Recommendations for trade show custom molded earphones

[HotRodZilla]

Neither of these work well for an all day ride...let alone all day for multiple days...

Ah. Got it. Have you ever found tips you like?

I got fitted for custom molds at CES last year and love them.

Wheaties is very sensitive. He even got all upset when Beemerdons put his tongue in his ear. Claimed it "hurt".

 

[wheatonFJR]

Neither of these work well for an all day ride...let alone all day for multiple days...

Ah. Got it. Have you ever found tips you like?

I got fitted for custom molds at CES last year and love them.

Wheaties is very sensitive. He even got all upset when Beemerdons put his tongue in his ear. Claimed it "hurt".

Dang it now...don't make me get "mean".

 

[dcarver]

I would not recommend Precision Labs in Florida and the Challenger II custom ear molds.

I'll second that.

Now I have the Westone CR1's.

Why not Precision Labs??

All of the following is my experience, Bug -

a) The first set were really loose, no seal at all. Turn the head and pop, the seal is gone, ambient noise much greater than ER6's, S-bend (did I get the name right), ear plugs

B) Precision Labs stated my audiologist used incorrect ear goop density - even though they use the same goo for Westone.. So I bought the PL kit, (more $$) my audiologist made another impression (more $$$) and the second set came back. Better, the right ear would stay sealed but not the left.

c) PL said the audiologist didn't make a correct impression, so do it again. Another kit ($$$) another impression ($$$)

d) The 3rd kit is waaay oversized for my ear canal dimensions. It's almost as if they took impression, added another .030". They actually hurt to insert, and the left ear piece actually contacts the ear drum.

At this point, months have gone on, as I've been away for rides (West to East coast NERDS run, for one) and decided to simply give up, call it a 'learning experience'. Then I thought BS, I should at least see if I can get a Christmas tree type triple flange installed instead of the custom route. After all, the ER6's I can wear all day for 3 weeks no problem...

So I sent an email off to Bill at PL and..

no response.

wait wait

re-send email -

wait wait

re-send email, checking that email addie is correct

wait wait

and I'm still waiting.

That's why, for me, I can't and won't recommend Precision Labs. They were good to work with, perhaps they just decided I was too big of a whiny-snively-pain-in-the-ass and decided they had done enough and **** me. I don't know, my next step is to call and see if I can find someone that will help.

For right now, PL is

NOT

 

[dragonchef]

Inearz will make custom shells for any ear buds for $90. You will need impressions from your local audiologist (about $15/side). I took a set of Ultimate Ears 10 (reg $395/Ebay$140) and had these done....comfy, noise redux and killer tunes....

https://www.inearz.com/

 

[Bugnatr]

I would not recommend Precision Labs in Florida and the Challenger II custom ear molds.

I'll second that.

Now I have the Westone CR1's.

Why not Precision Labs??

All of the following is my experience, Bug -

a) The first set were really loose, no seal at all. Turn the head and pop, the seal is gone, ambient noise much greater than ER6's, S-bend (did I get the name right), ear plugs

B) Precision Labs stated my audiologist used incorrect ear goop density - even though they use the same goo for Westone.. So I bought the PL kit, (more $$) my audiologist made another impression (more $$$) and the second set came back. Better, the right ear would stay sealed but not the left.

c) PL said the audiologist didn't make a correct impression, so do it again. Another kit ($$$) another impression ($$$)

d) The 3rd kit is waaay oversized for my ear canal dimensions. It's almost as if they took impression, added another .030". They actually hurt to insert, and the left ear piece actually contacts the ear drum.

At this point, months have gone on, as I've been away for rides (West to East coast NERDS run, for one) and decided to simply give up, call it a 'learning experience'. Then I thought BS, I should at least see if I can get a Christmas tree type triple flange installed instead of the custom route. After all, the ER6's I can wear all day for 3 weeks no problem...

So I sent an email off to Bill at PL and..

no response.

wait wait

re-send email -

wait wait

re-send email, checking that email addie is correct

wait wait

and I'm still waiting.

That's why, for me, I can't and won't recommend Precision Labs. They were good to work with, perhaps they just decided I was too big of a whiny-snively-pain-in-the-ass and decided they had done enough and **** me. I don't know, my next step is to call and see if I can find someone that will help.

For right now, PL is

NOT

Geez Don that sucks, I would call them. Bill and company have been fair with me.

I have had just the opposite experience with them on multiple transactions. I used their kit and with help from the little woman I did my own impressions. Screwed up one of the ears molds so they sent me a new kit and got it right. I have used my first pair for 80k miles with several no cost repairs. Considering I wear them every time I ride street or dirt I am very pleased with the sound quality and durability. When I bought a pair for my wife I bought myself a second kit for a back up pair. Even though I did my own impressions (again) the fit is a little different which makes me think no two impressions will be exactly alike but the new pair is breaking in.

OR as you said-

"They were good to work with, perhaps they just decided I was too big of a whiny-snively-pain-in-the-ass and decided they had done enough and **** me."

 

[Pete Bansen]

Bob Weis of the Earplug Company does some shows, but not too many. I dealt with him via mail-order and have been very happy with his earmold speakers for a number of years. Great fit, totally comfortable and excellent sound.

Earplug Company

Pete Bansen

Truckee, California

 

[stryg8r]

Another endorsement for Marilyn at "Now Hear This".

Had my first set made at a trade show in 2005. Last year they needed to be replaced as I just wore them out. I sent them back to Marilyn and she made a new set for a very good price. I've worn these all day for multiple days and they've been very comfortable.

 

[LDRydr]

Bob Weis of the Earplug Company does some shows, but not too many. I dealt with him via mail-order and have been very happy with his earmold speakers for a number of years. Great fit, totally comfortable and excellent sound. Earplug Company

+1

I've used my Challenger's from Bob to ride over a hundred thousand miles with no issues. It's worth noting that there are differences other than fit that make these good earplugs. The cord is substantial and won't kink. The little plastic slider between the Y and the plugs helps unkink the smaller twisted cables heading to the plugs. The silicone they use is premium and doesn't harden with age.

Also, here's some tips on getting a good fit, learned from experience. Your ear canals tighten up as your jaw is closed. So when making your impressions ask your audiologist for a bite-block to keep your mouth open while the molds stiffen. This will help the finished product to have a snug fit in your ear.

Also, remember to keep your impressions. Bob will send them back to you. This way you can use them to make a replacement if you lose them. Or in my case I just ordered a set of plain earplugs to use in noisy environments such as concerts or church (don't get me started on why church worship music needs to be so loud!).

 

[Aasland]

I would not recommend Precision Labs in Florida and the Challenger II custom ear molds.

I'll second that.

Now I have the Westone CR1's.

I'll add some detail.

The first pair I had was great, made from the DIY molds. My buddy did it too, had to send one side back to be redone, and he has had them for ... seven ?? ... years now. Great sound, quality silicone, etc.

After about two years I lost the sound on one side - it just stopped working. I ordered another set, and threw in a pair for my wife. Boy were these a disappointment.

We did the DIY molds again. My pair came back waaaaay too short, i.e. they didn't extend very far into the ear canal. My wife's did not block any sound. We sent both pairs back to be redone, they returned them with a pair that went deeper. Of the four plugs, three did not block external noise.

So we went to an audiologist and paid $$$ to have impressions made and redid three of the plugs. Same results - they didn't block external noise. We went back to the audiologist, made new impressions, sent them in, and now PL started charging us for re-doing them. WTF ?!?! But this time my pair was adequate - although it would lose the seal a couple times a day, the riding season had arrived and I was sick of spending money and turn around time to try to get them as good as the first pair.

My wife gave up. PL wouldn't give us our money back for them. To this day, my wife uses them when she runs because they won't pop out of her hears, but they're worthless for motorcycling.

About two years into my second pair of Challengers one side quit working, just like the first pair. I threw them away, jury-rigged some ER6i's and various other solutions for a season and now I have the Westone CR1's. One impression, one pair, works great. They're not as soft as the Challengers, but they consistently block external noise, and at $300, it was LESS than what I paid for the Challengers, when all was said and done.

Thus, the verdict is that Challengers are a fine product but somewhere along the line Precision Labs lost the ability to craft the plugs correctly from the impressions. There's more to it than molding and pouring. PL has to "finish" the plugs or impressions by manually grinding and smoothing away material, knowing how deep to make them, etc. I wear hearing aids and watched audiologists make them, there is a significant amount of talent involved. It appears that PL has lost that talent.

 

[Jeff F]

Another endorsement for Marilyn at "Now Hear This".

Had my first set made at a trade show in 2005. Last year they needed to be replaced as I just wore them out. I sent them back to Marilyn and she made a new set for a very good price. I've worn these all day for multiple days and they've been very comfortable.

Yup, this pretty much describes my experience too.

 

[mikebike]

I spent $171 with Marilyn at "Now Hear This" or Plugup.com.. TWO THUMBS DOWN they functioned for 1.5 days (kind of) ... while I was on my recent ride on my FJR to NC/TN/SC and when I called they said -- Clean them. I tried this - no improvement. I get a return authorization and sent them back- figuring 1.5 days of partial use they would repair or replace. NOPE

She insisted I broke them

. I am careful, very tech literate, and DID NOT abuse or hurt these headphones. She was not kind or even professional.

... I have run a customer service related business for 25 years. She just kept saying-- YOU BROKE THEM. <--- not True. She wanted another $50 to fix them

My advice... buy elsewhere.....

SAVE YOURSELF THE HASSLE

 

[Bounce]

Odd. i have 2 sets from NHT (different length cords). One I used during the 2003 Iron Butt Rally. Both have been "go to" for years; both for on and off bike use. Never a problem.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Neither of these work well for an all day ride...let alone all day for multiple days...

Ah. Got it. Have you ever found tips you like?

I got fitted for custom molds at CES last year and love them.

Wheaties is very sensitive. He even got all upset when Beemerdons put his tongue in his ear. Claimed it "hurt".

:lol: :rofl:

 

[garyahouse]

This thread's been in hibernation for 2 years; however I was just up at Daytona yesterday and ordered some custom molded earphones (ughhh-- ear buds?)... from a company called DBPlugs, based in Valrico, Fla.

The problem: I've tried a number of ear buds, my latest being the Klypsch s4i (CLICKY). They're really great ear buds with wonderful sound, but alas, just like the others, after a couple hours in the saddle, one or sometimes both ears begin to hurt. I stop, take off the helmet, and wiggle them around. Sometimes this helps for a little while, but eventually I have to take them out and resort to my awful SMH10 helmet speakers. They're indeed plenty loud enough, but forget the bass.

I don't care who you are or what you say, helmet speakers don't compare to the sound and noise isolation of something IN THE EAR. Wind noise with my Shoei Neotec? It is indeed one of the quieter helmets out there, but at expressway speeds wind noise becomes a problem.

So I took a chance. Hold your breath, these things are not cheap. But I love listening to music while I ride, and I need good noise protection. I got fitted up for their custom molded ear buds, which should be delivered in about 2 weeks. They come with a 2 year warranty and removable wires. Their single speaker model was 300, but I chose the 420 dollar two speaker model for better sound.

The process:

While sitting in the chair there at their booth, they checked my ears for wax. "It's pretty clean in there," he pronounced after looking in my ear with a scope. He gently inserted a 3/16 thick foam plug up against my ear drum and then filled both ears with some foam. I was instructed to keep my mouth open slightly. 2 minutes later, he pulled them out and the fitting was complete. I'll never see that foam again, it'll be used to mold the actual pieces. Now we wait to see how this Florida based company does.

One thing I noticed in looking at their product was all the little gizmos inside the sample ear mold they showed me. The speakers look like little 1/8x1/8x1/4 silver boxes with separate ports leading toward the ear drum. They don't look like anything I've ever seen. But in all fairness, I've never looked inside a set of ear buds before.

This should be interesting.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[lonerider]

This thread's been in hibernation for 2 years; however I was just up at Daytona yesterday and ordered some custom molded earphones (ughhh-- ear buds?)... from a company called DBPlugs, based in Valrico, Fla.
The problem: I've tried a number of ear buds, my latest being the Klypsch s4i (CLICKY). They're really great ear buds with wonderful sound, but alas, just like the others, after a couple hours in the saddle, one or sometimes both ears begin to hurt. I stop, take off the helmet, and and wiggle them around. Sometimes this helps for a little while, but eventually I have to take them out and resort to my awful SMH10 helmet speakers. They're indeed plenty loud enough, but forget the bass.

I don't care who you are or what you say, helmet speakers don't compare to the sound and noise isolation of something IN THE EAR. Wind noise with my Shoei Neotec? It is indeed one of the quieter helmets out there, but at expressway speeds wind noise becomes a problem.

So I took a chance. Hold your breath, these things are not cheap. But I love listening to music while I ride, and I need good noise protection. I got fitted up for their custom molded ear buds, which should be delivered in about 2 weeks. They come with a 2 year warranty and removable wires. Their single speaker model was 300, but I chose the 420 dollar two speaker model for better sound.

The process:

While sitting in the chair there at their booth, they checked my ears for wax. "It's pretty clean in there," he pronounced after looking in my ear with a scope. He gently inserted a 3/16 thick foam plug up against my ear drum and then filled both ears with some foam. I was instructed to keep my mouth open slightly. 2 minutes later, he pulled them out and the fitting was complete. I'll never see that foam again, it'll be used to mold the actual pieces. Now we wait to see how this Florida based company does.

One thing I noticed in looking at their product was all the little gizmos inside the sample ear mold they showed me. The speakers look like little 1/8x1/8x1/4 silver boxes with separate ports leading toward the ear drum. They don't look like anything I've ever seen. But in all fairness, I've never looked inside a set of ear buds before.

This should be interesting.

Gary

darksider #44

Can't wait to hear how you rate the sound quality when you receive them. Thanks, Tom

 

[RiderX]

Since it's been resurrected, in response to OP: +1 for Westone CR-1. My favorite farkle. Survived all 11 days of IBR with some extended riding days thrown in. You'll note the Westones have 2-3 dB greater sensitivity than most competitors and 6 dB more than some earphones. This is significant and I like having the volume option for some source. Very durable as well as I've used a cockpit limited freq response version for ten years.

Ear canal mold process same as described by Gary. Turnaround from audiologist mold to Westone to your home (2 day ship) is less than 2 weeks without rush processing.

 

[EffinJR]

I've had success with a DIY version of these custom earbuds, technique explained here:

https://lifehacker.com/5787610/diy-custom-molded-in-ear-headphones

 

[Aasland]

I've had success with a DIY version of these custom earbuds, technique explained here:
https://lifehacker.com/5787610/diy-custom-molded-in-ear-headphones

I've tried that a few times and have not had any success. The Radianz stuff does not hold up well over time and most earbuds (the part not covered why the mold) continues to transmit sound into your ear canal. Unless you use the tiniest earbuds they will stick out too far for most helmets.

In the end I shelled out ~$300 for the Westone's.

At this point ... I'd suggest the $50 Etymotic MC5's may be the best options out there, if your ears are OK with the generic flanges.

 

[PapaUtah]

I have the Gen II iPlugz from EAR Inc. Had them molded at the Mpls Bike Show. Arrived a week later. Great fit, great attentuation of ambient noise.

https://www.earinc.com/p2-iplugz.php

 

[garyahouse]

The end result of what I started earlier in this thread (post #33 above):

All I can say is... WOW.

See my report here: CLICKY

Gary

One happy camper