Topic: Advice on custom mold monitor / earplug?

[travelinbeat]

I'm looking for a custom molded in-ear system that has the option of functioning both as headphones and as earplugs. 

Any advice on where to find such a thing if it exists?

Thanks!

[anodyne33]

I don't really think so. You may find IEMs that have a plug at the ear that you could detach, and I have used my IEMs as sort of a stop gap solution instead of a plugs, but they're generally constructed of entirely different material, and unlike custom plugs, IEMs are designed to block out as much outside sound as possible whereas custom plugs are designed to give relatively consistent attenuation across the frequency spectrum.

Keep in mind if you're getting molds done for either you can use the same impression for the other which will save you a few bucks as opposed to doing them separately.

[vanark]

The attenuator in my custom molded ear plugs is an Etymotic 15db piece that can be removed.  I wonder if there is an insert that Etymotic makes that can be headphones instead.  I would start with Etymotic to see if it can be used for both.

[bgalizio]

I have custom molded ear plugs with the Etymotic filter. If you remove the filter, you can attach the Etymotic ER-6 headphones (with an adapter). It's a nice system.

[travelinbeat]

can you elaborate on that set-up?  sounds great but what's the cost for it all?

[bgalizio]

can you elaborate on that set-up?  sounds great but what's the cost for it all?

Here's the setup, though Brian's pictures aren't up anymore:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,39349.msg822628.html#msg822628

Cost for the ER6 headphones were about $75. I don't think they're made anymore. The adapters were a couple bucks. My brother is an audiologist, so my custom earplug molds were done at cost. They're relatively cheap. Run a search here for more info on the custom earplug molds.

[scb]

etymotic has a custom earmold program for a flat fee of $100

[page]

Yeah, bgalizio et al have it. Etymotic is the only group I know that does shells that can be used with IEMs and the standard sound plugs.

can you elaborate on that set-up?  sounds great but what's the cost for it all?

Last time I had impressions taken I asked what the entire setup runs and they said $225 gets you 2 molds (L/R), and 2 sets of filters (I picked -15db and -25db) and covered the doctor visit. You might consider getting 2 impressions done in a single visit (not $450, but somewhere around $240) and then ship one set an IEM maker that does custom units and one set to a lab that does the ety-style shells for use with the filter buttons. Some labs will do both, like Westone (so you'd only need one set of impressions), some do just one or the other. Depends on what IEMs you want.

On the earplug set, just make sure everything goes past the second bend in the ear canal when you get them back. Likely to be the same on the IEM set, but not always (e.g. the Westone UM3x adaptors are designed to only go past the 1st bend, but their ES3x IEMs go past the second, small quirk).