Travel Forum / Travel Types / Air Travel / January 2005

I suspect that if you examine the detailed performance specs of these
devices, they have different purposes.

The silicone ear plugs are probably designed to reduce the intensity of
sound in a uniform way. They are probably designed to not change the timbre
of the sounds they reduce.

The foam ear plugs are probably designed to reduce the intensity of the
sound as much as possible, without regard for preserving timbre.

That means that they are probably way too small, or way too large or that
you are not inserting them properly.

I don't know where you got that idea!

OK.

Whatever works for you - enjoy!

What you really wanted was ear blockers, not electronic headphones!

You should go to your local pharmacy or drugstore, and see if they have the
equivalent. You will most likely pay a lot less for them, if you buy them
locally.

I have used earblockers that mould to the ear. They don't last very long.
Eventually they fall apart in bits, and soon they are sort of warn out. This
is why they are sold in multiple packets. If you have tinnitus, the tinnitus
will most likely be aggravated from these.

If you go to a place that manufactures the moulded inserts for people who
use hearing aids, they can custom make you a set of ear plugs that are made
from silicon rubber. These would be moulded exactly for your ears. This will
last a long time. They will only stop fitting as your ear fit changes over a
number of years. The moulded silicon rubber will never wear out. I don't
think that the process would be very expensive.

When they make these, they usually put a very small hole down the centre of
the earplug, to allow it to breath, and also to allow some sound to come
through, so that you would not have your total hearing blocked. But, the
reduction will be very high.

Thank you for all your responses. I am glad I posted my question as I
received a lot of helpful information.

I noticed that the silicone ear plugs that I have only block out 21
decibels and the foam ear plugs had a noise reduction rating of 34
decibels. I have a problem with foam ear plugs staying in my ear! They
always fall out.

Anyway, after some searching, I found the following silicone ear plugs
that have a noise reduction rating of 34 decibels!
(http://www.earplugsonline.com/index.html) so I ordered a pair.

I suppose the only problem is that it states the silicone can easily
mould into the ear canal - I thought it wasn't recommended to mould them
right into the ear canal. I hope that by sealing the outer ear, this
will still block out 34 decibels otherwise I could have just achieved
the same effect using the silicone ear plugs from the local chemist that
advertise a NNR of 21.

Anyway, thanks again for your help, I know enough to know that noise
cancelling ear phones is not what I need.

Thanks again!

These ratings turn out not to actually be very valid, because they are
measured usually with a narrow 1 KC tone that doesn't really represent
most noise.

If you have a problem with foam ear plugs, and you are using the ones
that are shaped like little oil drums, try the tapered kind and see if
they fit any better.  I can get a much better block of the ear canal
with the oil drum kind but lots of other people say they have better
results with the tapered sort.

They may, in fact, be almost identical to the ones from your local chemist and
have the noise reduction overall be the same, while the 1 KC measurement
came out different.  Try them and see.

Do try a serious audiologist.  Tell them you don't want to lose your hearing
and you want help preventing that.
--scott

The right way to get proper fitting earplugs is to go to an
audiologist (some hearing aid sellers can do this too) and get actual
molds of your own ears made. They inject a molding compound into your
ear, let it set, then pull it out. Then they make the ear plugs from
that.

--
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