Custom Earplugs (ACS, Elacin, Etymotic, Westone, etc.)

Is double protection enough for shooting guns in your opinion?

Custom plugs are like the Rolls-Royce of ear plugs, there's just no comparing it to a Toyota.

The even attenuation across all frequencies make them worth the investment alone.

 

You raise a great question. Is it enough? I think so but the real answer is, it's all I can do. I've got an ongoing battle with myself regarding shooting guns. I really enjoy it as a hobby, have taken classes, and competed in an amateur event. Still, I also kick myself and wonder why I even risk any further damage to my hearing. I guess I feel that the muffs/inner custom plugs provide enough protection or I wouldn't do it but you're right, I should probably give it up. Still, I have to enjoy something in this life. I'm single, middle-age, no kids, gave up drinking, don't do drugs or smoke and have a sedentary job. I workout but I love that enough to want to progress and for me that means two strength training sessions a week: great fun while I'm doing it but not much time per week spent doing it. So, I don't know, your point is well taken. It's an ongoing issue with me. And, frankly, it's been months since I've been shooting, so I don't do it as frequently a I used to. Maybe I'm slowly losing interest in it, who knows?

 

BTW, is 15 NRR the same as the 25-ER? I think I got the highest rated concert plugs but there are no markings except for 15 NRR, (nothing saying ER).

 

This link explains NRR standerts and double protection

http://www.elvex.com/FAQ.htm#What is the effect of dual protection

30Db + 30Db = 33Db
-30 db muff + -30Db plug = -33Db (theory)

These numbers are from electronic engineering:

3 dB = twice the power (Power respectively intensity - mostly calculated)

6 dB = twice the amplitude (Voltage respectively sound pressure -
mostly measured)

10 dB = twice the percieved volume (Loudness nearly sensed psychoacoustics)
So the human ear percieves 10Db as a doubling. This comes from the 'Bell' (instead of Decibel, Db) rating where 2 bell is twice as loud as 1 bell and 1 bell =10Db.

My musician ear plugs are worth it every penny!('variphone' brand in my country) If you have T and H and want protection and comfort these are the best. Price was about 150€.

Mine where available with -15 and -22 Db filters. I choose -22Db. The filters are interchangable back at the shop/factory.

PS.

I meant T and-or H. Or just no T and common sense

And the those numbers are increases of +3Db +6Db +10Db

 

Are any of you using custom fitted earplugs? What are some of the pros and cons? Would they be a worthwhile investment for someone with tinnitus working in noise everyday? I'll be interested to read your responses. Thanks in advance!

 

They're one of the best purchases I've made. Do it.

 

Want to invest in some decent earplugs.

Since getting T I haven't been out much and its making me depressed as fuck. I mostly don't go out out of fear of making it worse and because of loud noises (I wear foam earplugs but then I can't even hear my friends speak and feel like I'm in my own bubble and I end up shouting things or talking really quietly without realizing and they find it funny). Also I broke my elbow and it still hasn't healed after 2 months, and I've lost all the muscle it took me a year of going to the gym 4 times a week to get which hasn't helped with my mood.

Tried to go and meet my friends for a game of football last night and to skate and within 2 minutes of getting there someone honked there horn for a good 10 seconds for absolute no reason, so I got straight back in my car and went home.

On the weekends my friends usually go to bars or clubs which obviously I don't go to. I haven't taken my girlfriend out much in the past 3 months and feel sorry for her as she wants to go out but obviously wants to stay and see me so we just end up staying in most nights tbh (what a life for a pair of 20 year olds, right?) My T is only getting worse even though I'm protecting and avoiding loud places. Feels like I'm getting unlucky with unavoidable noises on my daily commute such as train horns, car horns, walking past construction sites, some guy playing the bagpipes right outside the train station all of which i was wearing earplugs for but still get worse T and H.

I know many people will say overprotecting has caused my H but I only wear earplugs on my commute and when driving (my car is an old and got an 88dcb reading off my phone). The H usually only gets worse after I'm exposed to a loud noise like a car horn so I feel that's the cause, not protecting my ears. Imagine if I didn't protect my ears on my commute (loud city center underground train station) my T and H would be even worse so overprotecting is not the cause as like I said, I only wear them for 2 hours a day for committing that's it.

This shit has taken so much from me man... The biggest thing is I work an office job and I used to listen to podcasts through headphones a few hours a day 2-3 days a week (I had the volume low this wasn't the cause of my T) and now I can't do that anymore and the days dragggg so bad. Work a boring dragging day to come home and sit in silence at my computer playing games, great life...

Had T for 3 months and it's only getting worse so might as well invest in something good seems as I'm probably in this T game for a long time now.

Is it 100% safe to get custom earplugs?

Obviously a lot of people have them but is there any chance something could go wrong? I ask as in my 20 years of living I feel like I'm extremely unlucky and a lot of bad shit always happens to me and not my friends etc and I'm pretty paranoid now because of what's happened to me. I feel like if there's a chance something could go wrong it will happen to me...

The reason I want custom earplugs is because they don't look too bad (not that I care what people think but it stops people from asking questions about why I'm wearing earplugs, which of course I don't mind explaining to stop them from making the same mistake but it gets abit annoying especially when in places that most people wouldn't consider loud. Also it will make me more comfortable when taking my girlfriend out to restaurants and such and will allow me to get out the house more (I'm not overprotecting here, I know my limits and what has caused me spikes in the past)

I tried to use LiveMus!c musicians plugs that have a 19 and 27 dB filter I think and they honestly feel like they aren't giving me any protection whatsoever when I pull them out of my ears the sounds seem the same so I want some good customs!

Where is the best and safest place to get custom earplugs done and what's a good brand?

 

go to the audiologist and get them. you'll be glad you did.

btw, at 3 months and only 20 years old you're going to feel a lot better in 9 months or so most likely. I couldn't handle a bar at 3 months and 2 weeks ago I jammed with a band. MOST people have meaningful recovery.

read. https://www.trackitdown.net/news/show/102489.html

 

@orbiter12
Tinnitus isn't easy to deal with but in time things will get better. Focus on the positive things in your life and I don't need to tell you that you have many. Start by turning on your television or reading an online newspaper and look at the amount of trouble that is in this world. You and I can go to bed and sleep peacefully whilst many are unable to do that because of war. Try to stop feeling sorry for yourself and count yourself fortunate for what you have as things could be a lot worse. If need be have a talk with your doctor and get something to help settle your stress and anxiety. I suggest you try and clean up your language too as it'll make you into a much better person and people will respect you for it.

Michael

 

I know there are much much worse things that people could deal with, but that doesn't make the problems you have feel any less impacting. Sorry about the language I guess that just reflects my current mood. Also thank you for the advice

 

I get the tube everyday and don't wear plugs? I haven't had a problem, i'm only it for ten mins each way and some of it is outside though.

 

Life is problematic for everyone @orbiter12 and no one escapes problems. They come upon us and we have to deal with them the best we can. As I said, focus on the positive things in your life instead of dwelling on the negative. You are young. Not disabled and working. You are not visually impaired and probably live at home with your parents. Life is pretty good for you and you don't realize it because you're allowing negativity to take a hold. Read my post: Positivity and Tinnitus, and the other articles in my "started threads" read the positivity threads from other forum members. When you habituate to your tinnitus, and you will. You will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. Accentuate the positive things in your life and it will eliminate the negative things.

Think about it.
All the best
Michael

 

These words mean a lot to me when I'm this down, thank you. I feel like its not the noise that bothers me its being scared of making it worse which makes me isolate myself. I feel like if somebody told me your tinnitus will stay the volume it is now forever then I would go out to the clubs restaurants gym sports etc and just mask in the day and get on with my life. It's not the noise that bothers me it's the things I can't do anymore to prevent it from getting worse that bother me.

 

I used to listen to music through headphones a lot and when they caused my tinnitus I stopped using them. That was 20 years ago and I no longer miss them. Have a talk with your doctor on how you feel. Stop thinking what you can't do and focus on what you're able to do. Just imagine if you were blind, disabled and unable to move or in really poor health and couldn't feed yourself or go to the bathroom. I know these things are drastic and I don't like mentioning them here. I just want you to try and focus on the positive things in your life and you have a lot.

Have a talk with your GP
Michael

 

I had a word with my GP today actually, had to have a 24 hour ECG due to really bad heart palpitations. I've been having atleast 15 a day for 2 weeks - he seems to think is being caused by stress or anxiety due to tinnitus and welcomed me to come back and have a chat with him if he feels i need it ( i get the palpitations even when my tinnitus is low and im not thinking about it so unsure about his diagnosis but i trust him nontheless)

Also what custom earplugs do you recommended and is getting the impressions %100 safe. I know youre from the UK like myself, where did you get your impressions done?

 

I do not use custom earplugs and I advise you not to get them either. All you need is ordinary "noise reducing earplugs" that have filters in. Get them from the BTA (British Tinnitus Association cost around £12. Custom plugs absolutely unnecessary for you in my opinion. I strongly advise you not to follow some of the people on this forum that have become paranoid over every little sound. It is not healthy. Go out with your friends and start to enjoy life and tinnitus will soon be distant memory that is a promise. Read my post below: Hyperacusis, As I see it.

Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

I use foam plugs for my commute, but wanted something for restaurant and bars where i could still have a conversation, therefore i purchased these https://www.amazon.co.uk/LiveMus-He...97559935&sr=8-17&keywords=musicians+ear+plugs
musician earplugs but i feel like they dont offer any noise protection what so ever, i have the properly inserted but cant notice the difference when I have them in

 

@orbiter12
I advised you before not to use Foam earplugs and this is probably the reason you are focusing more on your tinnitus. It is not a good thing what you are doing. Read my post again in the link I sent you. This obsession that people have with earplugs is totally unnecessary. You will make your auditory system more sensitive. Only use earplugs in very noisy environments. If you start getting used to using them then your ears and auditory system will always be sensitive.

Last year I went to a venue and the sound level was 100 decibels. I had my earplugs with me but didn't use them. I had not problems. Read my post as the story is there.
I advise you again not to use Foam earplugs.
Michael

 

@orbiter12 how loud is your commute?

 

around 85dcb sustained with spikes up to 110dcb with horns passing trains etc

 

also does anyone know if you can have customs earplugs made if youve got a lot of impacted wax. been told i have imparted wax up against my eardrum. it caused pain for a week but now its fine so would rather not have ot syringed

 

Hmm i get on the DLR and tube everyday and have never used plugs on those, can't be too different from what you experience.

 

Got my ACS plugs earlier this year but I have yet to try them "live". On Sunday it's time.
First concert in 12 or so years.

I have the PRO26 filter and the 15 filter.

 

Hi Ed, just wanted to ask a question about the ACS ear plugs you mentioned. I'm looking into getting custom plugs, am still learning about them, and was curious about something you wrote.

You mentioned the ACS plugs are more comfortable than foam and filtered plugs with less occlusion. Are they not filtered plugs? Are they some other type? What you said caught my eye because I'd like to have plugs with less occlusion.

Thanks for any info you can provide,
Zinnia

 

@Zinnia : Yes, they have changeable filters. I used mine "for real" for the first time a few weeks ago and they worked as expected. I have however, only used one of the two filters I have. I have yet to use my 15 db ones.

What kind of puzzles me, though, is that they seem to go quite deep into the ear. Especially my right one, where it - at least in the beginning of use - feels like they touch the ear drum or something.

 

Hope they are working out for you. From what i've learned, the audiologist attempt to take impressions that go as deep as possible to prevent the occlusion effect. So that seems like a good thing for yours. I think though, they are prob not touching your eardrum because I believe people know when that happens because it hurts like hell! Maybe it's just irritating your ear canal or something.

Did things go well when you had the impressions made? I'm concerned about having the foam block that's put in first. I read that sometimes it can accidentally touch the ear drum. Any potential issue like that in my T ear concerns me.

 

@Zinnia

Yes, no problem at all. I've done it three times now (two for "Earfoon" plugs 2000 and 2006, respectively) and this time. The sensation has been the same all times, but never any eardrum problems.

 

Hi,
I've been researching on those plugs for months. I have a "one size fits all" plug with filter for some time now (Pluggerz Hobby), but even with the filter the high end cut sucks.

I can get Elacin/Etymotic/Westone type plugs here in Brazil (those all use the same filters).

Guess I'll stick with the newer Westone TRU Custom filters (same filters as Crescendo, too? looks like).

My doubt is now about a different filter for my left tinnitus ear; yes I have it only on the left side.

I would order them with the Blue WM16 as the standard filter, as this is the most flat filter (my main goal is to get rid of city acoustic polution and I'm also a audiophile; actually I found this topic coincidentally).

Now there is a filter which let's more high frequencies than lower ones through (white WM20):


(look at the values, not the drawing, they updated the measurements, but not the drawing).

So my idea is to try the white filter on my tinnitus ear, so it could act like some kind of hearing aid, since the tinnitus kills the high frequencies on my right ear (or what causes what? The tinnitus the frequency deafness or vice versa? lol. Science has no answer yet it seems).

What you guys think the effect would be?

 

Hi @Tom Cnyc

I just wondered what you meant by saying you couldn't handle a bar after 3 months? Did it make your tinnitus worse? But after 6 months you'd recovered enough or things had settled down enough that you could play with a band?

Apologies for keep asking you questions!

Thank you,
Michael.

 

I had hyperacusis when my tinnitus first started. It's basically 99% gone now. I only leave that 1% because for some reason when I get a spike that lasts a few days to a week, on the last day my left ear will get really sensitive. It's strange to say, but on some level I almost welcome it because every time it seems to signify that the spike is about to end.

This pattern has existed for close to two years now. I get a few spikes a year that have nothing to do with loud noise.

Also - don't apologize. We're all here to support eachother. When this shit hit me it threw me for a loop harder than anything ever before in my life. And 3 years later I'm 100% back to my life, and have been for some time. My ears aren't perfect but I have no fear about going out and having fun. I carry earplugs on my keychain and it hasn't failed me yet (and I go to ~25 concerts a year and play instruments a few days a week)