Custom molded earplugs

June 6, 2022 12:48 PM

Many years ago, I went to an audiologist, he took a mold of my ears, and provided a pair of custom molded silicone ear plugs. They fit extremely well, and do an excellent job of blocking out noise - I mostly use them for sleeping and on planes. I'd like to get a new pair, preferably with an option to pair them with professional wired in-ear monitors. Special snowflake details inside.

* If I just want to get this type of earplugs again, do I have to see an audiologist?
* What should I expect to pay?
* If the design is what I expect, there will be a removable plug in each earplug for inserting in-ear monitors. Is this correct?

Note: I tried a DIY brand called Decibullz, but their design makes sleeping on one's side uncomfortable.

posted by 4midori to Technology (7 answers total)

Etymotic make good products and has a list of recommended audiologists for a fitting. Something like 300 USD for a fitting and one set is what I paid ten years ago. They make monitor versions, but you'll have to order that specifically up front.
posted by eotvos at 1:02 PM on June 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

Etymotic used to have a program to do this, I have a pair of Etymotic MC-5s that have custom ear tips from an audiologist. However, I think they've discontinued the program and I'm not sure of any manufacturer that now does it. THAT SAID, call them - the customer service people are very nice and might be able to give you more information.
posted by epanalepsis at 2:08 PM on June 6, 2022

Looks like Etymotic still do custom molds for both earphones and earplugs.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 3:02 PM on June 6, 2022

Decibulz have DIY kits for earplugs and headphones.
posted by kschang at 3:27 PM on June 6, 2022

Popped in to say fyi our ear canals change shape over time, and what used to fit perfectly years ago very likely won’t now.

I’ve worn HAs for 30 years of my adult life and know I’ll need to be refitted each time.
This in regard to custom molds, not generic sm/med/lrg ones.
posted by artdrectr at 4:02 PM on June 6, 2022

My friend the audiologist has talked about this before! He says he wishes people would just come to him to begin with, because he's had so many patients who came to him only after getting frustrated with other options that didn;t work.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:18 AM on June 7, 2022

Response by poster: From doing further research, I recognize it probably makes sense to buy a dedicated pair for sleeping, and a different pair for playing music. There are a number of options for the latter, including custom molded versions that have a properly sized hole for inserting in-ear monitors.

I even found a pair of plugs that have electronically generated hearing protection.
https://www.etymotic.com/product/music-pro/
posted by 4midori at 2:36 PM on June 7, 2022