Any opinion about molded earplugs ?

[burn]

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on molded earplugs. What are your experience with them ? Are them that much of an upgrade from the generic ER-20 which I use since 15 years?

Etymotics makes 9, 15 and 25db filters.

I use them mostly for band rehearsals and playing/seeing shows. I'm afraid 25 db will be too damped but 15 db is clearly not enough in my case (playing with a loud drummer !)

Any advices/experiences/hints ?
Thx !

[T-rex]

Loud drummer here: I haven’t used the generic, but like 15 years ago I got my first set of custom molded and I used those for like 10 years. I bought a second set to replace those when they finally got too hard to be comfortable. I have all three filters at this point. 25 is a lot, but I’ve used them before when playing with full stacks. 15db covered me 90% of the time.

I absolutely love them. They are soft and custom so it’s never an issue with fit or seal. It’s just one less thing you have to worry about it. They are great for concerts too.

At first I just used them for practice but once I got used to them I wore them for shows as well.
I use IEMs mostly now, which I also had custom molded.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I've had a set for years. They have swappable 15 & 25db filters. I use 25 to see shows and 15 when I'm playing as a sideman. I generally go without for my own bands because I don't like singing with them and we're not very loud. Beyond that, they're more comfortable and better sounding than anything I used to use. Things sound like they should but quieter.

They're money well spent. I wish I'd gotten them sooner.

[vvv]

I wouldn't put nothin' in my ears was molded

not without a good cleaning

ears, too

[Scodiddly]

Won't go for a long drive, an airplane ride, or a loud show without mine. Sensaphonics, I got them to mold the full ear (like IEMs) and I have 15dB and 25dB filters. Worth every penny and I'm on my third pair.

[burn]

For the ones with both filters (15 & 25), do you regret getting both ? In Canada they are 100$ for an extra set of filters. I'm playing in a garage/punk band with loud drummer. Band rehearsals hit 112-115db, the snare is getting 112db, the amps around 105db. The venues I go are not really quiet too. My ER-20 handle it, but I feel the 25 might be too much but the 15 not enough...

Also, how do you compare the reduction curves from both ? In theory, the er-15 curve is almost flat, the er25 reduces more the mid and high (from 1k to 4k) but theres a huge bump at 8k. In real life, is the difference between both that much noticeable of it's quite subtle ?

[T-rex]

I don’t notice a huge difference between the two in response. You lose some high end on both really, to me. I def don’t hear a big uptick at 8k.

If it’s that loud I don’t know if 25 is too much. I have a set of Vic firth drum phones and they are also supposed to be around 25 dbs. I can play drums with them on and still hear ghost notes etc. even at low volumes. But if you feel your current ER-20 are kind of the perfect level I’m not sure.

[Scodiddly]

I tend to think that any kind of earplugs changes things enough to make it hard to do live mixing, and I'm in the position of having increasingly sensitive hearing as I get older. So looking at like right now I want to find something with at least 15dB of reduction but no change in frequency response. Or in perception, maybe - changing the inlet of sound from the natural ear hole to something sticking a bit out of it already skews the way I perceive what I'm hearing.

[burn]

I tend to think that any kind of earplugs changes things enough to make it hard to do live mixing, and I'm in the position of having increasingly sensitive hearing as I get older. So looking at like right now I want to find something with at least 15dB of reduction but no change in frequency response. Or in perception, maybe - changing the inlet of sound from the natural ear hole to something sticking a bit out of it already skews the way I perceive what I'm hearing.

Here are Etymotics curves, in theory, the ER15 is almost flat til 7-8k:
https://www.listeningstack.com/cdn/shop ... 1674264271

[roscoenyc]

I've been using the Sensaphonics molded ear plugs for years.
They are super helpful to me. I usually use the -9 filters. I have -15 also but -9 seems to do the trick.

Your hearing is worth it. They cost about as much as a fancy fuzz box.

[Scodiddly]

[Here are Etymotics curves, in theory, the ER15 is almost flat til 7-8k:
https://www.listeningstack.com/cdn/shop ... 1674264271

I got curious, and I set up a crude test with my live sound system tuning rig - SMAART software, Earthworks M23 microphone, and also one of my JBL LSR-305 speakers. Basically just pointed the mic at the speaker, took a reading (yes, fairly flat), then attached a filter to the mic tip with electrical tape. I have -15 and -25 dB filters.

In a nutshell I didn't get dB readings that fit what the filters do (ie I didn't see 15dB of attenuation). But what did appear interesting was that the high frequency phase was drastically changed. I suspect that's a legitimate observation, because it makes sense with what the filter has to do to reduce air movement.

[drumsound]

[Here are Etymotics curves, in theory, the ER15 is almost flat til 7-8k:
https://www.listeningstack.com/cdn/shop ... 1674264271

I got curious, and I set up a crude test with my live sound system tuning rig - SMAART software, Earthworks M23 microphone, and also one of my JBL LSR-305 speakers. Basically just pointed the mic at the speaker, took a reading (yes, fairly flat), then attached a filter to the mic tip with electrical tape. I have -15 and -25 dB filters.

In a nutshell I didn't get dB readings that fit what the filters do (ie I didn't see 15dB of attenuation). But what did appear interesting was that the high frequency phase was drastically changed. I suspect that's a legitimate observation, because it makes sense with what the filter has to do to reduce air movement.

I have to assume the ear molds themselves contribute to the sound reduction as they 'seal' the ear. So that would mean its the filter, plus the housing that determines the amount of reduction.

[The Scum]

A couple tidbits from my time using molded earplugs:

• The fit is critical - if the molds aren't made right, they won't seal, and therefore don't work. For them to be useful, they have to go as deep as a foam earplug would.
• They have a limited lifespan - the material they're made of hardens as it ages, also effecting the seal & overall comfort. I'd guess 3 to 5 years?

After a few years, I ended up going back to foam. I can buy a lifetime of foam plugs for the cost of one set of molded, and always have spares in coat pockets, the glove box, etc.

[drumsound]

A couple tidbits from my time using molded earplugs:

• The fit is critical - if the molds aren't made right, they won't seal, and therefore don't work. For them to be useful, they have to go as deep as a foam earplug would.
• They have a limited lifespan - the material they're made of hardens as it ages, also effecting the seal & overall comfort. I'd guess 3 to 5 years?

After a few years, I ended up going back to foam. I can buy a lifetime of foam plugs for the cost of one set of molded, and always have spares in coat pockets, the glove box, etc.

And the foam really does give the best protection if you make sure to put them in correctly. I was having a weird issue a couple years ago and I got a hearing test. I think I was 52 at the time. Instead of the sensitivity for high frequencies going down (think a low pass filter) mine actually goes UP (like a high shelf). I've been using foam plugs since college. When I play, practice, or even attend shows they are in. When I had a convertible, I'd put them in for longer drives.

Protect your ears, people!