get through for situational awareness, and this is likely what the more sophisticated ear plugs do. I wear EarPeace ear plugs and they have a hollow canal filter that attenuates some of the notice and makes it much easier to hear my music and headset instructions while cutting down on the damaging wind noise. They don't cause me any pain either.

[36654]

I have very narrow ear canals and foam ear plugs cause me pain after half a days riding. I have tried many different types and sizes.

For quite a few years I've used a set of custom fitted ear plugs. I can get 2 or 3 days without any soreness.

I don't think they are as good as foam plugs for reducing background noise though.

Not many are. Lately I have used the foamies for sleeping and I get a better sleep as a result.

However, I have found that you need some noise to get through for situational awareness, and this is likely what the more sophisticated ear plugs do. I wear EarPeace ear plugs and they have a hollow canal filter that attenuates some of the notice and makes it much easier to hear my music and headset instructions while cutting down on the damaging wind noise. They don't cause me any pain either.

That's akin to keeping your car/truck windows open to hear the traffic.

[Grumpy Goat]

That's akin to keeping your car/truck windows open to hear the traffic.

The glass is a filter. The point is, filtered sound is safer than no sound.

[36654]

That's akin to keeping your car/truck windows open to hear the traffic.

The glass is a filter. The point is, filtered sound is safer than no sound.

The insertion loss for a driver in a car cabin with the windows rolled up is nominally the same as wearing 32NRR plugs, a bit less than 25 dBa.

[Paughco]

I've been riding since 1962. Started using earplugs around 2002 or so.

WHAT?

OK - I'm using those pink roll-up foam earplugs, and they've been working fine.


Sometimes I wouldn't get the one in my right ear seated correctly; it would almost seem to channel the wind noise right into my ear. I'd have to stop and get it re-seated, then off I'd go. A few months ago I was bombarded by all those FaceBook ads about those Artevive earplugs.


So I ordered some. They didn't seem any more or any less effective than my pink foam earplugs, but I didn't have that pesky noise channeling problem with my right ear. 

ONLY ONE PROBLEM: sometimes the little cup would separate from the stem portion of the earplug! Usually this would happen right after I'd get home as I removed the earplugs from my ears. I'd have to remove the little cup with my needle nose pliers. I foulnd that I could aviod this problem (mostly) by removing the Artevive earplugs slowly and gently. 

Well, this time it happened Saturday morning after I'd stopped at the BMW dealer in Seattle! I gently pulled out my Artevive earplugs and all I got on the left one was the stem! The cup must still be in my ear! I asked the guy at the parts counter if they'd let me use a pair of needle nose pliers, and the guy handed me these little plastic tweezers that were sealed in a little plastic bag. I opened the bag and tried to remove the ear cup. Negative function. Bummer! After drinking another cup of that fine BMW coffee, I rode to the Bellevue Kaiser Medical Center and checked in at urgent care. They checked my left ear with one of those pointy light things, and... nothing there! They could see my ear drum, but no Artevive cup! Maybe it fell out and landed on the ground near my parked bike. Either way, I am officially done with Artevive ear plugs. Fortunately I still had my old pink foam roll-ups in my Aerostich Darien jacket, so I used those for the ride home. 

Back to the pink roll-ups. Hey, I've got a box of 'em sitting on my workbench. 

Seeya
 ATB

[Grumpy Goat]

I've been riding since 1962. Started using earplugs around 2002 or so.

WHAT?

OK - I'm using those pink roll-up foam earplugs, and they've been working fine.
...

I use  foamies for sleeping ... I find they block too much out when I'm riding plus I have a headset (Cardo) and like to listen to music / radio / phone calls occasionally, etc.

Thanks for telling of your experience with those Artevive gizmos ... I was skeptical and now this drama of the plug coming out in your ear canal has confirmed my skepticism.

I have been using EarPeace earplugs for years now and it is a good blend of noise attenuation and being easy to live with. Nothing to come apart in your ear either.

[Motorhead1977]

DITTO on EarPeace. I use them for riding and with more attenuation for my outdoor motorized chores. I'm already using hearing aids for everyday functioning and can't afford to lose any more hearing than already left due to having driven race cars and built engines/used power tools and fired far too many rounds without any ear protection.

[Ray]

Listening to Darrell, I spent some HSA money, got my hearing tested and was then molded for some custom ear plugs, which my big research institution just happens to order from Starky, out of the Twin Cities - yes, the same healthcare company Darrell recommended.

No hardening. Still fit well. About 70 db reduction by my estimate out of the box. A little less now. Some report 90 db reduction.

As a musician, I also picked up a similar pair with options for a couple of filters so I avoid damage with high frequency overtones and such.

I also have a pair of Big Ear, wired audio ear plugs I picked up from their booth at an MOA rally a few years ago, that I occasionally used, paired with a $20 bluetooth connector for my phone. (Sold my Senas a few years ago). Quality of plastics used, molding, and support are not in the same league as the full-time professionals.