3 ms·

I loved my Etys, too. But they were very fragile. I’ve ended up switching to Shure IEMs, but I use the Etymotic triple-flange silicone ear tips. I’ve tried eve

I loved my Etys, too. But they were very fragile. I’ve ended up switching to Shure IEMs, but I use the Etymotic triple-flange silicone ear tips. I’ve tried everything else I can find, and nothing else works as well to keep them in my ears. Comply foam ear tips are a good idea, but don’t work nearly so well as my 32dB NRR earplugs at staying in my ears. And the triple flange silicone tips actually let me hear something instead of just blocking out noise. I’ve recently discovered that Shure now has a couple of different “totally wireless” devices that you can plug into whatever modern Shure IEMs you have, so I’m trying those out now, both as a way to actively block out the sound of my wife snoring with white noise from my iPhone, and I’m also going to try them in combination with a Røde Wireless Go II lavalier mic setup for Zoom and Chime teleconferences.

camgunz 5y ago
Oh, yeah that's a good point. If you _really_ need legit sound isolation (e.g. your hearing is at stake) or have tricky ears you'll have to venture into the pro audio realm--or just straight up get quality ear plugs. I'm lucky enough to have an OK fit with the stock tips, but even so I look at the custom ear tip companies from time to time. Something else to really pay attention to is listening to music all day. 85 dB might not "sound" (hehe) like much, but more than a couple hours of that and you'll damage your hearing [1]. Do that for a year, say, and it adds up. And 85 dB doesn't sound that loud, especially if you work up to it. This is where I'm jealous of Apple's Airpods ecosystem, where they know the SPL of the drivers and what volume you're driving them at, so they can avoid damaging your hearing. I really wish more laptop/phone/etc. manufacturers would post more detailed headphone jack stats so you could just plug in your SPL and set the volume accordingly. I had a hell of a time figuring it out for my 2018 MBP; I can only imagine what it's like for less ubiquitous hardware. [1]: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss

camgunz 5y ago

Oh, yeah that's a good point. If you _really_ need legit sound isolation (e.g. your hearing is at stake) or have tricky ears you'll have to venture into the pro audio realm--or just straight up get quality ear plugs. I'm lucky enough to have an OK fit with the stock tips, but even so I look at the custom ear tip companies from time to time. Something else to really pay attention to is listening to music all day. 85 dB might not "sound" (hehe) like much, but more than a couple hours of that and you'll damage your hearing [1]. Do that for a year, say, and it adds up. And 85 dB doesn't sound that loud, especially if you work up to it. This is where I'm jealous of Apple's Airpods ecosystem, where they know the SPL of the drivers and what volume you're driving them at, so they can avoid damaging your hearing. I really wish more laptop/phone/etc. manufacturers would post more detailed headphone jack stats so you could just plug in your SPL and set the volume accordingly. I had a hell of a time figuring it out for my 2018 MBP; I can only imagine what it's like for less ubiquitous hardware. [1]: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss