Hearing Protection

[thekaz]

@thekaz can you expand on that? I'm curious about that kind of setup to replace the fading cardo speakers I have currently.

https://www.hearsmartsolutions.com/afe-1-single.html

This a local to me company but I am sure there are many others. I use these single drivers that are easily way to loud plugged into a samsung galaxy.
I use them for days on end. The do require cleaning once in a while. With my first pair it took a bit getting used to because they are ridiculously quiet. I also have a -20db set for work in the shop and longhaul driving.
There are draw backs like the wires and price but really the comfort and quietness are worth it to me

 

[Mike Brooke]

For all you riders that have tried the custom molded plugs or in ear monitors how do they compare to a traditional ear plug as far as comfort for long extended periods? I’ve always struggled to find something that I can withstand days on end without becoming painful or causing my hear canals to bleed after many days. The Hearos ultimate softness plugs along with Aquaphor have been the only ear plug that have fit the balance of comfort and sealing correctly. I’m wondering if a molded silicone ear plug with Aquaphor can be as comfortable?

 

[BigLew55]

I have been using these for several years. I find them very comfortable, effective and convenient.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JNFJ2X7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I don't sleep with them in (except IB motel), but I ride using them 100% and only take them out so that I can hear people speak. I have been pointed out at checkpoints for being the only person in the room with my earplugs still in (partially).

A few years ago, I was able to have some custom molded plugs made, and couldn't notice any difference in effectiveness between the two. I don't use the molded ones because these are way more convenient to store and I have a few spare pairs in bags/pockets in case I lose one.

I reuse them for several months sometimes, rinsing them occasionally. I replace as needed, usually because I lost or dropped one.

The string in the pic is easily removed and discarded.

 

[thekaz]

For all you riders that have tried the custom molded plugs or in ear monitors how do they compare to a traditional ear plug as far as comfort for long extended periods? I’ve always struggled to find something that I can withstand days on end without becoming painful or causing my hear canals to bleed after many days. The Hearos ultimate softness plugs along with Aquaphor have been the only ear plug that have fit the balance of comfort and sealing correctly. I’m wondering if a molded silicone ear plug with Aquaphor can be as comfortable?

my vote is for custom molded

 

[Stephen!]

For all you riders that have tried the custom molded plugs or in ear monitors how do they compare to a traditional ear plug as far as comfort for long extended periods? I’ve always struggled to find something that I can withstand days on end without becoming painful or causing my hear canals to bleed after many days. The Hearos ultimate softness plugs along with Aquaphor have been the only ear plug that have fit the balance of comfort and sealing correctly. I’m wondering if a molded silicone ear plug with Aquaphor can be as comfortable?

Two things I have found to go a long way to preventing pain with molded plugs (we use the Fuze kind).

1. Chew gum vigorously while waiting for the putty to cure. This fits the putty to the range of positions your jaw bone will reach while wearing them.

2. Lubricate them well with Neosporin triple before inserting them. They will move around with road vibrations and helmet shifting. Lubricating them will go a long way to prevent chafing, blistering, and next-day crusting in your ear canal.

 

[Shawn K]

I'm not knocking anyone's bike choices and I'm not casting aspersions on the machine, but are you positive that the issue isn't the bike itself?

If that's you and the bike in question in your profile picture, it seems like your windshield is quite low; low enough that I wouldn't dismiss your real issue being buffering rather than your choice of earplugs. Perhaps an adjustment to your windshield is what's called for.

Spoken from experience.

 

[Ed.]

For all you riders that have tried the custom molded plugs or in ear monitors how do they compare to a traditional ear plug as far as comfort for long extended periods? I’ve always struggled to find something that I can withstand days on end without becoming painful or causing my hear canals to bleed after many days. The Hearos ultimate softness plugs along with Aquaphor have been the only ear plug that have fit the balance of comfort and sealing correctly. I’m wondering if a molded silicone ear plug with Aquaphor can be as comfortable?

Custom molded plugs (either with or with it monitors) can/do take a bit of getting used to. I know of people have bought them and not been able to ever get comfortable with them. They also don't last for ever because apparently your ears are one of the body parts that don't stop growing, or at least changing, throughout you life.
I generally stick the end of them in my mouth before i insert them (i know, eeeww! But they have only been in my own ears and that's far from the grossest thing that's happened to me in my motorcycling life! ). They remain mostly comfortable for days on end but they do get tender at different times, but i have found even soft foam ones become uncomfortable eventually too. I usually carry some alternatives to mix it up as needed. Doing this I do lose the connectivity with the comms unit when using the foam/ other earplugs as I have removed the speakers completely, but I figure I managed just fine without comms/music at all for years so ishould be able to cope with a couple of hours a day without it!

 

[Mike Brooke]

Custom molded plugs (either with or with it monitors) can/do take a bit of getting used to. I know of people have bought them and not been able to ever get comfortable with them. They also don't last for ever because apparently your ears are one of the body parts that don't stop growing, or at least changing, throughout you life.
I generally stick the end of them in my mouth before i insert them (i know, eeeww! But they have only been in my own ears and that's far from the grossest thing that's happened to me in my motorcycling life! ). They remain mostly comfortable for days on end but they do get tender at different times, but i have found even soft foam ones become uncomfortable eventually too. I usually carry some alternatives to mix it up as needed. Doing this I do lose the connectivity with the comms unit when using the foam/ other earplugs as I have removed the speakers completely, but I figure I managed just fine without comms/music at all for years so ishould be able to cope with a couple of hours a day without it!

Thanks! I may give the custom molded plugs a shot to see if they might provide something for me the traditional plugs don't. Ideally if they work out for noise reduction and extended use similar to what I'm doing now I'd like the clarity of in ear monitors vs ear plugs and speakers. I can see how rotating between ear plugs and the silicone molded units might be needed.

 

[Mike Brooke]

I'm not knocking anyone's bike choices and I'm not casting aspersions on the machine, but are you positive that the issue isn't the bike itself?

If that's you and the bike in question in your profile picture, it seems like your windshield is quite low; low enough that I wouldn't dismiss your real issue being buffering rather than your choice of earplugs. Perhaps an adjustment to your windshield is what's called for.

Spoken from experience.

I'll knock my bike choice for you! It's no Gold Wing but it gets the job done. I can get a bit of buffeting in certain conditions and riding positions but it's manageable. I've used a couple different windscreens, the one I have now is about the only and best option. I'm pretty comfortable with my overall noise reduction I get from the Hearos ear plugs. After using many plugs and methods using the Ultimate Softness plugs and a good slathering of Aquaphor has shown to provide the longevity of my ear canals better than anything else. Really what I'm looking for is a equivalent level of comfort but with a in ear monitor to provide a better sound quality than blasting music from a speaker through a ear plug at speed.

 

[Auburn]

I'll knock my bike choice for you! It's no Gold Wing but it gets the job done. I can get a bit of buffeting in certain conditions and riding positions but it's manageable. I've used a couple different windscreens, the one I have now is about the only and best option. I'm pretty comfortable with my overall noise reduction I get from the Hearos ear plugs. After using many plugs and methods using the Ultimate Softness plugs and a good slathering of Aquaphor has shown to provide the longevity of my ear canals better than anything else. Really what I'm looking for is a equivalent level of comfort but with a in ear monitor to provide a better sound quality than blasting music from a speaker through a ear plug at speed.

I have had custom molded monitors by Big Ear, they were good for about 5 days, then they start irritating the ear canal. I have since gone to the Ear Peace plugs which filter the sound, have different sizes. These are the only ones I have been able to wear for days on end and not get headaches from them. I am able to lower the volumes from the headsets and hear clearly with them. I still use Neosporin or Aquaphor with them. Occasionally they will move, and the seal is lost around them. With the Wing, it is not bad, so I can finish off the tank or get to the next bonus stop and then adjust. The busa might be a different story. I did try their pro style ones, but the filter is too big for my ear canal, so I use the regular ones. If I don't use Neosporin or Aquaphor they will irritate my ears after a couple of days. They are relatively inexpensive too at about $40 a set for pro and $30 for originals.

 

[kerrizor]

I have had custom molded monitors by Big Ear, they were good for about 5 days, then they start irritating the ear canal. I have since gone to the Ear Peace plugs which filter the sound, have different sizes. These are the only ones I have been able to wear for days on end and not get headaches from them. I am able to lower the volumes from the headsets and hear clearly with them. I still use Neosporin or Aquaphor with them. Occasionally they will move, and the seal is lost around them. With the Wing, it is not bad, so I can finish off the tank or get to the next bonus stop and then adjust. The busa might be a different story. I did try their pro style ones, but the filter is too big for my ear canal, so I use the regular ones. If I don't use Neosporin or Aquaphor they will irritate my ears after a couple of days. They are relatively inexpensive too at about $40 a set for pro and $30 for originals.

I also have Big Ears, no issues for my ears over 9 days (LDX ride-in/ride-home). I will say that ponied up and paid a local audiologist to mold my ears, so I probably got a really good casting for the mold.

 

[AirbusFlieger]

I use custom molded in ear plugs with drivers for music. Expensive.....yes.....worth it.....YES

—edit—

sorry, didn’t see the entire thread…

 

[Owsley]

Buy a leather punch, put a small hole through the center of your favorite 32dB foam ear plugs, feed the sound tube of the Koss "Plug" earbuds through the hole, and ride.

Putting mega noise-reducing earplugs in your ears and then cranking up the volume on your speakers completely defeats the purpose of the ear plugs. The key is to create a sealed ear bud solution that allows the sound you *want* to have easy access to your ears, while turning down the volume of everything else around it.

This is just one man's opinion, but it's an opinion based on over 100,000 miles of experimentation with various earbuds, speaker combos, and noise reduction strategies over the last 7 years, so it's a fairly well-earned opinion.

Oh cool. I had though of doing this, but of course, haven't yet!

 

[Owsley]

Outside of ear buds, or ear plugs, anyone else have any great tips? I still get beat up by the noise with ear plugs and ear buds. I have stock exhaust on my bike, 2021 HD FLHTK which is not that loud, and a stock air box. I suppose there could be quieter bikes, and also thinking a different helmet. Anyone use any noise cancellation products, or anything tricky?

Jesse, not related to ear protection, nice ride in '95! Glad your bike didn't burn up in the desert!!!

 

[NavyVet1959]

I've flown aircraft that were so noisy that I had to use 33 dB earplugs combined with the 25 (IIRC) db aviation headset...

On average, a full coverage motorcycle helmet is more quiet than a modular helmet... Less convenient if you have glasses though and need to remove the glasses before taking the helmet off...

 

[Firstpeke]

I don't remember a single military aircraft I have been in where, even with ear protection, other than an aircrew helmet, it has been anything other than extremely loud....

So many movie makers seem to think that you can travel in a C130, C17, Chinook or SeaKing and hold a normal conversation........

Whilst I passed my leaving medical from the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm), I knew that my hearing was damaged, especially in '82...... we didn't have earplugs back then, only big yellow ear defenders, which is an invitation to a sniper to put one in your ear when you are ashore in a conflict zone.....

I couldn't go back to a full face helmet..... especially when in hotter climates, the ability to flip the front up to either take a breather or a drink is such a big benefit with a flip front.

 

[Jim Craig]

I also have Big Ears, no issues for my ears over 9 days (LDX ride-in/ride-home). I will say that ponied up and paid a local audiologist to mold my ears, so I probably got a really good casting for the mold.

I've had several sets of Big Ears earphones. I wear them for days on end, no issues, no irritation. I never ride without them. Their technology is designed to be worn all day every day.

 

[outdoorsntn]

I feel the Fuze Custom Earphones Stephen wrote about will work for me. Just used them on a 6-day ride, had 'em in on average 16 hours a day and I'm very happy with them. They plug right into the audio jack of my 20S, they stay in place, and to me, they block out the road noise like the NRR 32 foam ear plugs did. Tried them as a solution for the ear pain caused by foam ear plugs.

Over the past 5 years/200,000 miles I've used NRR 32 foam ear plugs with a modular helmet and they worked very well keeping things quiet and like others mentioned, cranked the 20S up and could carry on clear rider to rider and phone conversations. However, with the foam ear plugs, experienced same drawback as others, the ear canal hurt, really hurt, and by day four, would consider riding without earplugs all together because my ear canals hurt so bad... but knew that was a dumb thing to do because of the road noise so just put up with the pain. That constant pressure against the ear canal to seal-out noise caused the pain.

The speakers sound great, I now have a wide range of volume control and no more painful ear canals.

BigLew: Tried the ear plugs you mentioned, and they do work very well. I just thought I'd try something that didn't constantly press against the inside of my ear canals.

Thanks everyone for your posts...

 

[EricV]

Just a reminder for anyone having ear canal pain with earplugs, neosporin or polysporin work very well to prevent this and improve if you wait too long. Just a little goes a long way.

 

[Paul Meyer]

I have worn custom molded in ear monitors pushing 200k miles. They worked great on the Trophy and Concours. When I switched to my current ride I am way more in the wind and riding position is radically different. Combination of these 2 things almost deafened me last year during SBR. I think head position affected seal and let more noise in. I put speakers back in helmet and started using foam ear plugs. Much quieter and I can still kinda hear music and phone calls. I wear a Shoie Neotec modular helmet and have it closed unless eating or drinking.