Does anywhere in NZ do these?
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Does anywhere in NZ do these?
Funny you post that as my Cousin who is a builder got some from Kiwiplugs from Paraparam from memory use your googlefoo.
Not active electronic unfortunately.
I guess you found out the shop ones are shit!
Nah I haven't bought any, but it seems like if I'm going to drop a couple hundred bucks on electronic earplugs I may as well get custom moulded to fit properly for effectiveness + comfort
I bought some from H n F and they were a rought should never have bought them,good luck and can you post up here if your have any luck.
Jase
Maybe try the guys that do custom fit hearing aids?
They will be considerably more than a couple of hundy. Last time I looked at them they were gonna run me $2.5k from memory.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimp
I have a set made by bay audiology,they are nationwide so fairly easy process.
Good for hunting or workplaces but I still use my peltour tacticals on the range as they knock a few more decibels off
What did they cost ya res ?
I have made them over the years using internals from high quality ($4K+) digital hearing aids. I personally use nothing else but these. They require best quality impressions and must be programmed accurately to do their job and sound right. It is imperative the mics are positioned in the helix, not on the faceplate or you will get a lot of wind turbulence. I programme them usually with both neutral volume and with a boost setting for when you want to hear softer sounds/voices at a distance. This boosted setting does not lift the level of the firearm's report.
This type of custom item will never be cheap if made and programmed properly. Triton Hearing sell these for $1300/pr which is actually cheap given the electronics inside. If you want some, make sure they ask advice from Chris at the Hawkes Bay clinics as to exactly what to do. They are a "special order" item, not a routine hearing aid.
@6x47 , Considering that option will still be a mail order scenario using an impression, is there anything gained by getting them done here versus sending your impressions to the states to someone that offers a purpose built product.
There seems to be a domestic market for these albeit a small one, I've been looking into it too and only been able to find US/UKbased companies offering dedicated electronic ear plugs.
I have also been looking into whether the ones used by musicians domestically could be adapted for using under a flight helmet as apposed to going to a set of moulded CEPs. Just seems I'm trying to reinvent the wheel with that one though.
The ones I mentioned are def NOT a mail order proposition. They are made in Auckland and tuned in the clinic by the audiologist that took the impression.
Anything that arrives by mail order is going to be hit and miss regarding the actual sound quality. The advantage of using serious digital hearing aid modules is that they can be fine-tuned for both your individual preference and frequency-compensated if you have an existing loss.
I think you are alluding in the last paragraph to those custom in-ear monitors you see performers on stage using. They only have receivers (the speaker bit) inside so are not suitable for what we need for shooting in the usual sense. If you want to hear the radio in a machine and exclude external noise, then they probably would suit.
I have made several sets of custom silicon plugs for chopper pilots in Fiordland and one will not leave the hangar without them. Best horse trading I ever did :)
Yeah, I was looking at separate sets for shooting and work. Agreed, they are completely different applications.
Good to hear someone in NZ can offer these. Will be touching base with Triton Hearing.
Thanks.
About $2500 if I remember correctly, as has been said buy others-to do custom stuff like this is not cheep,esp when you want the electronics in there!Quote:
Originally Posted by redbang
I personally have hearing damage from smallbore shooting as a kid so am very very protective of what I have left.
res, are yours an acrylic/plastic type or are the electronics set in silicon?
They are a custom fitted "soft" material that I think is silicon.
I should point out mine are probably 8/9 years old so things could have changed.
Love bush hunting with them as can hear movement that I never could have without
Just looked at there website and they use silicon
@ebf and I got a set custom moulded by Kiwiplugs in Waikanae ... They fit -OK- and they certainly do the job but :
1) They're unpleasant to wear for any length of time
2) they werent cheap.
I find for use at the range electronic earmuffs the best and for other things - skydiving etc , roll up foamies are great
Guy was selling them at the Sika show$1000.00 down to $500.00 for the day I think. Triton or Bay Audiology, can't remember which
Those were an off-the-shelf item that wasn't programmable or custom moulded.
Different league altogether.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6x47
Your onto it
If it's not custom made for your shape you are missing a lot if the possible decibel(noise) reduction. And comfit. Without tuneable electronics the "background" noise will drive you nuts so you won't where them all the time-and that's the very point
Update:
I've put together very specific fitting instructions so that any audiologist at Triton Hearing will know what to do to fit those top-end custom electronic plugs.
The info will be distributed to all branches.
Good stuff.
I have some, they were expensive and in hindsight I wouldn't get them. I suppressed my bush rifle and am happy with it for the odd shot. My other rifles I put plugs in and accept an opportunity might be lost. They do work very well, but make everything sound a bit unnatural.
I also got custom made plugs. These are shit considering they cost over two hundred dollars. The red baffled plugs from buntings at 16 dollars are just as good.
How much over $200? Sounds cheap for 'custom'? You say they were shit, mind letting on where and from who and why?
I've read else where that you have to be very careful when the impressions of your ears are taken. Any movement of your jaw while the material is setting, ends up affecting the attenuation quality and comfort of the end product. Which sounds logical to me.
Satisfaction seems it can be quite hit & miss by those offering experienced opinion.
Two hundred for custom plugs not electronic. The electronic ones I have were 2700 hundred.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
Two hundred for custom plugs not electronic. The electronic ones I have were 2700 hundred.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nibblet
I find the non electronics work ok but not better than the bunnings plugs. They were custom moulded and 290 rings a bell. Certainly wouldn't buy them again.
From bay audio
I got some done gimp. Waist of $$$$ they whistle in a slight breeze and then you cant hear shit.
Got mine through Bay Audiology.
They fit really nice tho
They should be able to tune that whistle out/down, have you taken then back in and asked? Could be worthwhile
The "whistle" will almost certainly be wind turbulence over the mic. See my prev post.
It's an inherent problem from the mic position and can't be tuned out
How do they handle the wet?Quote:
Originally Posted by 6x47
Don't be so sure of that, a lot of the better electronic circuits can be set to not transmit certain sounds into your ear-this is a trade off as it will make some others sounds not seem true to life.Quote:
Originally Posted by 6x47
I have had this done with both my in ear plugs and my muffs as Wellington is very windy.
As to rain-never had a problem in light rain and have always taken them out in big down pores as it's a lot of $$ to risk. Have been recommended to use a brimmed hat to protect them but hats and I don't mix so never have.
Yeah I went in ssid these are rubbish in the wind and they said thats just how they are
Umm, before you give me advice on this, I better tell you I'm a clinical audiologist with 32 years experience who lives and breathes top end hearing aids.Quote:
Originally Posted by res
You can change gain, frequency response, maximum outputs and the full dynamic range compression in std digital hearing aids. Only the more recent top models ($6K+), generally twin mic models, have effective wind noise reduction and if the user hears wind noise in any model, chances are it's not "removable" by tuning. You can turn the gain down or try say chopping down the low frequencies but you're not truly eliminating the source.
As for water resistance, the fatal error is putting them away wet. Make sure you dry them and remove the batteries before storing. Salt water is a big no-no too
So tuning is the wrong word- all I can say is I spent money and the problem reduced,with the side effect of less true to life sounds. As I use them mainly to save my hearing I can live with that.
As you say-you get what you pay for
Gimp I’ve been wearing hearing aids now for 5 or so years to combat severe hearing loss in both ears. While it’s not exactly the advice you seek some of this may be of help.
The moulds are the easy bit and you have a number of options to choose from. Hard acrylic, silicon or my favourite is a softer material called Bio Pore. I probably wouldn’t recommend the hard acrylic as they take a bit of getting used to if you’re not wearing them frequently and often become uncomfortably after a few hours.
To effectively replace the sound that is being blocked out by the mould yet reduce the damaging louder sounds to a safe level you are looking at a higher spec hearing aid. One that can be tuned to your individual preferences – unfortunately there not cheap! Before investing in off the shelf junk I suggest you take the time and see an experienced audiologist, they will be able to make recommendations based on your needs. I can recommend a few to you if you wish but there mainly BOP based.
When it comes to windy environments even the best hearing aids struggle, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of feedback but there is always a compromise. Usually sound quality/clarity or volume unfortunately. I find wearing a beanie helps in windy conditions and also use a remote with programed settings to help combat various conditions. I’m also sure that deer can hear the ‘whistling’ feedback they can make…..
Recently my hearing aids have started playing up (damage due to water/sweat ingress) I’m looking to replace them with an aid that is claimed to be completely water proof, dust proof etc so the technology is there….you just have to pay for it, and I’m talking about 9-10 grand:TT TT:
I am not an audiologist but this is some of my experience based on years of hearing aid use.
Hayden-
hope you're successful finding a more waterproof aid. You'll be pleased to hear that most manufacturers now nanocoat -all- their models including the cheaper ones. Paying more money won't get you a more reliable aid in terms of corrosion/water resistance.
Likewise, paying more money will make no difference to how they control damaging levels of noise, in fact some very cheap ones do just as well as the most expensive in this regard. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably has a hidden agenda. Where more expensive models do better is in helping you understand in higher levels of noise such as a restaurant. These features are irrelevant to our shooting context.
Your advice on wearing a beanie (or growing an afro..) will def help to some extent but equally the device may be exposed to more sweat by going this direction. Silicon moulds (BioPor is but one example) are only relevant to more powerful behind-the-ear hearing aids and cannot be used as a shell for a custom-made ITE device. They also tend to make an ear sweat a bit more but are still the best option for super-power hearing aids.
6x47 could these custom sound blocking ear plugs be tuned to work in an industrial environment?