Van's Air Force
Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.
Custom molded earplugs
- Thread starter rph142
- Start date
CZ79
I'm New Here
I use them in the AF; they are great, but I would never spend the money for GA, just not loud enough to justify the expense.
I’ve been using a pair of custom-molded plugs on the Halo in the Valkyrie for about a year. I still use the yellow foamies in the other airplanes, so I go back and forth. I find that the noise canceling is better with the custom-modes, but if you don;t get them inserted exactly right, you can get “hot spots” after a short while, and have to take them out and re-insert, or it can get painful. I’m still using them, and have flown them on long days (like home to Oshkosh) - but I think you have to try them for yourself to see if they work for you.
Dugaru
Well Known Member
+1. I tried custom molded on my Halos but didn’t like the feel, and didn’t see a noticeable improvement in noise reduction over the yellow foam. It’s all pretty subjective I’m sure.
Could you adapt the material used for shooting sports? Have been using custom molded ear plugs for such for well over a decade. They work very well and are unnoticeable, comfort wise, almost immediately. BTW, combining those and some some ANR muffs with volume turned up (speakers deactivate for sounds over xx dB) allows for normal conversations and excellent protection.
Anyway, if it that material could be adapted it would be worth looking at. Just a thought to possibly "save" your investment.
Anyway, if it that material could be adapted it would be worth looking at. Just a thought to possibly "save" your investment.
cvairwerks
Well Known Member
The old yellow plugs can be really harsh on the ear canals. For much gentler ones and the same NRR 33 rating, try Howard Leight Max-1's. You can also drop back to NRR 32's with other soft foam plugs. We have to run double protection at work during engine runs, and most of us use HL's Laser-Lites, which are NRR32's under our headsets.
Hangar 1271
Well Known Member
Like Paul, I have a Halo with molded ear pieces and another with foam. The molded are easier/faster to insert but, to me, little else of a difference. They aren't cheap to try so I'm not sure that is good advice. Also, the tube on the molded units are much stiffer and can't be replaced. At least not by the user. Haven't found that a problem yet but I expect it will be over time. The foam inserts don't hurt me even on longer flights.
Out of all the headsets that I've sold I'm only aware of a small handful of customers that tried custom ear molds have stuck with them. I don't actively recommend them in the aviation environment, and the ones that I've seen in the wild completely ignore frequency response tuning that is part of the CQ Headset design.
That being said, who am I to tell you what to stick in your ear. The CQ Headset has continuously evolved for the better every year, but the fundamentals of frequency response tuning remain the same.
That being said, who am I to tell you what to stick in your ear. The CQ Headset has continuously evolved for the better every year, but the fundamentals of frequency response tuning remain the same.
Been using QT for years.... I use the smaller tan colored foam tips that come as part of the tip selection... works great !!
I got a pair at Sun N' Fun last year. I love them. I bought a set for my halos and a second set for work since I need them on the shop floor. Use the ear plugs everyday and the Halos when I fly. Much more comfortable in my opinion. The guy at sun n' fun took the impressions and about 2 weeks later they showed up in the mail. In earz sport was the company.
I had a pair of silicone earplugs made a number of years back to wear while riding the motorcycle. I've used them since in the shop for hearing protection, they work great. What I didn't know when I bought them, is that because the silicone is stiffer than the skin in your ears, if the skin/muscles around your ears move (yawn, chew, swallow, flex your ears, whatever) the seal can be broken momentarily, resulting in momentary lack of protection. The foam earplugs seem to conform fast enough to keep up if you are doing any of these things. Just my experience, ymmv, etc. I still love the silicone plugs for the shop, much more comfortable than over-ear cups.
rph142
Well Known Member
I think I may have solved my issue. I ended up replacing the tiny surgical tubes with a fresh set from QT. What a difference. It appears the tiny dampers had failed which resulted in pretty poor performance of the headset. It was a decade long degradation that i didn’t notice until they became intolerable. I assumed it had to do with the new airplane and thus my quest for a better earplug. The grey and yellow tips both work equally well for me. I’ll be punting on the custom molds and ANR.
