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Just got my pair of Elacin earplugs...

Had the moulds done for a pair of ER-15 earplugs about a month ago and they turned up today.

Did anyone else find it took a little while to get used to putting them in and how they feel? The left one seemed reasonably ok but the right one doesn't go in as far and is a bit uncomfortable - looking at them side-by side the canal on the right hand one is noticeably longer.

I'm kinda hoping they haven't just made it a bit too big, would have thought it's unlikely though seeing that they had moulds of my ears to work from.

Your ears are different sizes and shapes, therefore the moulds will be different for each one.

I had been wearing foam plugs for some time before I got my ER-15s, so not as difficult getting used to them really.
Very soon, you will forget you are wearing them- until you take them out!

Try a little tiny bit of moisturiser in your ear- not much at all- which will soften it slightly and make it easier for you to get in and get used to.

Hmm it's going in ok, although it still sticks out past the tragus (while the one in the other ear neatly tucks behind it) and puts a lot of pressure on my ear drum when it's in.

Go to your ear doctor that did the moulds for you..

He might say it's normal for them to feel off at the beginning.

I know my right one sticks out a little more than my left one which is a bit annoying visually but comfort-wise i'm all good.

I have forgotten in the past that i have had them in.. It's great when you keep them in all night, then towards the main part of the night you take em out and my god is it loud! Hard to put them back in there as you get caught up in the moment but wait till you test them out in a club.

Steve

WTF? - Sorry can someone please explain the whole earplugs thing. In 10 years of clubbing I never met anyone with earplugs in a club (apart from some club workers) until recent months. I went clubbing about 3 weeks ago and a friend I met there couldn't hear what I was saying over the music......until he removed his earplugs.

I don't mean to come across condescending but unless your working in the environment on a professional basis (lighting enineer, bouncer, barman, etc.) why the hell do you need earplugs?

You are going clubbing. It's meant to be loud. For a few hours of you life. That's part of the point. It all seems very strange to me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a sound engineer by trade. I like my hearing and want to protect it, but I can't help thinking how precious/metrosexual you have to be to go clubbing with earplugs.

It's like entering a mountain bike race with stabilisers on your bike, just in case you fall off. When you go swimming. you could drown right? but you don't take your armbands? Shit I could go on with other bad analogies, someone please explain.

quote:

Originally posted by n3lly It's great when you keep them in all night, then towards the main part of the night you take em out and my god is it loud! Hard to put them back in there as you get caught up in the moment but wait till you test them out in a club. Steve

sorry to be blunt, but that's really fucking stupid. ears don't like sudden changes in sound pressure like that at all. you should take them off once your in a quieter place (outside the club)-

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN WTF? - Sorry can someone please explain the whole earplugs thing. In 10 years of clubbing I never met anyone with earplugs in a club (apart from some club workers) until recent months. I went clubbing about 3 weeks ago and a friend I met there couldn't hear what I was saying over the music......until he removed his earplugs. I don't mean to come across condescending but unless your working in the environment on a professional basis (lighting enineer, bouncer, barman, etc.) why the hell do you need earplugs? You are going clubbing. It's meant to be loud. For a few hours of you life. That's part of the point. It all seems very strange to me. Don't get me wrong. I'm a sound engineer by trade. I like my hearing and want to protect it, but I can't help thinking how precious/metrosexual you have to be to go clubbing with earplugs. It's like entering a mountain bike race with stabilisers on your bike, just in case you fall off. When you go swimming. you could drown right? but you don't take your armbands? Shit I could go on with other bad analogies, someone please explain.

the more you expose your ears to loud noises, the more damage they suffer, which means more chance of hearing loss, tinnitus etc.

good earplugs don't take away anything from the sound as they filter all frequencies evenly, but you still feel the loud music, so it's not the same as turning the speakers down.

hearing loss can't really be fixed and i know i'd kill myself if i were deaf (pretty much the only situation where i'd consider it) and i already have mild tinnitus and sensitivity to loud high pitched noises from clubbing, so i'll try to make sure it won't get worse in the future by using earplugs, because it really is stupid not to wear them.

dunno if any of this made any sense to you, but it does to me at least and that's why i wear earplugs.

quote:

Originally posted by skip sorry to be blunt, but that's really fucking stupid. ears don't like sudden changes in sound pressure like that at all. you should take them off once your in a quieter place (outside the club)-

No problem at all.

Do you even know what we're talking about.

If you walk into a club. You're effectively doing the exact same thing as taking out these ear plugs out throughout a night.

These earplugs don't block sound, they reduce it by 9,15,30db depending on the filter you have in them.

So it's not like my poor ears are going from 40db to 110db.

Until you try them, i'd hold back from commenting on the experience as it really is something you have to try before you can judge how good it is for you.

End of the day, of course it's not good for your ears taking them out.

But... i know that joe bloggs aka. skip's ears will be WAY worse off than mine after he's been listening to the music without custom made ear plugs for over 4+ hours.

I'm not sure if you quite get what kind of ear plugs we're talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by skip the more you expose your ears to loud noises, the more damage they suffer, which means more chance of hearing loss, tinnitus etc. good earplugs don't take away anything from the sound as they filter all frequencies evenly, but you still feel the loud music, so it's not the same as turning the speakers down. hearing loss can't really be fixed and i know i'd kill myself if i were deaf (pretty much the only situation where i'd consider it) and i already have mild tinnitus and sensitivity to loud high pitched noises from clubbing, so i'll try to make sure it won't get worse in the future by using earplugs, because it really is stupid not to wear them. dunno if any of this made any sense to you, but it does to me at least and that's why i wear earplugs.

So obviously you do know what we're talking about.

I'm confused as to how you think taking them out throughout the night for a spell of 20-30 min is THAT bad then?

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN WTF? - Sorry can someone please explain the whole earplugs thing. In 10 years of clubbing I never met anyone with earplugs in a club (apart from some club workers) until recent months. I went clubbing about 3 weeks ago and a friend I met there couldn't hear what I was saying over the music......until he removed his earplugs. I don't mean to come across condescending but unless your working in the environment on a professional basis (lighting enineer, bouncer, barman, etc.) why the hell do you need earplugs? You are going clubbing. It's meant to be loud. For a few hours of you life. That's part of the point. It all seems very strange to me. Don't get me wrong. I'm a sound engineer by trade. I like my hearing and want to protect it, but I can't help thinking how precious/metrosexual you have to be to go clubbing with earplugs. It's like entering a mountain bike race with stabilisers on your bike, just in case you fall off. When you go swimming. you could drown right? but you don't take your armbands? Shit I could go on with other bad analogies, someone please explain.

I've actually already got permanent hearing damage (not too severe) and a chart to prove it lol, I'd hope to get another decade or so before I give up clubbing so thought I'd invest in not cutting that short.

I'm pretty sure it's actually DJing rather than clubbing which has done the damage so far - if you're in a booth behind a 10k+ rig, you need often to crank your headphones right up to hear what you're doing, particularly if the volume of the monitors is fixed (which has been the case at a few gigs I've played). I'm still yet to test them myself, but I know people who have said you can DJ with these earplugs so it seemed like a logical step.

I have actually seen quite a few people wearing them in clubs over here, but you're right it's not that common - I'm not sure yet if I'd take them on a normal night out clubbing, but people have said it can make it a different experience as you can hear everything so much more clearly so I might try it at some point. I would be a bit worried about taking them out and leaving them somewhere if I was pissed though, they're quite an expensive thing to lose on a drunken night out!

quote:

Originally posted by n3lly So obviously you do know what we're talking about. I'm confused as to how you think taking them out throughout the night for a spell of 20-30 min is THAT bad then?

because ears don't like the sudden change from lets say 70 to 95 dB at all (if we assume that he music in the club is 95 dB and your earplugs filter 25 dB). sudden changes is something the ears don't like and taking the plugs out will make a sudden change of 25 dB (in this case). your ears aren't used to the high level of noise and thus hearing damage will occur more easily.

when you walk into the club it's not the same thing as you hear the music getting louder and louder as you walk near the dance floor where the speakers are, so your ears get better accustomed to the sound level, compared the the situation where you take the plugs of in the dance floor and the huge change comes in a second.

i'm no ear doctor. this is all based on what i've read and believe to be true. i've got no scientific data to back this up (as i can't be bothered to search for it), but common sense kinda backs this up imo too as you can easily notice that sudden loud noises hurt your ears more compared to upping the volume slowly the the same level as the sudden loud noise was at.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox I've actually already got permanent hearing damage (not too severe) and a chart to prove it lol, I'd hope to get another decade or so before I give up clubbing so thought I'd invest in not cutting that short. I'm pretty sure it's actually DJing rather than clubbing which has done the damage so far - if you're in a booth behind a 10k+ rig, you need often to crank your headphones right up to hear what you're doing, particularly if the volume of the monitors is fixed (which has been the case at a few gigs I've played). I'm still yet to test them myself, but I know people who have said you can DJ with these earplugs so it seemed like a logical step. I have actually seen quite a few people wearing them in clubs over here, but you're right it's not that common - I'm not sure yet if I'd take them on a normal night out clubbing, but people have said it can make it a different experience as you can hear everything so much more clearly so I might try it at some point. I would be a bit worried about taking them out and leaving them somewhere if I was pissed though, they're quite an expensive thing to lose on a drunken night out!

Good explanation, and fair enough. I understand if a DJ does, it just surprised me when I heard that clubbers were doing it. I think the most dangerous thing for your ears is not soundsystems themselves (even though they won't help) but headphones that are too loud - SPL's behave differently and are much more dangerous in enclosed spaces such as full enclosure headphones. I'm not sure about the DJing logic of getting earplugs so you can monitor form the headphones with the volume jacked right up.

quote:

Originally posted by skip because ears don't like the sudden change from lets say 70 to 95 dB at all (if we assume that he music in the club is 95 dB and your earplugs filter 25 dB). sudden changes is something the ears don't like and taking the plugs out will make a sudden change of 25 dB (in this case). your ears aren't used to the high level of noise and thus hearing damage will occur more easily. when you walk into the club it's not the same thing as you hear the music getting louder and louder as you walk near the dance floor where the speakers are, so your ears get better accustomed to the sound level, compared the the situation where you take the plugs of in the dance floor and the huge change comes in a second. i'm no ear doctor. this is all based on what i've read and believe to be true. i've got no scientific data to back this up (as i can't be bothered to search for it), but common sense kinda backs this up imo too as you can easily notice that sudden loud noises hurt your ears more compared to upping the volume slowly the the same level as the sudden loud noise was at.

Don't worry i'm not one of those members who demands evidence, stats and figures. Most of us are quite knowledgeable on here and i completely see where you're coming from.

You are right about everything you have said but in effect certain other activities do the same thing. Take something as simple as a Vacuum cleaner. You have ambient noise then all of a sudden your ears are listening to 70-90db of noise.

In the end of the day, of course it's not good for your ears.
But the fact that i have them in most of the time, i feel i will benefit in the long run. Even if i have the odd listen without them.

My ear plugs have the 15db filter in them. I find it perfect for extended periods of listening.

The logic is if the monitors are very loud and you can't turn them down then you need to crank your headphones which as you said is very tough on your hearing. If you have earplugs you can cut some of that volume out. Even though the monitors are blasting which forces you to crank your headphones you're still filtering out some of the volume by using the earplugs which I can only imagine helps reduce hearing damage.

quote:

Originally posted by n3lly Don't worry i'm not one of those members who demands evidence, stats and figures. Most of us are quite knowledgeable on here and i completely see where you're coming from. You are right about everything you have said but in effect certain other activities do the same thing. Take something as simple as a Vacuum cleaner. You have ambient noise then all of a sudden your ears are listening to 70-90db of noise. In the end of the day, of course it's not good for your ears. But the fact that i have them in most of the time, i feel i will benefit in the long run. Even if i have the odd listen without them. My ear plugs have the 15db filter in them. I find it perfect for extended periods of listening.

yes. it's better to wear earplugs than not the wear them, but taking them off isn't still necessarily wise in a loud club (my ears are sensitive, so i never do it, but i do understand why someone would).

oh, and i can't the sound of a vacuum cleaner. makes me crazy. that's why i always have my headphones on if i'm vacuuming, or if someone else is.

i just use the cheap puddy earplugs

no size problems

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Good explanation, and fair enough. I understand if a DJ does, it just surprised me when I heard that clubbers were doing it. I think the most dangerous thing for your ears is not soundsystems themselves (even though they won't help) but headphones that are too loud - SPL's behave differently and are much more dangerous in enclosed spaces such as full enclosure headphones. I'm not sure about the DJing logic of getting earplugs so you can monitor form the headphones with the volume jacked right up.

The filters in the ELACIN ear plugs are designed specifically to reduce harmful frequencies. While they drop the overall sound by 9db/15/30db depending on the filter that you have. They also remove the very top end of the scale reducing the high end you hear (not completely but considerably). A small bit is also taken from the low end.

I asked the same question when i was about to purchase mine. "Wont i just turn the music up to compensate?" In the end i didn't because i was able to hear the music better. The top end was reduced with the ear plugs which meant even though i didn't feel like my ears were taking a pounding without the ear plugs they actually were.

I would usually always have some tinnitus after playing a long set but have found this isn't the case when i wear them.

I wish i could let my friends try the ear plugs so they'd get the idea but a) they don't have the same mold obviously and b)It would be very disgusting!

Hope that clears that up a little for you.


www.hearingprotection.co.uk

http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/...d=62&Itemid=121

quote:

Originally posted by skip yes. it's better to wear earplugs than not the wear them, but taking them off isn't still necessarily wise in a loud club (my ears are sensitive, so i never do it, but i do understand why someone would). oh, and i can't the sound of a vacuum cleaner. makes me crazy. that's why i always have my headphones on if i'm vacuuming, or if someone else is.

I totally agree it's definitely not wise..
lol @ vacuum cleaner.

It makes me clean faster!!!

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN I think the most dangerous thing for your ears is not soundsystems themselves (even though they won't help) but headphones that are too loud - SPL's behave differently and are much more dangerous in enclosed spaces such as full enclosure headphones.

Totally agree. I'm also guilty of cranking the headphones up too loud when I'm mixing at home lol, probably another contributor. But I'm sure it's headphones at high volume that's done the damage so far (specifically DJing though - I actually keep the volume right down when listening to my iPod, which I know is how a lot of people damage their ears)

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN I'm not sure about the DJing logic of getting earplugs so you can monitor form the headphones with the volume jacked right up.

Well sometimes you need to jack the volume up to overcome the level of the main rig/monitors. Again, I've been told that everything becomes much clearer with the Elacin earplugs in so you can actually work quite easily with the headphones lower than you might usually use them.


Another silly thought I had which IS a bit backwards is that most speakers are clearer at higher volumes... I certainly find I can hear what's going on in my headphones and separate two tracks in the mix much better when they're quite loud (within reason, of course you don't want them distorting), much louder than normal listening volume. I have thought that maybe the Elacin earplugs will mean I can take advantage of that better dynamic range without killing my ears... but that really would be daft, I don't even turn my monitors on at home half of the time haha, so it would just be wearing earplugs to protect me from the volume of my headphones, which I could just turn down anyway!

Back on the original subject, I phoned the manufacturers and they said it's rare for one ear canal to be that much longer than another (one of the plugs was 3-4 mm longer than the other, which is quite a lot in terms of the inner ear), so if you can feel pressure on your ear drum it's probably too long. They suggested I send it back to them and they'll trim it down.

Speaking personally, I have the headphones at an incredibly low level with the ER15s in simply because they reduce the ambient noise and monitor noise, meaning you dont have to crank them up.

Thet are the single best purchase I have ever made, and I will not go in a club- either socially or working- without some form of hearing protection (er15s if djing/ -39SNR foamies if working sound/lights or socially where I want as much reduction as possible and clarity not as important) period.


You will also find you can hear people speaking very easily with no need to shout with them in...

Im still pestering them to make me some -50dB filters for mine, so I can use the custom ones for both Djing and other work with only a quick filter change required....no dice so far

quote:

It's like entering a mountain bike race with stabilisers on your bike, just in case you fall off.

A better analogy would be when you go mountain biking, you wear a pair of oakleys to protect your eyes from stones and shit so you dont go blind....


I dont give a shit how naff it may look to some. Im not the one with EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in their ears for the next day and a half after 9hours of 110dB+.
Ive had tinnitus all my life (born with it) and thats enough for me cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox Back on the original subject, I phoned the manufacturers and they said it's rare for one ear canal to be that much longer than another (one of the plugs was 3-4 mm longer than the other, which is quite a lot in terms of the inner ear), so if you can feel pressure on your ear drum it's probably too long. They suggested I send it back to them and they'll trim it down.

PITA when you get something new that you want to test out but can't because there is a fault.

But seeing as this is the inner ear we're talking about i'd definitely take them up on that offer.

You'll be glad when they fit your perfectly as well..

Let me know how you get on with them when you get them back and how you find mixing with them.

nelly

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN why the hell do you need earplugs?

because i saw DT at Olympic Stade in Montreal and have permanent ear damage because of it. i have to admit when i saw people there with them in i was like thats gay, but not being able to understand people when they talk for 2 1/2 days is even gayer.

quote:

Originally posted by Freak Speaking personally, I have the headphones at an incredibly low level with the ER15s in simply because they reduce the ambient noise and monitor noise, meaning you dont have to crank them up. Thet are the single best purchase I have ever made, and I will not go in a club- either socially or working- without some form of hearing protection (er15s if djing/ -39SNR foamies if working sound/lights or socially where I want as much reduction as possible and clarity not as important) period. You will also find you can hear people speaking very easily with no need to shout with them in... Im still pestering them to make me some -50dB filters for mine, so I can use the custom ones for both Djing and other work with only a quick filter change required....no dice so far A better analogy would be when you go mountain biking, you wear a pair of oakleys to protect your eyes from stones and shit so you dont go blind.... I dont give a shit how naff it may look to some. Im not the one with EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in their ears for the next day and a half after 9hours of 110dB+. Ive had tinnitus all my life (born with it) and thats enough for me cheers.

I get it why someone working in the environment needs them, or someone who spends a lot of their time in a club professionally and still wants protection when they go out socially, so as to protect their ears from regular exposure to high SPLs.

But.....what I don't get are the occasional clubbers who have ear protection on the odd night out. Again, I understand maybe some people already have tinnitus (mine seems to come and go) so do the most to protect your hearing, as you already know you have a problem, but it just seems really OTT to wear them for the odd night out.

I think the thing that got me laughing was I bumped in to a group of friends in a club who all had custom earplugs in. I couldn't see it and I wouldn't have known but they couldn't hear me or each other properly until one of them said "oh just let me take this out..".

I just can't shake the thought of you are going to a club, it's going to be loud. And your head will still be ringing the next day. You know this.

As for the analogy, I kind of get your point but you don't enter a mountain bike race to look directly the sun. In the same way you don't go to a club to mainly out the wallpaper. You enter a bike race to ride as fast as you can and you go to a club (at least the first reason I do) to hear good music, knowing it will be loud. Bollox to this though - mine was a shit analogy in the first place.


Back to the subject anyway, I don't know it's probably just me but it just all seems a bit contradictory and very nancy. It's a similar issue to why Simon Cowell ended up giving back his 200 mph Aston Martin - because although it looked nice and was comfy, he could only do 11mph in london traffic. Well, going to a club with loud music only to filter it down to bedroom hifi levels is kind of the same thing and would stop me from going out in the first place.

Shite, I just did another crap analogy.

quote:

Originally posted by Freak Im still pestering them to make me some -50dB filters for mine

What could you possibly need that much of a reduction for?

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Well, going to a club with loud music only to filter it down to bedroom hifi levels is kind of the same thing and would stop me from going out in the first place.

That's thing. It doesn't filter down to "hi-fi levels". I had -25db plugs until I lost them. With them in, the music is still fucking loud, it just takes the damaging edge off it - you don't wake up with a headache the next day.

I understand that hearing loud music is part of the thrill for you, however wouldn't you prefer to hear quieter music for the rest of your life, rather than nothing at all after the age of 40?

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