Custom Earphones?

[crashdb]

I've had enough of my ear buds.  Apparently, I have the smallest ear canal in the history of man.  Inevitably they work their way out and drive me crazy.  I've tried different sized covers and what-not, but they're not cutting it. 

I'm looking for a place that does custom-made earphones.  Either mail-order or local to me (DC metro).  I'd like a set with a good set of drivers inside of them.  My current ear buds sound great, just don't like to stay in my ear. 

Thanks all.

[2010rider]

http://www.earfuze.com/

[SVonhof]

http://www.earfuze.com/

That looks like a great deal. Even if they don't last forever, they are cheap to replace.  I have custom fit earplugs that I paid $210 for and they don't have sound....

[Tactical_Mik]

You can use that material with another set of ear buds and have the sound performance you want.  Here is another option.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=2099196673

[crashdb]

I went ahead and ordered a set of the Earfuze.  For that price I can give them a shot.  The cheapness scares me in a way.  I've always seen places doing these in the $250 range.  Either they're pulling a helluva profit or the Earfuze ain't that great.  Guess I'll figure it out shortly...

The Midway deal looks like a good option too. 

Thanks for the ideas!

[2010rider]

I can't speak for the Earfuze myself since I bought them for my son, but he never complained!
The Midway do it yourself looks like a option I might try for by GF who has trouble keeping the earplugs in.

[stewart]

I went ahead and ordered a set of the Earfuze.  For that price I can give them a shot.  The cheapness scares me in a way.  I've always seen places doing these in the $250 range.  Either they're pulling a helluva profit or the Earfuze ain't that great.  Guess I'll figure it out shortly...

I use them and they work perfectly fine for the money spent. Sounds quality good be better, but then again with wind noise etc I don't think I would notice the difference.

One lesson I did learn is unless you have really big ears, you may not need all the material provided. My wife and I use them and think we used too much material. Yes we have a snug fit, but after 3-4 hours of riding we get some fatigue. Next time I do this I'm going to pack,push less content in. (if that makes sense)

[maxtog]

http://www.earfuze.com/

Wow!  That looks really fascinating!  If anyone has tried that, PLEASE post a followup and let us know how it worked, if you used the "practice" set or bought the "lite" version, how they hold up, how long are the cords, and what the quality of the sound is....

They should sell just the molding stuff alone, too, for creating custom ear plugs.

[stewart]

Wow!  That looks really fascinating!  If anyone has tried that, PLEASE post a followup and let us know how it worked, if you used the "practice" set or bought the "lite" version, how they hold up, how long are the cords, and what the quality of the sound is....

They work, my wife and I use them. I didn't use the practice material, in fact I kept it to make a 3rd set but lost it during a house move. Our are 12 months old and are in perfect condition. Sounds quality is good, could it be better...probably yes, does it need to be...no.

Edit----> For inquiring minds, the cords are long. How long I don't know, but almost as long as any other earbuds I've ever owned. But to put this into context we use them with a Starcom1, so they only have to reach the Helmet.

[SVonhof]

I wonder how difficult it would be to get some of the cheap Skullcandy earbuds (about $12) and remove the silicon mushrooms and just mold your own earpieces using one of these kits. Probably sound better than the ones that come with that kit...

[fc1reed]

I did my own with the radian material. I looked at all of the small earbuds with the overall best frequency response. They were sony's for about $20. I tore them apart and then put a little bit of the material on the front. Then I placed them in my ear to align them, then the rest of the material on the outside. They work good. I hear everything. I had a connector put on my Scala Q2 and have to turn down the volume while listening with them. I also have an fm transmitter to listen to the scala on fm instead of pluging into the jack on the headset.

[The Other Brian]

They should sell just the molding stuff alone, too, for creating custom ear plugs.

They do. Cabella's sells the silicon material.  It is found in the shooting department with the all the other ear protection merchandise.  Around $15.00 for enough to do one set of ear plugs.

You can probably find it at Gander Moutain or any other store that caters to shooter's.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

I wonder how difficult it would be to get some of the cheap Skullcandy earbuds (about $12) and remove the silicon mushrooms and just mold your own earpieces using one of these kits. Probably sound better than the ones that come with that kit...

That is exactly what I did.  I bought a Radians kit on Amazon and used skull candy buds to make my own "custom" set.  It works great for me with a Scorpion EXO1000.  Sometimes my ears will hurt a little after wearing them all day, but I am very satisfied for an investment of $25-$30. 

http://www.amazon.com/Radians-CEP001-R-Custom-Molded-Earplugs/dp/B002XULPSQ/ref=pd_sim_sg_3

[SVonhof]

They do. Cabella's sells the silicon material.  It is found in the shooting department with the all the other ear protection merchandise.  Around $15.00 for enough to do one set of ear plugs.

You can probably find it at Gander Moutain or any other store that caters to shooter's.

Good point. I will check out Bass Pro (about a mile from my house) and see if they carry it.

[maxtog]

http://www.basspro.com/Radians-Custom-Molded-Earplugs/product/10213095/-1810698
Unfortunately, their site doesn't say what is in the store vs. what is online only.

[SVonhof]

http://www.basspro.com/Radians-Custom-Molded-Earplugs/product/10213095/-1810698
Unfortunately, their site doesn't say what is in the store vs. what is online only.

I may be finding out this afternoon.

[timsatx]

I like this method. It is cheap and works great:
http://lifehacker.com/5347245/make-comfortable-noise+isolating-earbuds-for-less-than-a-dollar

[timsatx]

They do. Cabella's sells the silicon material.  It is found in the shooting department with the all the other ear protection merchandise.  Around $15.00 for enough to do one set of ear plugs.

You can probably find it at Gander Moutain or any other store that caters to shooter's.

You can also get the stuff from Academy.

[SVonhof]

I may be finding out this afternoon.

They had an empty peg for the stuff.

Next time.

[Strawboss]

The most current Cycle World does a write up on a set of plugs. Very pricey, not sure of the brand, I saw the price and turned the page.