Musician's Earplugs / IEM's

smck99

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any advice regarding earplugs / in ear monitors?

I'm studying sound engineering, play in a band and run a small mobile DJ'ing business. I have always been protective of my ears but recently become more aware of damage being done as a result of gigging etc. As my ears are essentially my livelihood I'm looking into investing in a moulded set of earplugs/ IEM's.

Firstly, I can't really decide if I should buy moulded earplugs or go the extra step and buy moulded IEM's. If I were to buy earplugs, would this be difficult to cue tracks for DJ'ing without blasting my headphones? If I bought IEM's is there a way of detaching the cables/audio drivers so that I can use them as earplugs for going to gigs, clubs, band rehearsal etc?

Has anyone out there had a set of moulded earplugs / IEM's? Where did you purchase them? What was the process like? How long did it take? How much were they? Have you had any problems with them? If you lose the earplugs, can they be reproduced for cheaper than the original cost as the moulds are already taken?

Any help/information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

P.S. I'm based in Louth/Meath/Dublin

unclebill98

I use ACS T2's and ACS Pro Plugs.

The T2's are by far the best moulder IEM I've used. The do have a life span depending on how you look after them etc. I've gotten 3 years out of mine before having to have them re-casted. I use these for my band, i play bass hence the dual drivers.

I also have ACS Pro Plugs. These are a single driver IEM/Ear Plugs. I've -17DB filters in them for when dj'in or attending a live event or driving the bike. They are also a back up to the T2 cause I can remove the filter and insert a set of headphones into them. Now the headphones are only a single driver compared to the T2's being a dual driver.

To be honest I would not bother with a single driver moulded IEM, there are better drivers in some of the higher end Shure head sets and for the price of a single driver moulded IEM you can get a dual/treble driven non moulds.

The process of casting you ear is simple and painless. Takes about 5 mins.

The production time was around 2 weeks.

The price....well depends on what you want. Single, Dual or treble drivers but 500-1000 for custom moulds.

Replacements. I think the cast is destroyed in the making process and moulds can be done in any hear aid shop for around 50 and from my replacement issue I was not charged the full whack when I replaced mine. Just for info mine had to be replaced due to water damage to one of the sets.

I had originally got a casting made in Ireland and I sent them to the States for a set of Treble Drivers Moulded IEM's. When they came back the left ear was not sitting right and the hassle of having to get re-moulds done, sending them back etc was just not worth the savings as compared to getting here, collecting them in person and having any little changes done etc cost me nothing.

Plenty of companies do them in Dublin, you can PM me if you want to use the same people as me.

As for the buying IEM to protect your hearing. I meet the company I bought mine off at a RDS Music Show, he just simple said to me well, come to me know to protect your hearing or come to me in 50 years time and I'll sell ya a hearing aid.........

smck99

unclebill some good information there, had a look at the ACS stuff and it all fit in with what I heard from a phonecall to hidden hearing (inclusive of similar anecdote!) many thanks!

I had a chat with a specialist who basically told me that earplugs are €250 (so you should be able to the change out the dB filter in the majority of moulded earplugs? the specialist is going to check for me. Also he quoted the same price range as unclebill (500-1000 euro). Unfortunately these are out of my price range. Unless anyone can really convince me that the cheaper end of the IEM unmoulded/ moulded single driver models are worth the extra cash.

unclebill98

I know 2 people who got single driver moulds and where not happy with them and never really used them. Compared to high end Shure/Sennheisers non moulded dual-treble drivers will sound a lot better.

Like the Shure SE425-V or the SE535-V these would be great sets.

You will never get the isolation from them that you will get with a set of moulds. Its simple. I've used non moulds and the audio I was running into them was cut in have volume wise after switching to a moulded IEM.

Plenty of people use non moulds and tbh a lot will say they are happy with them, I was until I went moulded and there is just no comparing the two.

smck99

unclebill, I'm going to go for the moulded earplugs from Hidden Hearing as the isolation is really what I'm after after as the plugs won't be just for DJ'ing. Just out of interest, is there anything to be said for a set like the SE425-V for DJ'ing (a possibility in the future), or would you recommend I get moulded plugs and using my trusty Audio Technica ATH-M50's to DJ normally? Cheers

unclebill98

I would say they be fine tbh.

If you are looking for dual use then the ACS Pro Plugs would be a good buy. Various filters and the option to attach IEM to them too. Unless HH version is the same.