Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: *** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~ (Read 4478 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

~ Hurt problem ~

No idea what size "small" sleeves like http://www.amazon.com/Comply-T-500-Isolati...one-Platinum/dp and those that come with isolation earphones are, but the foam ones hurt my ear.

Not sure what size "slim" is http://www.amazon.com/Comply-P-Series-Slim...s/dp/B001F0RPHU

made have to get custom-made

best place to start looking?

good links are good!

~

~ Evil noise problem ~

The highest the Shure brand gives seems to be ~37 db http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#Acoustics

Not sure what's the best db chart/scale but I need one that is likely 80-120 or higher

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/TableOfSoundPressureLevels.htm
http://www.industrialnoisecontrol.com/comp...se-examples.htm
http://wgs4.com/it-all-boils-down-two-things

db are logarithmic
http://www.masteringphysicssolutions.net/m...-decibel-scale/

umm.. 80-120+ looks doable on the charts

made have to get custom-made

best place to start looking?

good links are good!

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #1 –
What are you using right now? What kind of noise are you trying to block out?

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #2 –
The best ear plugs on the market are rated at 33dB attenuation. If it were possible to make better ones, there would be plenty of competition to do so.

That number is based on a standard, Federally defined calculation across the audio spectrum. The actual sound level reduction varies by frequency, generally getting better as frequency rises.
Pick up almost any ear plugs at a pharmacy or work equipment supply store and look at the packaging. There is often a chart: attenuation by frequency band. The highest figures you will see are probably under 50dB.

These attenuations are, I believe, measured under the very best conditions. It probably isn't generally possible to get terribly close to them in actual use. They depend a great deal on the condition of the ear plugs and how correctly the earplugs are inserted.

Ear plugs are a safety item so the standards are controlled. IEM are not subject to these standards and can thus advertised based on whatever whimsy the advertising department comes up with. There is no way they can exceed ear plugs intended to protect hearing in noisy environments. However, since ear phones are intended to pump sound into your ears, there will usually be considerable masking of outside noises by the audio to which you listen.

I use ear plugs a great deal of the time. Foam plugs hurt if I don't inset them properly. This took some time to learn, I used to believe I had to cut off the tips to reduce pressure on something deeper into my ears. Perhaps you could improve on your experience with some experimenting.

You will no doubt have seen the instructions for pulling on the outer ear to straighten the ear canal. This is not a slip shod operation, it must be done correctly and fully to get the best results. When I do it, it feels as though the ear plug is going almost straight towards the front of my head, parallel to the side of my face, as I inset it. This was not originally the case, before I realized how important it is to pull my ear in the proper direction and by the proper amount.

Also, after the ear plug is fully inserted, the ear must still be help in place for 10 to 20 seconds as the foam re-expands and fits itself to the cavity. It is very important, at least for me, to apply some slight directional pressure to the end of the ear plug to sort of steer the plug into settling at the exactly best angle. Without this last bit, it touches something that causes considerable pain in a short time.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #3 –
If you want more attenuation, then use earmuffs.  Can be used outside your earplugs too, and so you are less vulnerable for mistakes you may make using suboptimal stuff(ing) in your ears.

As for alternatives to foam:
- Tried flangs-type plugs? I.e. looking like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/130816022377 ?
- Custom molds: you can try it for cheap, http://www.earplugstore.com/custom-diy-ear-plugs.html .  Opinions may vary as to whether these are on par with what your audiologist will get you, but it is a cheap test. Myself I have spent $tree-figures only to find out that my ears change from day to day so much that I cannot count on a tight fit.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #4 –
Quote
sure what's the best db chart/scale but I need one that is likely 80-120 or higher...

...umm.. 80-120+ looks doable on the charts


If you are working in a 120dB SPL environment and you get 20dB of reduction, you are down to 100dB.  There is nothing you can put in (or over) your ear that's going to give you absolute silence.    And, I assume that people who work in 120dB noise environments have to use ear plugs and ear muffs, and that still might not get you down to what's considered safe (and legal) for an 8-hour work-shift.

Quote
db are logarithmic
That's really not important in this discussion...  Your ears are  logarithmic  too (approximately). 

Logarithms also mean that you calculate a ratio by subtraction instead of division.    So, a 10dB reduction from 100dB to 90 dB sounds the same as a 10dB reduction from 50dB to 40dB.      i.e. If your ear plugs cut the sound level by 20dB, they will cut the level by 20dB no matter what the loudness....  They are cutting the same percentage of the sound, and on a log scale a constant percentage is a constant number.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #5 –
I've never seen foam plugs rated for -40dB NRR or lower. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong, but I think -30s are about the best you can do with insertable foam.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Canar on
I've never seen foam plugs rated for -40dB NRR or lower. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong, but I think -30s are about the best you can do with insertable foam.


And subjectively, -30dB is a lot of attenuation.

I have a big box of Bilsom 303 earplugs that I use when motorcycling. They're very comfortable and claim an SNR of 33, which supposedly equals around 33dB when inserted ideally, so 30dB is probably about right. The difference in ambient noise when I put them in correctly is amazing, not to mention how well they cut out the wind noise (which is a lot louder than you'd think at ~80km/h).

soundispretty:Get a set of Bilsom 303s or 3M EARs or similar comfortable high-quality foam plugs, cut them to length if needed, poke a hole through them with a hot needle and put them on your earphones. I know the Bilsoms come in various sizes, perhaps you should try the smallest you can find and see if you still get decent isolation without discomfort.

*** ~ Isolation: Ear foam hurts / Best isolation earphones ~

Reply #8 –
I bought Aftershokz headphones (bone conducting) for running, but I've found out that they work even better for noise isolation combined with ear plugs. Of course, sound quality suffers though, but it's pretty acceptable.