If hearing loss is the invisible disability, then sound is the invisible threat. Without even being alert to it, the sounds we subject ourselves to could be causing permanent hearing loss that grows irreversibly over the years.
Who’s in danger of hearing loss?
An everyday conversation registers at a volume of around 60 decibels. City traffic registers at about 80, a rock concert at 100, a sporting event at 105, a power saw at 110, and a shotgun blast at an earsplitting 145.
Here’s the problem: repeated subjection to any sound above 85 decibels can induce permanent hearing loss. That’s the reason why hearing protection is specifically critical for musicians, concert-goers, hunters, and construction workers.
But it’s not as easy as just keeping away from the sound. Most of us are not willing to resign our jobs or forgo attending concerts just to ensure that we can hear better when we get older. The only solution is a compromise: protecting our hearing by decreasing the volume of the sounds we’re subjected to. Welcome to the world of earplugs.
Disposable versus custom earplugs
The function of any earplug is obvious: reduce the volume of sound. And even though it’s true that any earplug can accomplish this, it turns out that it’s not that simple, for two reasons:
- All sound is not created equal—The sounds of speech are much different than the sounds of background noise. You want to suppress more of the background noise than of speech or music.
- Sound is dynamic—specific frequencies require different handling, and volume shouldn’t be decreased by too much or by too little.
So, for an earplug to be effective, it has to 1) limit the volume of sound, but not by too much or too little, and 2) handle various types of sounds, or frequencies, differently.
As you’ll see, custom earplugs accomplish these two feats much better than foam earplugs and have the edge in three important categories: sound quality, comfort, and cost.
1. Sound Quality
Disposable foam earplugs block all sound and all frequencies, creating what is called the occlusion effect for the user, which is the perception of a “hollow” or “booming” echo-like sound in their own voice. Foam earplugs therefore reduce all-around sound quality and create a claustrophobic feeling.
Custom earplugs, on the contrary, have advanced filters for a precise, even level of noise reduction (attenuation). The earplugs can be customized to decrease volume only by the necessary amount, and can filter specific kinds of sound more than others, conserving the fidelity of speech and music.
2. Comfort
Foam earplugs, to be effective, have to form a deep, tight seal within the ear canal, causing a constant feeling of pressure, and this “plugged up” feeling is nearly universal.
Custom earplugs, however, are cast to the contours of each patient’s ears by a hearing professional, creating a secure, natural fit without the feeling of constant pressure. Custom earplugs are also developed with soft, medical-grade material that doesn’t shrink or change form.
In addition, foam earplugs do not adapt well to differences in ear size and shape. Seeing as custom earplugs are specifically molded for each patient, variations in ear size and shape pose no problem at all.
3. Cost
Let’s do some quick calculations, starting with foam earplugs.
Let’s say you work in a profession that calls for the every-day use of earplugs. Assuming an average cost of $0.19 per pair, with use on 5 days a week over 4 years, the total cost would be:
$0.19 X 5 days X 52 weeks X 4 years = $197.60 total cost.
(Also bear in mind the environmental cost: over four years you’d be discarding 1,040 pairs of earplugs!)
Let’s do a comparison of that $197 to the cost of a pair of custom earplugs.
A high quality pair of custom earplugs can last four years or more, but let’s just assume four. Most custom earplugs cost under $100, so your overall cost after four years is less than half the cost of the disposable earplugs—and you’ll attain greater sound quality and comfort in return.
Not to mention that by using the same custom earplugs for four years, you’ll eliminate the waste associated with throwing out over 1,000 pairs of foam earplugs.
Custom molded earplugs and disposable earplugs will both reduce volume and protect your hearing, but that’s where the commonalities end. Custom earplugs have far better sound quality, are more comfortable, and cost you and the environment, in the long run, significantly less.