Ear plugs

[Hooli]

I've got too old for loud pubs so can live with it for now, it's not as bad as yours though. Maybe when I get really old (like Barmy) I'll ask about hearing aids etc but I'll probably be so anti-social by then I won't care.

[Andre]

Col, I also have the problem understanding when there is background noise. Not due to impaired hearing though. I am hyper-acoustic, meaning I hear to good

My ex dragged me to a hearing test and told the guy that I didn't hear well. He told her that wifes say that of their men all the time  After testing he told her that my problem was that I hear to well. I had told her before but she wouldn't believe me (as usual).

That condition makes life stressful for me in our loud world.

I tried different earplugs but they cause skin irritation. Might be just as well if I loose some of my hearing.

[Mister Fishfinger]

When people are talking, I can hear the sound of talking, but can't make out any words, sort of like hearing a conversation happening in the next room.

I get that if there is much background noise, so I seem right anti-social at times in pubs. It's bloody annoying isn't it?

Yep, it is, but there is nowt that can be done for me.  I'm ok talking to 1 person up close, but if there's a group of say 5-6 people standing around talking, I find it extremely difficult to follow the conversation, and with language there are nuances & double meanings that give the conversation 'character'.  I miss out on all this, I don't get the word play or sutbilties because I just don't hear them. I can't get fed up or pissed, because I can't change it, just have to accept I don't hear stuff - and explain again that I didn't catch what they said. 

Have you looked into getting some hearing aids? Micro technology has come on a long way in the last few years, the latest devices are really small and can be tuned for a variety of different types of hearing loss.

Apologies if you have been down this route already.

[gsxbarmy]

Can't stand ear plugs, never used them, never will. Never had a problem hearing either. Really not sure why people feel they need them but their choice.

[grog]

I use the triple mushroom type, had never used plugs until few yrs back, now wouldnt be without them.

[KiwiCol]

No apologies necessary Fishy, I have 2 hearing aids, new ones too.  They are 'tuned' to my hearing loss frequencies.  I wear them except for at work, metal fabricating place & the dust etc would screw them in no time. 
The earlier comments apply whilst I'm wearing them, except early in the morning on the computer, I'm alone then so no need for them.

Then ya get Speedy saying about a ½ tone difference in a shock spring??    Yeah, I can just see me doing that. 

[Notty]

Mrs Notty was a teacher before we retired, a class of 30 five year olds she could pick who farted when all 30 were being noisy - she could hear an individual child above the hub bub of the classroom. Then she realised she could no longer identify the source of the child neither could she hear them close up so hearing test - 42% loss in 3 ears ( left, right and her final front ear - star trek fan ). Bought aids the price of a small car and it cuts out background noise but she rarely wears them which means I can say well i did tell you last week...

[Speedy1959]

I have never used ear plugs either.
None of the guys I ride with seem to either.

But then there isnt much wind noise at 30mph Officer !

[seth]

I've used ear plugs for many years I used to work in noise places (fab shops and oilrigs) and always listened to loud music I need all the help I can get to look after my hearing.
I've seen it somewhere that 15 mins @30mph can start to damage your hearing .
New helmets are much better than the older ones but if I'm going further the town and back I always use ear plugs .

[Tony Nitrous]

15 years of competitive Clay Pigeon and game shooting.
40 years of bikes with after market loud pipes.
Countless Motörhead etc concerts.

I'm a dumb arse, never cared, now my hearing is pretty fucked.
I had a test recently and it wasn't great, I can hear well enough to get by but any background noise stops me hearing the TV, conversations etc. For some reason I hear small things like a tap dripping / clock ticking at night fine.

I do wear ear plugs sometimes now ( too little too late!)

I don't like them at the drags or around the mountains where I'm pushing hard, but they are fine on the highway on several hour long hauls. The also help my marriage as the stop the wife's snoring annoying the hell out of me.

Funny enough I now own some proper headphone type ear defenders and hundreds of disposable plugs, left overs from 10 years of earthworks using jack hammers and demolition saws. I do wish I'd used them sooner.

[seth]

It's never to late Tony.
You can't get back what's gone but you can protect what's left .

[Mister Fishfinger]

I'm using 2 different types at the moment. Earpeace re-usables https://www.earpeace.co.uk/ for general riding around, and Scotch foam disposables for long motorway journeys.

The Earpeace ones are nice because they have tiny filters that let some of the sound through. This means you can still hear other traffic, sirens, your fruity exhaust sound etc. but the worst of the wind noise is suppressed.

For sustained high speed riding (never exceeding the national speed limit obviously) I find that the Earpeace jobs let too much through, so then I go for the disposables. They seem to remove the most noise, although then I find them too quiet around town.

Neither solution is perfect. The Earpeace ones can tend to shift around and come loose, at least in my massive ears, while the foam jobs feel like bungs after a while. I wouldn't want to ride without them now though. Even modern helmets seem incredibly noisy without them.

Maybe next I will invest in a set of custom fitted jobs. Reviews are mixed, but I'm thinking they would give the best balance between comfort and sound deadening.

[Sweaty]

I have upgraded to these Alpine one's. I went for the twin pack which has 2 different levels and comes in a small case which I keep in my jacket pocket. Work well & are comfortable. I would not ride without them & that's even with a new quieter helmet.
Cost me around $45 aud for the twin pack that also comes with cleaning fluid.

[Sweaty]

&

[grog]

these are what i use. block a lot of noise but still hear what is going on around me. the pull out tang fits perfectly into helmet air vent holes, there for next ride. https://www.parkson.com.tw/EarProtection/Earplugs/Triplemushroomrubberearplugs/EP-531