Have you seen these solid metal ear plugs? It may sound strange at first, but with these new metal ear plugs' ability to block out dangerous levels of noise while leaving the sound you still hear clear and audible, they've been taking the music world by storm.
Musicians and fans alike have quickly become passionate about this unexpected type of hearing protection. The key is the solid metal core: crafted out of precision-machined aircraft grade aluminum (or the slightly heavier titanium version), the body of each ear plug is simply too dense for sound to pass through. With your ear canals completely blocked, the only sound that you hear actually travels via bone conduction, through your skull. This is what allows you to still listen and enjoy music at a safe volume, even when no sound is able to enter your ears the usual way.
If you're looking for a gift for the person who has everything, look no further. New as they are, even music fanatics who've been wisely protecting their hearing at live shows for years probably don't have these yet. This is a smart, original gift with a breathtaking style and a real, practical purpose.
These metal earplugs were created for music, but they also work well for a variety of other purposes. In fact, Flare has just come out with a new solid metal sleeping plug called Sleeep, which is a powerful new way to block out snoring. It uses the same solid metal core as the Flare Audio Musician's ear plugs, but it is smaller, lighter, more compact, and double-tipped in soft memory foam to be comfortable enough to sleep in.
Is there a better gift than real, honest, deep sleep?
Browse the full Flare Audio line of metal ear plugs & accessories right here.
May you find the perfect Christmas gifts for all your loved ones, no matter how hard to shop for - and Happy Holidays from all of us at Ear Plug Superstore!
You can enjoy your holiday to the fullest with Alpine earplugs!
Ready to enjoy your summer holiday! How will you spend your summer? By making a long distance flight to the tropics? Partying with friends at Sziget Festival or Ibiza for a week? Relaxing with the whole family at a campsite? Or are you planning a beautiful tour on your motorcycle? Whatever your plans, do not let your holiday joy be ruined by snoring campers, noisy hotel rooms, ear infections caused by contaminated water, sore or clogged ears from flying, hearing damage from loud music, or ringing in your ears due to wind noise when you ride your motorbike. Be sure to put some earplugs on your packing list and save yourself from a lot of holiday troubles.
Earache and clogged ears due to air pressure changes during flight Will your vacation start in an airplane? Then you may experience a tedious and even painful pressure on your ears during take-off or landing. Some travellers are still bothered by clogged ears or deafness even days after landing. That is not very pleasant, and may even ruin your trip. Make sure your Alpine FlyFit earplugs are in your carry-on. The filters in these earplugs regulate the pressure difference between the middle ear and the nasal cavity and the pharynx, like a kind of valve. This prevents painful pressure on the eardrum. The exhausting engine noise and bustle of passengers is also muted. Speech remains audible, though. You can feel free to take a nap during the flight, as the earplugs still feel comfortable when lying on one ear. They have soft and flexible filters for extra comfort. This means you will arrive more well-rested and ready to enjoy your vacation even more! Tip: you can take Alpine Pluggies Kids earplugs along with you to prevent children’s earaches on the plane, too.
Sleep deprivation due to noisy hotel rooms or snoring campers Every time you want to nap during your vacation, it seems like the tourists in the room next to you have entirely different plans. With good sleep earplugs, you are prepared for noisy hotel rooms or snoring campers. Also very useful if you sleep in the dormitory of a hostel! The Alpine SleepSoft earplugs have a high level of attenuation and are made of a soft material that adapts to the shape of your ear. Just like the Alpine earplugs for flying, they have flexible filters that are perfect for people who sleep on their side. Is your alarm clock set for the morning? Don't worry, it will remain sufficiently audible.
Earache or ear infection after swimming Bacteria and fungi in water can cause inflammation of the ear canal. After swimming, the moisture level in the ear is higher, and the acidity is lower. This increases the risk of infection. You do not want an ear infection, especially during your holiday. Do don’t forget to pack Alpine SwimSafe earplugs for yourself, and Alpine Pluggies Kids earplugs for children under 12. These earplugs keep the water out of the ears, so you can swim without having to worry. They are also ideal if you suffer from an unpleasant feeling of pressure on your eardrums when you put your head underwater.
Tinnitus after riding a motorcycle When you get off your bike after a long ride, you may feel like the wind is still rushing past your ears. This sound indicates that the cilia, deep down in your inner ear, are overburdened. These cilia are essential for hearing. The hard noise of the wind damages them. If this happens, you will notice you start hearing less or hearing a permanent buzz or ringing in your ears. This damage cannot be reversed. Remember to use earplugs when riding your motorbike. Alpine’s special motor earplugs are super comfortable underneath your helmet, even on long rides. They have flexible filters for extra comfort.
Hearing loss or ringing in your ears from loud music Make sure you do not return home with a permanent ringing in your ears after partying at Ibiza! Enjoy the music, but seriously, wear hearing protection. This applies to all events where loud music is played. MusicSafe earplugs from Alpine filter out the harmful noise. The music experience is preserved, and conversations remain audible. It’s a win-win! The earplugs are comfortable all day and night long and are almost invisible in your ears. Are you taking a child to an event with loud noises? Protect the ears of your children with the Pluggies Kids earplugs or Muffy earmuffs.
Noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus due to DIY jobs Summer is the perfect time to pick up a renovation or other do-it-yourself project. Or maybe it is time to thoroughly redo your garden. You’ll be working on your house more comfortably when you wear hearing protection. A lot of tools produce harmful loud noise. Earmuffs from the DIY store may be warm and sweaty in the summer. This makes Alpine WorkSafe earplugs the cool choice for DIY jobs. These reusable earplugs filter out harmful noise but let through warning signals and speech. Thanks to the included carrying cord, you can easily hang them around your neck when you need to take them out for a moment. The extended stem makes them easy to insert and remove. (Are there any children near? Don’t forget their sensitive ears, either.)
With Alpine hearing protection, you are well-prepared and can optimally enjoy your well-deserved vacation!
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing. Tom Bergman, Vice President Ear Plug Superstore
So why would a manly biker wear ear plugs on the road? Seems like something only a sissy boy would consider... ;)
Back in the day when I went tearing across the landscape on my Norton Commando with the cool high-rise handlebars and the throaty roar of its two cylinder 750cc engine echoing across the landscape, I never considered wearing ear plugs. Back then, and I am talking 1974, few of us had ever considered the effects of noise on our hearing. These days we are pretty easy to recognize in a group as we angle our ears just so, and try to read lips to enhance our ability to understand what you are saying to us.
I remember the feel of the wind on my face. I liked to go really fast, of course, and at about 70, I learned that goggles were no longer optional if I wanted to see, so I quickly added goggles to my standard biking attire. The wind noise, though, I just endured. Above about 45-50mph, I remember the wind noise being so bad that my rider could not make herself understood, even when yelling in my ear -- but even so, nobody I knew then had ever used ear plugs and it never entered my mind to do so.
Fast forward a few decades and bikers of all stripes have figured out that wind noise is not just irritating, it can be downright dangerous. For starters, it prevents you from hearing sometimes important stuff, like your passenger or rider next to you yelling at you to look out or turn at the next road. To make matters worse, hours of wind noise can permanently damage your hearing. Wind noise can easily exceed 100 dB, and at that level, just a couple of hours of steady riding can bring on tinnitus or hearing damage that can persist indefinitely.
The first guys to trip to the idea of doing something about wind noise naturally grabbed the most readily available ear plugs, which were usually disposable foam plugs. Foam ear plugs today are still by a huge margin the most commonly used kind of ear plugs among motorcyclists. There are much better options.
Here are a couple of ideas to consider.
First, what is wrong with foam ear plugs? Well, foam ear plugs do the job for sure. They block the wind noise better than any other kind of ear plug you can find. The problem is that they not only block the wind noise, but they also block the voices trying to send you a warning, the noise of a car about to run you over... even the sound of a police siren can be blocked by foam ear plugs.
There is one new ear plug from Mack’s called "Acoustic Foam" which intentionally has grooves in the body of the plug to let a little more sound get into your ear. If you must use foam, I would urge you to try these. They will give you a pretty good balance between enough protection and too much.
In the last decade, especially in the last five years, a whole raft of new motorcyclist ear plugs have hit the market, coming mainly from Europe, where biking is really big. That makes sense when you think about it... narrow winding streets, mountain roads all over that just demand to be ridden, and relatively short distances between places all encourage motorcycling as an alternative to driving a car.
These new motorcyclist ear plugs are almost always equipped with acoustic filters. An acoustic filter is a little passive device inside the ear plug that regulates the amount of sound that can enter your ear. Many of these offer variable noise reduction so that when it is quiet and you are talking, you can hear voices just fine -- but when you speed up and the noise level increases, the acoustic filter blocks more and more of the sound.
As a benefit too, these filtered earplugs let you hear many of the sounds around you, like your buddy yelling over to you, your passenger begging you to make a pit stop, and oh, yeah, the siren coming up behind you.
Acoustic filtered ear plugs often also give you two more benefits: they are vented, so they are less likely to make your ears sweat or to cause that boomy sound quality you can get from ordinary foam ear plugs, and they are reusable, so with care they can last you for many months of daily use. Though it probably matters little to most people, a reusable ear plug (that costs more when you buy it) will almost certainly save you money over the cost of foam ear plugs that must be replaced every couple of uses.
Oh, one more idea to consider. Right about the time the iPod came onto the scene in the 1990s, some smart guys invented the "isolation earphone," which essentially is the virtuous combination of an ear plug and an earphone. The business end of the earphone goes into the center of the ear plug, which is hollowed out to make a channel where sound can flow into your ear from the tiny little speakers in the earphones. When you plug these into your ears and into your motorcycle intercom or smart phone, you get both ear protection from the wind and the ability to clearly hear your music or communications traffic.
Last, and this is brand new -- Check out the Neckmike. This new gadget (thank you, Europe!) even lets you connect with your buddies (or with your passenger) via Bluetooth, and it gives you a full duplex two-way communications channel up to 1,000 meters (more than 1/2 a mile!). They are not cheap, but you have got to check these out. Neckmike will revolutionize your ride.
If your father loves the open road, help keep him safe! Get Dad some great motorcycle ear plugs, and help him remember to wear his hearing protection when he rides. And from all of us at Ear Plug Superstore, we wish you and your family a Happy Father's Day.
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing. --Tom Bergman, Vice President and Father of Two
What is it: These hearing protection ear muffs for babies and children are inexpensive, and they fold up for easy transportation and storage.
Why it's cool: Lets you bring your kids to fun noisy events for less than the cost of a babysitter.
More info: My-T-Muffs offer NRR 19 hearing protection, some of the lightest of our child earmuffs. My-T-Muffs are best for moderately noisy environments and activities. Folding design makes these great for always-on-the-go Dads.
What is it: These are one of the highest quality earmuffs for children available anywhere today. Offers a really plush, comfortable fit.
Why it's cool: Comes in zebra, skulls, reaper, and a ton of other colors -- not just pink and blue!
More info: ReVO Earmuffs for Babies are high-end earmuffs designed to provide comfort and safety for infants through pre-teens. ReVO earmuffs are excellent for moderate to very loud situations including concerts and races.
What is it: These swimming and water ear plugs were developed by an ENT to help kids with ear tubs keep water out of their ears.
Why it's cool: Putty Buddies actually float in water, so you can keep your ear plugs from getting away if they fall out.
More info: When it comes to swimming, whether at the pool, lake, or beach, water ear plugs can help keep kids safe from swimmer's ear and other ear infections. With six fun characters and colors to choose from, kids can have fun with their ear plugs.
No matter what Dad loves to do, whether it's taking in live music, spending a day at the races, or just relaxing by the beach, ear protection for the kids can give Dad the freedom he needs to enjoy all of his favorite things.
Until next time, be safe and love your ears. --Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Perfect Gifts for the Outdoors Dad The tools that help keep your lawn green can also be hazardous to your hearing. This Father's Day, get your family's yardwork superhero some hearing protection that also plays music. It will definitely make mowing safer... and more fun.
These days, you can choose hearing protection ear plugs for virtually any activity: industrial work, shooting, music, and more. Now you can even get ear plugs for gardening.
If you love being outside and working in the yard, it can be easy to overlook hearing protection.
It's spring. It's time to show off your green thumb -- while protecting your ears.
Not sure what to get Mom for Mother's Day? Mother's Day is May 11th, 2014. Here are some Mother's Day gift wishes from some of our very own EPSS moms:
What gift would you love to get this Mother's Day? Sound Oasis Sound Therapy S-650 White Noise Machine Why is this on your Mother's Day Wishlist? Brett my 15 year old son is very good with Violet my 7 year old daughter. But alas, they are siblings. Therefore, they argue, yell, break things, and make messes they have no intention of cleaning up. So the thought of turning my bathroom into a “spa” with the S-650 sounds like a little piece of Heaven on Earth. Then simply move the machine to the bedroom, maybe change sound selection and boom. OUT LIKE A LIGHT. It is easy to use, has an alarm clock, (with SNOOZE!) a standard 3.5 mm earphone jack, volume control, a sleep timer, battery backup and is so compact and attractive! --Veronica, Awesome Mom with Two LOUD Kids
What gift would you love to get this Mother's Day? SleepPhones Wireless Bluetooth Headphones for Sleeping Why is this on your Mother's Day Wishlist? I would like the sleephones that are wireless and bluetooth capatiable because I would enjoy falling asleep to music and they would block out all the night noises like dogs barking, traffic, and husband's snoring!!! --Wenona, Super Proud Mother of Thomas, 11, and Alysta Jo, 8 :)
SleepPhones Wireless Bluetooth headphones are a superb gift for anyone who wants to listen to music while sleeping. SleepPhones feature two flat, flexible speakers embedded in a super soft fleece headband. The headband keeps the speakers comfortably in position all night, and SleepPhones are comfortable enough to please even those who sleep on their sides.
The best feature of these SleepPhones is, however, that they are wireless. A Bluetooth-enabled music player is required (such as a smart phone or computer). Simply sync up the Wireless SleepPhones -- a ghost voice coming over the speakers will assist you with this process -- and you can listen freely for up to 30 feet away from your sound source. No matter what you listen to or how much you roll over in your sleep, you will never get tangled up in wires.
Wireless SleepPhones provide good quality sound that makes them great for more than just sleeping. You can wear SleepPhones while relaxing, without having to adjust your headphones if you need to get up and move around. You can even wear SleepPhones while you clean house: just set your Bluetooth sync'ed phone down in the middle of the room, and then enjoy your favorite tunes hands-free while you move freely -- with no tangly wires to get caught in the vacuum cleaner. And for frequent travelers, SleepPhones provide a super comfortable way to relax during flight, and can help you get to sleep more quickly and comfortably once you reach your hotel room. These nifty little wonders even use a simple micro-USB charger, so you can recharge your Wireless SleepPhones virtually anywhere you go.
Wireless SleepPhones truly deliver on their promise: they are the real deal for anyone who wants to listen to music while going to sleep.
Put SleepPhones on your Christmas shopping list this year, and you will absolutely delight the music lovers you love.
Until next time, be safe andlove your ears. --Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore offers a huge range of hearing protection ear plugs - along with ear muffs, sound masking devices, and more - for individuals and businesses. We're dedicated to helping our customers find honest solutions that really work, and raising awareness about how critical it is to wear proper hearing protection. Got Ears? Get Protected. Visit us: earplugstore.com