If you use earplugs for your work or for sleep, why not use some good ones? I've been using the classic ones, you know the yellow or orange ones which are flat in both ends? But I've only used them when desperate, because they are not comfortable.
So thanks to rcmedia for pointing me to Moldex. They are at least as good for the noise, they are easier to put in, and importantly, they are much more comfortable. They're tapered, have a smooth surface, and the foam is softer and higher quality.
(I bought the ones named Pura-fit. They have many different models, which apart from the color seem to be all alike, and I can't imagine what differences there can be anyway.)
I'm sure they are good help for real noise (I used the classic ones when I was sandblasting in my youth), but I use them for rest. You can still hear loud noises, like probably the doorbell, which can be good, but noise under a certain level, like normal, reasonable noises from outside or around the building, just vanish, it's great.
Update: many have problems with inserting the foam plugs, and often the documentation is, uh, rudimentary.
1: Press and roll the plug so it is thin.
2: With your other hand, lift the ear up and backwards, this straightens the ear canal.
3: Without wasting any time (because the plug is already expanding), insert it, and hold it for a couple of seconds until it sits securely.
Update:
Basil recommended Beneficial Products Earplugs.I tried them.
The are better than the clear wax/silicone plugs I'd tried earlier. (These have cloth fibers or such inside, though you can't feel that.)
By the way, with both kinds, I need only half of one! If I use the whole one, the bulk sits like a blog on the ear and is loosened by the pillow over the night.
Very little sticks into the ear, or needs to apparently.
These get quite soft, so it's smart to have a li'll flat stick to help get them out in the morn. Carefully!
I'm not sure yet if they are the "world's best" for me, but they are very good, and at the very least, they relieve the inevitable pressure from in-ear foam plugs.
They are more expensive than most, but they can be re-used many more times than most, too.
I have to use only half the bulk of one plug, otherwise most of it sits like a blob outside my ear, and is jiggled loose over the hours, against my firm foam pillow.
[I just found this discussion page.]
16 comments:
Hmm, different densities of foam for different frequency ranges, or dB reduction.
I find the shooting ones interesting, they have a valve which is open, but closes on percussion. That way you can whisper to your pal, then as you unload both barrels at the prey you don't get deafened.
Me, tapered ones when using power tools, however they sometimes throw my balance.
I know where you are coming from with reference to unwanted 'noise', but if it bothers me that much, I go the whole hog and use a set of noise-canceling earphones. Not quite as unabtrusive as a plug of foam, but much more effective!
I guess I can't sleep on my side with headphones on.
But if they're that good, maybe I could use some for rest/contemplation.
Which are good?
'But if they're that good, maybe I could use some for rest/contemplation.
Which are good?'
I've got them from 3 different sources ... the Bose ones are incredibly good, but at a price (you can literally sit in an airplane without hearing ANY engine noise, yet hear conversation etc perfectly ... it's almost weird until you get used to it!)
Another pair are from Peltor, who manufacture for industry and the shooting fraternity amongst others. Again, these work well (at maybe 30% of the cost of Bose) but have a more industrial / outdoor appearance. Great for cutting out background stuff AND harsh noise (think road drills / nailguns / shotguns etc), yet allowing easy conversation.
The third pair have to remain a bit of a mystery, I'm afraid (can't lay my hands on them!) £30ish of eBay, build quality is not so good as the others, but still effective at what they do, maybe 70% as good as the Bose ... which are not cheap, but work superbly!
Great, thank you.
... but how do the Bose decide what's noise and what's conversation? If conversation gets through, doesn't that mean I'll also hear low traffic noise, the neighbor's bathroom fan, when they walk in hard shoes upstairs, etc?
I've tried some in the office, sure they cover the grey noise of 50 PC's and their cooling fans very well, and the HVAC vanishes. Then a random noise happens - a co-worker starts a phone conversation 10 cubes away, and you hear every word.
Cancelling used to be good at matching the grey noise frquency and cancelling that, but without a sample it couldn't defeat new noises. The ones I tried were about 5 years ago.
I found wireless headphones great in the office, the interference on the RF acted like noise cancellation, and the music masked the conversations. (Choosing non distracting instrumental music.)
I use these to sleep. I luuuve them.
http://www.aninpar.com/tapones-oidos-c-140.html
I have problems drifting into sleep, the noisy cars outside, neighbours slamming doors... Those don't cancel all noise but the noise becomes something very far away and not "in my world".
I LOVE these silicone ear plugs as I don't care to have anything in my ear canal and I have to sleep during the day hours, sometimes, so LOVE how well they shut ALL NOISE out AND...I can also sleep on my sides!! :-)
Euuuu. Those silicon ones in the post above look really creepy. Like from Existenz or something. With looks like that they must surely work great. Just don't let anyone see these great big silicone bogers hanging from your ears!
I actually got a pair of that kind in a "variety pack" I bought. I'm gonna try 'em then, since I also prefer nothing in the ear canal. (They caution greatly against putting it in your ear canal actually.)
They are probably more expensive, so, are they re-usable?
You massage the material a bit to soften it before pressing it on, yeah?
Alex proved that they had call centers before the time of Noah. The measurements of the ark were in cubes, based on the average size of a cube in a call center. The 'it' portion of the measurement (cubit) also indicated that the IT business was in full swing back then. It really is all an exact science after all.
Like the hen-weigh.
Eolake said...
"They are probably more expensive, so, are they re-usable?"
The ones I point to are $3.95 for 2 pair and yes...they are re-usable...for as long as you can stand 'em. ;-)
I recommend making sure that there is no ear wax present at the ear opening; rinsing the "plugs" when you are done with them; and keeping them in the container they came in, for next use.
The other thing I forgot to mention was that some of the "noise" that we also might be dealing with ends up being something that most people don't think much about: the lights (LCD's, etc.) of our alarm clocks, etc. that are in our bedrooms. If they can not be unplugged, covered, or turned around, I would highly suggest also using an eye mask to block out ALL light.
"You massage the material a bit to soften it before pressing it on, yeah?"
They come quite malleable, already...like chewing gum...so...it's just a matter of pushing them against your ear until they are snug at the opening. Fun, huh? Bubble gum in the old "ear balls"?! lol! ;-) They're not bad, when you get used to them...which only takes a couple of times.
Seriously, though...for about 8 weeks, I had to sleep in an open-loft guest room in a home that had tiled floors (no sound absorption) and 3(!!) incessantly barking dogs. These "plugs" saved these dogs' butts! ;-)
Chris S. said...
"...Just don't let anyone see these great big silicone bogers hanging from your ears!"
Right! It sure beats having to run out and catch a congested gorilla, every night; d'ya know what I mean, Vern?! ;-)
How people can stand living with barking dogs, I'll never get.
A house in the next street has a couple of big dogs which are sometimes out late at night and bark when somebody passes. If I lived next to them, I would seriously consider throwing them some meat with rat poison.
I tried the silicone ones. First impression is that I don't care for how they feel, and they wouldn't sit securely, despite freshly washed and dried ears. Also, there was a odd little sound inside them, like a tiny heart beating 20 times a second. Maybe an echo of my blood flowing or something.
Eolake said...
"How people can stand living with barking dogs, I'll never get."
Same here...especially when dogs can be trained not to! Just takes a little bit of effort, when they are young!
Not too sure on the sounds. I wonder if there is anyone reading that might have some ideas. Could it be something to do w/the eardrum, I wonder?
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