hen barn Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I have been told by a specialist that I need ear protection . So what should I get?? He said go expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 ACS Custom are excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubsonicSimpleton Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Custom moulded plugs, mine are ACS, but there are other companies with similar products. Wish I'd known how big a step up from generic plugs the moulded ones are years ago, best money you can spend as a performing musician IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) ACS custom. Whether you consider them expensive is another question, but it depends how much you value your health. For me, they are the best value piece of kit I have ever purchased no question. The alternative are the cheap and cheerful generic plugs. I put my faith in them until I developed tinnitus. When I showed my audiologist what I had been using for ear protection, he chucked them in the bin. He explained to me that the size of the ear canal can vary considerably, so a 'one size fits all' approach is risky at best. Hence my investment in ACS custom plugs. Edited March 5, 2016 by leroydiamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrismanbass Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 [url="http://www.read-audio.com/"]http://www.read-audio.com/[/url] Have a look at these guys they all used to work for ACS but have now set up their own company they're excellent value and their 48 hour turn around is the fastest you're going to find anywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzyvee Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) [quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1457187172' post='2996144'] Custom moulded plugs, mine are ACS, but there are other companies with similar products. Wish I'd known how big a step up from generic plugs the moulded ones are years ago, best money you can spend as a performing musician IMHO. [/quote] I had been using the generic plugs for about 10 years before getting a set of custom moulded plugs from ACS. Whilst the generic ones were ok and kept the overall volume down to a manageable level. What pushed me to the custom option was that I was finding that the generic ones do not attenuate the sound in a consistent way across the spectrum so I was finding that it became difficult to accurately balance changes in the intensity of my playing with the rest of the band in the dynamic moment of a song. I got some of the ACS about 2 years ago which I think are 17db and are quite flat in their attenuation properties and they really work well. I've recommended them to our sax player and he now uses them all the time. Edited March 5, 2016 by jazzyvee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Or go very cheap with plugs that work http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161224332150?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=460275025651&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Yup I've got some [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 ACS moulded plugs are not the cheapest but IMO they are amongst the best. I've been using ACS ER15's for about 9 years now and in that time they have saved my, already pretty compromised, hearing from any more damage. The ACS PRO series also looks like a good range to check out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubsonicSimpleton Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 [quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1457196473' post='2996282'] Or go very cheap with plugs that work [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161224332150?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=460275025651&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]http://www.ebay.co.u...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT[/url] Yup I've got some [/quote] How cheap are a new set of ears? I would happily blow my lifesavings and pay £10,000+ for a working treatment that would remove my tinnitus, unfortunately no such treatment is available, but I would have happily paid for custom moulded plugs from the minute I started performing 25 years ago if I knew then what I know now. Deafness isn't treatable, but it is 100% preventable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Absolutely, but assuming something does not work because it is inexpensive is erroneous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) [quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1457200841' post='2996330'] Absolutely, but assuming something does not work because it is inexpensive is erroneous. [/quote] Well even if these generic plugs worked in terms of hearing protection (and in my case they most certainly did not), they simply would not work for me in terms of the quality of attenuation on offer. This is the real bonus of using ACS customs. As jazzyvee says, the attenuation is consistent across the audio spectrum and that's a must for me in terms of performance. The difference is night and day compared with the cheap and cheerful variety IMO. Another real plus is that you can use different levels of attenuation for different applications with ACS customs. All the guys in my band use Custom plugs. None of us will be going back to the cheaper offerings anytime soon. They simply would not 'work' for us Edited March 5, 2016 by leroydiamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hen barn Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Spoke to boots today and they sell Acs but which ones 10s 17s or 20s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lo-E Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Custom molded plugs are the single best musical equipment purchase I have ever made in 30 years of playing music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lo-E Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 [quote name='hen barn' timestamp='1457205856' post='2996396'] Spoke to boots today and they sell Acs but which ones 10s 17s or 20s [/quote] I would go with 17, personally, unless your drummer hits particularly hard or your guitarist uses a full stack. With 20s, I find things get a bit muffled. I use Etymotic 15s and find them to be just right in most situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 +1 ER15's have done me well from an on stage whisper to some very, very loud bands. As Lo-E says, unless you're standing next to a real shed builder I would go for the 17's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeystrange Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 [quote name='hen barn' timestamp='1457205856' post='2996396'] Spoke to boots today and they sell Acs but which ones 10s 17s or 20s [/quote] I have the 17s and I feel as if they give the right amount of protection without being too quiet. Of course I haven't used the 10s or 20s but to me they feel just right. Probably the best £100 I've ever spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 A huge plus one for custom moulded plugs. I went with Ultimate Ears when I was getting myear monitors and got them to do a set of plugs at the same time. Absolutely an investment not a cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 I use ER20s as they reduce the high frequencies more. I have aspergers so am more sensitive to higher frequencies. The proper ones that reduce the levels across the board don't help me as it's the high frequencies that cause me the most discomfort. I don't play with a loud drummer and play with a great guitarist who knows what volume to play so these are perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 I have been using ER 20s for ages, but they do get uncomfortable. I paid for some ACS Pro 17s as a Xmas present to myself. Comfortable and effective. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 Read audio ... [b] R303[/b] Initial payment : £200.00 Followed by 11 monthly payments of £54.55 I could buy a new set of ears for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 You couldn't. . . . and these are IEM'S not ear plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) [quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1457306690' post='2997303']... Initial payment : £200.00 Followed by 11 monthly payments of £54.55 I could buy a new set of ears for that [/quote] I genuinely wish I could, I'd sign up faster than a very fast thing, and pay cash, or even double. Unfortunately, 'snot possible. Edited March 6, 2016 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 Small joke from me.. ear plugs are worth every penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) Well to the chagrin of the detractors, I used my f[color=#333333]ully CE marked and EN certified, £2.19 earplugs at rehearsal yesterday (metal band, 2 gtr, drums, vox, bass). [/color] [color=#333333]They were comfortable, the attenuation was perfectly acceptable (although to be brutally honest a slight reduction across the board in the top frequencies, but I can happily live with that ). The only drawback was I had to take them out during normal conversation level conversations.[/color] [color=#333333]Edited as autocorrect changed drums, to droms. What the hell is a drom?[/color] Edited March 7, 2016 by MacDaddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 As an aside, those R303 are ambitiously priced for a set of triple drivers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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