Custom ear plugs?

[wildsponge]

Hey guys. This is my first post. My name is Wildsponge and I've surfed here for quite a while and am a regular at Harmony-Central Bass Forum so we can skip the introductions.

My question is: I was thinking about getting some custom ear plugs and see that there are the er-9, er-15, and er-25. My question is, does a set come with all 3 levels of filters or do you only get to pick one and have to buy the additional ones if you want them? THX

[SoyBase]

Hello and welcome aboard!

I have a set of the ER-15's that I got made at my local ear doctor. They cost me $160 but worth EVERY penny.

Here is the kicker. Its not the cost of the plugs themselves thats high, its the filters. I only got to pick one set. If you want to replace them, its about $40-45 just for the filters. Expensive, but if you take care of your plugs, you won't replace them anytime soon. The 15's are a good halfway point and still keep all the clarity, with very minimal high end loss.

I've had mine for over 3 years and as long as I don't lose them, I'll use them for many years to come.

Hope this helps. My friends got theirs at local hearing aide shops for somewhat cheaper. I believe it was Westone.

Thanks
Tommy

[msquared]

I have both the ER-15 and the ER-25. I use the 25s any time I'm watching a show somewhere and the 15s onstage. I highly recommend them.

One thing I did was to get the soft molds (silicone, I think) instead of the hard plastic molds. The musicians I know who have the hard plastic dislike them a lot. My silicone plugs are very comfortable though, and don't unseal when I move my mouth like the hard plastic ones are reported to do sometimes.

[i like tictacs]

Do the custom plugs stick out at all? From your ear, that is.

[msquared]

They are designed to sit inside of your ear canal and not stick out. The silicone is clear, so in a club setting it's impossible to tell that someone has them in. In any pictures I see of myself playing I always look and never can tell.

If someone is standing onstage also, they can probably tell. But they're mostly invisible. The only thing that sticks out is a string (think "fishing line") with a small ball on the end so you can get them out after the show.

[velvetkevorkian]

for anyone out there in the UK, is it possible to get custom plugs through your GP (i.e for free on the NHS- i am a student), or do ya have to go private? any info much appreciated!

[NJL]

you may want to try www.westone.com as well

[Blackbird]

Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs