Thread: Noise isolating earphones

As someone with hearing problems at the tender age of 31 I really wish I had taken PPE more seriously when I was younger. I spent most of my twenties playing in a band or photographing live music and my hearing is shot now. I wore protection 99% of the time but the few times I didn't left me with long term damage because of the high volume level and length of exposure. Luckily it's not too debilitating but I occasionally get a ringing or hissing sound from tinnitus and find it very difficult to track conversations in places with lots of ambient noise.

Not something to take lightly!

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

When I do use muffs they're Peltor H10 and I can definitely hear the difference between with glasses and without, so they're clearly not sealing as they should.

True, very true. I can hear the difference after I get a haircut which is every 3-6months.

Originally Posted by woodPixel

they also sell shooting head muffs that incorporate impact googles. A shame that they won't ship that style here though (probably the word "gun" triggers the customs Nazis). Let me see if I can find them, for if they worked on a gun range they should be Ok for woodwork.

probably not.

a gun range is what is termed impulse noise, while WW machinery is continuous noise. Suppression of impulse noise is a different requirement to suppression of continuous noise.

Originally Posted by ian

probably not.
a gun range is what is termed impulse noise, while WW machinery is continuous noise. Suppression of impulse noise is a different requirement to suppression of continuous noise.

That's correct. For general use the Peltor 10 series are slightly better than their their special shooting muffs, while for shoot the reverse applies.

If you buy good quality earphones that fit in the ear canal, they will come with various sizes of plugs. I have a pair that I have to pull my ear back to get them in, like fitting proper ear plugs. They don't block out as much as ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones, but are better than the ones that just sit in the outer part of your ear. I got mine quite a few years ago from here. https://www.noisymotel.com/

I have 2 like that already, but they're not really useful for 100+ dB machine noise...

What about something like these? Etymotic Research | HD•Safety™ Earplugs + Headset + Earphones

Do it Scandinavian style = put the saw in a box. I've seen the plexiglas (?) shrouds over the saws and I can't remember where. Noise and dust control.

What do airport people wear, out on the apron tarmac?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

What about something like these? Etymotic Research | HD•Safety™ Earplugs + Headset + Earphones

The NRR of 27 more or less is consistent with the fact that they don't go far down the ear canal, but its not to be sneezed at and maybe a NRR of 27 is all you need, after all sanding is not that noisy a process.
The Assumed Protection Values of these Etymotics at low frequencies is quite good and consistent with the fact that plugs physically block the ear canal.

Going back to NRR, which is some kind of averaged value across the 63 to 8000 Hz frequency range, something to be aware of is that the averaging works in both directions.
If the average is boosted by attenuation at frequencies that are not relevant to the noise source then they may not be that protective.
Likewise, ear protection by devices with lower NRR may actually be quite protective at a specific noise frequency.
Not many workers are going to bother to read and analyse frequency data but they should be aware of whether their noise source is rumbling and growling (i.e. low frequencies) or screaming like a banshee at higher frequencies.
To simplify this a bit, manufacturers have started publishing a high, medium and low frequency rating as signified in the Etymotic research H/M/L ratings.

Here is a very interesting graph comparing plugs, muffs and the combo of the two, from Extra Protection: Wearing Earmuffs and Earplugs in Combination Elliott H. Berger Hearing Conservation/NIHL 1218
This article written by professional audiologists who are not trying to sell ear protection (although the website does sell audiology training) is a relatively easy to read article and well worth a read.

This data in the graph shows what is called REAL-ear attenuation that takes into account the ability of a trained user to fit and repeatedly refit ear protection.
The lower down on the graph the line , the greater the protection.

It also shows the combo of plug plus muff and how skull bone conduction limits are reached in the 2-4kHz range using the combo.
MuffsVPlugs.jpg
Getting back to the Etymotics, my concern about paying too much for earphones is I go through about 4 sets a year i.e. lost, crushed, cut through leads etc.
It would be interesting to compare the Etymotics with a $5 pair of foamies from say the Reject Shop.

Those prices would be US as well...
Maybe I'll try to just get their foam tips and put them on my current ear buds. I get years from headphones, they die before I lose/break them so if they're good I don't mind paying

Most of my exposure would be mid-high frequency: saws, planers, routers, etc

Hey Elanjacobs
may I suggest this solution (earmould)
Very popular with motorcycle riders. (thus my knowledge of them)
Basically they inject compound into your ear... wait for it to set and voila 100% guaranteed full seal of your ear.. you can combine this procedure with in ear earphones of your choice.
Generally there are at least couple of guys making those at every motorcycle show...

they receive generally good reviews from motorcycle riders... now comparing motorcycle riding and woodworking... pretty similar... constant noise.. not sure about dB ratings and differences .. but I can tell you.. going 100km/h in an upright position (cruiser style motorcycle) even with decent helmet still have a lot of constant noise.. noise is even greater if you have crap cheap helmet, open face or helmet not suited for the type or ride.. (ie sports bike riders are positioned in a more crouched position comparing to cruiser riders)

The link above is just quick search ... you can find plenty of makers in every major city..

edit:
Another link (melbourne based)
Full Ear Custom – Noiseguard Moto

Thanks for that. So I can bring my own earphones and they'll mould them into the plugs? I saw they have their own built-in earphones as well, but at $500 it's not gonna happen.

I've ordered a pack of foam tips from Etymotic, hopefully they fit the ones I have.

from what I've seen at motorcycle shows... pretty much you can bring your own in ear headphones or they will provide you with the string.. which keeps them together so you dont loose them.. they inject the compound into your ear... you wait for x amount of time .. i think 10 minutes or so.. until the compound sets enough so they can safely pull it out.. and go for a bit of show browsing.. from memory full cure is about an hour or so... pick them up.... final test etc.. and if all good you are walking out of motorcycle show with brand spanking new set of earplugs customised to your ears..
you can even choose colour..

Price wise... cant remember exactly.. but it wasn't too expensive.. usually they offer show discounts etc... web site provided above were posted more as a reference providing additional details...
General attenuation is greater than your standard ear muffs...
ear muffs are usually 29dB and these ones are about 37dB or so
Motorcycle riders like them because
a)they work pretty well..
b) no sweaty ears
c) can wear sunglasses for that extra cool look
d) can combine with their favourite headphones ....
e) there is no pressure in you ear like foam tips, reusable or disposable plugs etc. which rely on expansion to fill all crevices of you ear to ensure tight fit

the ultimate solution for many is combination of molded earplugs with active noise reduction headphones... but that raises some other potential issues.. road safety etc .. as noise reduction plus music in ear would mean not being able to hear traffic around you... not very good especially riding in peak hour traffic etc.. so there are some debates on motorcycle forums regarding that .. but might not apply to your case though...

Because there's a $ or 3 to be made, there's a lot of hype around custom made ear plugs especially from so called the audiologists who sell them to folks like musicians and shooters.

Before you buy perhaps have a look at this
Foam Earplugs Versus Pre-molded Earplugs

Bottom line is

Custom molded earplugs are made from impressions taken of your ears in order to provide a perfect custom fit. Their effectiveness is highly dependent on the skill level of the person taking the impressions so there is no guarantee that they will provide better noise protection than other types of earplugs. Note that custom molded earplugs are considerably more expensive than other types of plugs.