Custom Molded Earplugs

[Schinderhannes]

I was never happy with the standard ear tips for my LightSpeed Mach I. After coming across a do it yourself kit for custom molded earplugs for only $10 I gave it a try.    

It took about 30' to form a pair and it was fairly easy to follow the instructions (see below). The kit supplied a little bit less material than I would have liked and the outer surface didn't come out as smooth as shown in the picture on the package. I would recommend ordering to kits for one pair. After letting the plugs cure over night, I drilled small holes from the tip extending into the ear canal to the outside and inserted small plastic tubing with the matching the size of the metal tips on the headsets earpieces. I haven't tried them in the airplane, but I am very pleased with the first ground test using handheld radio and IPAD. Even the microphone piece stays now firm in the ear without using the hinged ear loop. The same Technic should work for other cup less headsets as well.   

 

JUST 3 EASY STEPS

- Open the containers and separate the colored and white materials into halves, keeping separated.
- Mix one of the colored halves with one of the white halves. Mix until both halves are one consistent color.
- Gently press material into one ear by pushing in the center of the silicone. Let it sit in your ear for 10 minutes, then remove the plug. Repeat steps for second earplug.

 

 

    

[kpaul]

I will be interested to see how you like them.  I have flown with a professionally made set of custom ear plugs on a set of Clarity Alofts.  They were pretty good sitting in my office, but not so much in the plane.  On hot days, you may be surprised to find out how much your ears sweat.  As soon as mine did the ear piece was able to break contact with my ear allowing in all of the engine noise.  Of course they only did if I talked, eat or drank anything or turned my head to far.  If I sat perfectly still they were fine.

Your price was better, ours cost $300 per set.  Thank goodness I did not have to pay for them.  After the second flight with the same results, I happily reverted back to my Bose A20s.

[dcastor]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 3:54 PM, kpaul said:

I will be interested to see how you like them.  I have flown with a professionally made set of custom ear plugs on a set of Clarity Alofts.  They were pretty good sitting in my office, but not so much in the plane.  On hot days, you may be surprised to find out how much your ears sweat.  As soon as mine did the ear piece was able to break contact with my ear allowing in all of the engine noise.  Of course they only did if I talked, eat or drank anything or turned my head to far.  If I sat perfectly still they were fine.

 

 

Interesting...these molded earplugs are the norm in USAF fighters.  I was leaning towards a clarity aloft system for a couple of frequent passengers because they are always complaining about headset squeeze.  I flew with a guy once who swore by the Clarity Aloft headset and said "don't waste your money on ANR".  I thought molded plugs would be a good upgrade for the clarity aloft.  Your review gives me pause.

[Piloto]

I use these ear plugs with my headsets and got better noise reduction than a Bose ANR. I increase a little bit the volume to compensate for the plugs. Ideal for long trips.  

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/14-00157.php?clickkey=3008573

José

  

[carusoam]

The sealing surface of a silicone ear plug is so small and simple and soft and low cost and easy to use... And disposable

They really work best when you have learned the best way to put them in.  Tugging the ear up opens the ear hole.  Doing this looks really funny...

My halo headset with silicone ear buds is good for me...

Good to have choices...

Best regards,

-a-

[BDPetersen]

My Quiet Technology Halos arrived in time for my trip to OSH. It came with an assortment of earbud styles. I chose the standard foam. After about 1 1/2 hours I became "aware" of the one in my right ear. A little pressure,  I guess. A little distracting, so I slapped the Bose back on for the rest of the trip. I did note that the Halo/earbud system may have been quieter than the Bose. I will experiment with the other choices of bud styles to look for comfort. My experience with the molded ear piece goes back to my 727 days. I am a bit skeptical about their ability to achieve the seal of the ear canal that the buds provide. I will be interested to see how they work for others.

 

[carusoam]

BD,

the silicone earbuds are the upscale version of the foam ones.  

Ear canals come in various sizes.  

The halo website has at least two sizes available.

I used to use hearing protection at work...  Cheap foam, expensive foam and silicone were the usual choices.

Cheap foam adds another challenge on really cold days.  Their is a warming procedure for that...

Best regards,

-a-

[BDPetersen]

Yep, I look forward to experimenting with the assortment of tips that came with the headset. One other observation was that the quality of the side tone from the microphone was a bit weak. I realize that may not reflect how it actually sounds over the radio. Just one more thing I will be checking.

[Marauder]

Wonder if making these molded ear plugs will work like a hair removal product.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Guitarmaster]

Please PIREP these! I thought about it at OSH, but I figured I had done enough damage to my wallet for a week.

[Andy95W]

11 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

My Quiet Technology Halos arrived in time for my trip to OSH. It came with an assortment of earbud styles. I chose the standard foam. After about 1 1/2 hours I became "aware" of the one in my right ear. A little pressure,  I guess. 

Same thing happens to me, I pull the plug about 1/8" or so out of my ear and the feeling goes away.  I think Phil describes this technique on the site if the ear plug gets an "itchy" feeling in the ear canal.

STILL more comfortable than the clamp.

[AaronDC8402]

I have used these (the foam ones)...

https://www.plugfones.com/product-category/replacements/

...with the clarity aloft headset before. I thought they worked great. Later when I built my own in-the-ear headset, Plugfones were what I used as the headphone portion. I generally prefer my cheap, custom headset over my Lightspeed ANR headset.

 

[Jpflysdfw]

I have a set of Halo's and have been contemplating how to go about getting custom plugs.  With the yellow foam, I actual seem to prefer them more than my Zulu2's and am hoping the custom route might be even better. Has anyone had success with the Radian kit with Halo's and if so, any tricks or suggestions?

[carusoam]

Jeff,

Have you seen the Halo options?  On their website they have various foams of shapes and sizes.  I prefer their silicone plugs based on years of experience using a similar earplug 8 hours a day...

Best regards,

-a-

[Hank]

3 hours ago, Jpflysdfw said:

I have a set of Halo's and have been contemplating how to go about getting custom plugs.  With the yellow foam, I actual seem to prefer them more than my Zulu2's and am hoping the custom route might be even better. Has anyone had success with the Radian kit with Halo's and if so, any tricks or suggestions?

I also wear the silicone plugs included with my Halos. Don't like the way foamies feel after a little while, don't wear them at work, either. Give them a try,they should be in the same bag as the foam tips; mine were white, but I bought gray replacements when I lost one.

[Jpflysdfw]

carusoam/Hank, Thanks for the quick responses.  I typically use flanged silicone buds when I listen to music as they seem to work best for me. I actually tried those first on the Halo's. I must have an odd ear canal because on the Halo's they don't seal up and I get too much ambient noise to the point where I can't hear ATC well enough. They only seem to come I one size and I've contemplated buying an earbud style from Amazon and seeing if I could bond,rtv, or other the hole to the right size.  I wish the OEM size worked b/c that would definitely be my go-to tip. Thanks again for the quick responses. Jeff

[carusoam]

The Halo guy is an audiologist(?) (wicked bright with the ears) he also has various diameters available.

Everybody's ear canals are different. Hopefully, there is a plug that works.

I was reading about new under armor headsets for joggers.  They offer two basic sizes but gave a bunch of half sizes inbetween in larger, and smaller.

I have gotten pretty good with earplugs.  I could hear them seal up over time. (At work)

Also there is a proper way to insert these things in the canal.  The foam ones get rolled thin before inserting.  The ear gets pulled up using the opposite arm.  OSHA training for hearing protection...

Best regards,

-a-