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Best earplugs?

Thinktank

Senior Member
Messages
1,640
Location
Europe
Some swear by the cheap 3M earplugs.

I've had some earplugs custom made in the hospital. For really noisy situations i have Bose QuietComfort noise cancelling earphones. The earphones are a godsend for my misophonia.
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,688
I love Hearos Ultimate Soft Series. They are the only earplugs I've found comfortable enough for regular use. I wear them during sleep and when flying.

@Thinktank, I've tried and love the Bose noise cancelling earphones, but I can never bring myself to pay the $300 for them. I will, though, when we do remodeling at our house someday.
 

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
This is a subject close to my heart - not least because my ear canals appear to be quite small and I am very noise sensitive. Also my beloved turns into a warthog come the witching hour. When he's not snoring then the dog is. Sigh...

I've tried all sorts and found that foam ones are best - silicone ones that you mould into your ear (not the canal) just don't cut enough noise. Best for noise reduction so far, for me, are 3M1100 SNR of 37dB.

For comfort, but they don't cut quite as much noise: Moldex 7800 Spark Plugs SNR 35dB - if you're in the States Moldex do a Nascar version of similar earplugs that are better.

I also tried some very expensive white noise ones - tinnitus is a riot at 3AM -but I just couldn't sleep in them & found them really uncomfortable.

I have a pair of Bose noise cancelling ones - they do block out ambient steady noise very well but aren't as good with intermittent sounds. I also found them to be a bit too big for my head. When the noise cancelling is activated some people will hear that is a very low level hiss. A well known TV shopping channel in the UK sell this brand so you could get 'em home and try and send them back if they are not for you - they are expensive. I can't sleep in them.

There are other specially moulded and fitted ones - I've investigated a bit but I'm not sure I can handle the disappointment of yet another pair that doesn't work!

Top tip if you're not used to wearing them and your ear starts getting sore - a tiny, tiny amount of vaseline or lip balm type product just around the ear canal opening can help.

Good luck!
 

leela

Senior Member
Messages
3,290
My all-time favourite ones are "Boules Quiès" from France. They are waxy and moldable to your exact ear shape; you can sort of "burp" them like a tupperware so they seal and make an effective sound barrier.
 

Skippa

Anti-BS
Messages
841
Been through loads.

Howard Leight work best for me, you can get them from Amazon. Roll 'em up real tight and shove them in deep.
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
Thank you everyone, really helpful.

Currently I have some sort of cone shaped foam ones. I got these on a flight with BA I think. They are okay, but they just seem to slowly come back out of my ear canals, not stay put. I'm going to give a few different ones a go I expect. I guess I'll buy them one at a time and see if I get lucky, if not keep buying. Will try to report back if I hopefully find something that works, but it's a great help to have these recommendation.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
My all-time favourite ones are "Boules Quiès" from France. They are waxy and moldable to your exact ear shape; you can sort of "burp" them like a tupperware so they seal and make an effective sound barrier.
I have some of these and they are also my favorite. Thanks for identifying them for me leela, as I got a box years ago (somewhere, when I used to roam the world) and haven't been able to find them since.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
If you want an earplug to reduce noise significantly, but not so much that you can no longer hear the doorbell or telephone, then I would suggest foam earplugs.

If you want an earplug that will allow you to sleep even if there are workmen using a pneumatic drill (jackhammer) to break up the pavement just outside your bedroom window, then get the rubber earplugs that you push right into your ear canal. I can recommend Moldex Rockets®. They have literally allowed me to go to sleep when there was a pneumatic drill smashing up the pavement just outside my bedroom window (and the softest of sounds wakes me up).
 
Last edited:
Messages
31
Location
Scotland
Out of all the ones I've tried these silicone putty ones work best for me:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hush-Pairs-Plugz-Silicone-Earplugs/dp/B004TX1MVU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451471871&sr=8-3&keywords=silicone earplugs

You can shape them like plasticine any size you want (don't make them too small though!) and they get you as close to silence as you can get in this noisy world! I think I have odd shaped ears as rubber and foam ones always pop out and never created a seal in my ears and some also hurt after a while. With the putty ones you don't feel a thing. Good luck. :sleep:
 

skipskip30

Senior Member
Messages
237
the silicone putty ones are really comfy, foam ones irritate my ears after a while and i find them a real pain to get in.

If you will be using them a alot have you considered getting some custom made ones? I think they cost £100-£120 ish
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820

Those foam-type earplugs, that fit into your outer ear, are no way near as effective as the rubber-type earplugs that you push right into your ear canal, such as Moldex Rockets that I use, which provide a 27dB noise reduction.

I use those foam-type earplugs while sleeping because they are more comfortable, but if there is any significant noise in the environment, the foam earplugs don't cut it out enough, so I then switch to using the rubber in-ear canal type.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
Try these they are amazing.

OK, I have just bought some 3M EARSoft FX foam earplugs on eBay (£2.50 for 10 pairs), and will compare them to the Moldex Rockets I use.

I'll post a report on this thread.

They claim a 39dB noise reduction with the EARSoft FX earplugs, which would be amazing if it is true.
 

Grigor

Senior Member
Messages
462
Location
Amsterdam
OK, I have just bought some 3M EARSoft FX foam earplugs on eBay (£2.50 for 10 pairs), and will compare them to the Moldex Rockets I use.

I'll post a report on this thread.

They claim a 39dB noise reduction with the EARSoft FX earplugs, which would be amazing if it is true.
Yes they sure are. Let me know here
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
@Grigor
I currently use Howard Leight MAX foam earplugs, which claim a 37dB noise reduction, but I find they are nowhere near as good as the Moldex Rockets earplugs. So don't think those dB figures are accurate.

The Howard Leight MAX earplugs look very similar to your EARSoft FX earplugs. I have tried a number of different foam earplug brands, and they are all roughly the same in their sound reduction abilities.

With foam earplugs, as a test, if I play some loud rock music through my computer speakers, when I put foam earplugs into my ears, they reduce the music volume from 100% down to about 50%. That is to say, the foam earplugs reduce the music volume by about half, but you can still clearly hear the music.

But when I put the Moldex Rockets into my ears, the music volume goes down from 100% to just around 10% — ie, a major reduction, such that you can barely hear the music at all.


Once when I was sleeping during the day, some workmen in the street just outside my bedroom window started using a pneumatic drill (jackhammer) to break up the road surface. There was no way I could sleep through that with my foam earplugs, but as soon as I put the Moldex Rockets into my ears, the pneumatic drill sound became almost inaudible, and I was able to get back to sleep.


With the foam earplugs, I find they are slightly too small to fit my ears, so I have to fold them double, otherwise they will fall out.
 

Grigor

Senior Member
Messages
462
Location
Amsterdam
Will have to try yours too.

Though folding is the last thing you should do. They always warn not to fold. Breaks the effectiveness :)