zwaldo

I like doing youtube videos and wanted to show everyone how to make their own custom earplug for their mach 1 headset. I have to say that they earplug came out awesome! (as you'll hear me say in the video many of times:/ )

Anyway, check it out if you have a mach 1, or are thinking about getting on and don't want to play the 170 bucks to get a custom made one.

Please leave comments and what ya think!

YouTube - ‪how to: Mach 1 aviation headset custom earplug for 12 dollars‬‏

usmc-sgt

10 minutes and you never showed the part I cared about...where you got the ear mold material and how that process worked.

captain152

Hahaha... That part is a bit essential

swaayze

Thanks, I'm shopping for customs right now.

Where did you get the goods?

swaayze

Watched the video and gave it a "like".

BTW, he says in the video he got the kit by Radians on Ebay:

I assume this is it:

RADIANS CUSTOM MOLDED EARPLUGS - DO IT YOURSELF KIT | eBay

swaayze

Picked up a couple of Radians kits at Academy sports ($14+tax each). Cabelas has their own brand for $18.

Did the plugs a hour ago or so, came out ok I guess. The part going into the canal doesn't look that great and the surface is somewhat concave so I'm not sure the Mach 1 will plug into them very well, IF I can even get a sound canal through there without ruining them.

I'll let you know.....

KC10 FATboy

I don't have a YouTube account so I will leave my comments here. I have used ear molds in aircraft for 11 years. You should consult with an Audiologist or Doctor about your molds. My Dentist poured mine as this is their area of expertise (who knew?). You only get one chance with your hearing. IMHO...

Your molds extend way too deep into the ear canal. Vibrations from the earpiece being inside the canal will cause damage and hearing loss. Additionally, you are putting a dirty foreign object inside your ear. You may cause an inner ear infection. My earpieces don't extend into the canal. Even so, I routinely have to clean them because wax and dirt will buildup in the outer lobe area of the earpiece.

TURN THE VOLUME DOWN !!! When you pulled the earpiece out at 8:18, you can hear the music on the video. You shouldn't need the volume that loud. You are shooting sound waves directly into the ear drum with your plugs.

You have a good start to creating your own earpieces; however, you should make sure they're not going to damage your hearing. I highly suggest the earpiece fill up as much of the outer ear lobe area as possible. This will block out background noise (acts like an earplug) which means you can lower the volume in the earpiece. Additionally, this will prevent the mic from pulling down and rotating the mold in your ear which becomes very painful after a long flight.

My two cents ...

swaayze

Well....

I decided to try to make my own. Got a kit of Radians custom ear plugs from Academy Sports for $14. Did the molds yesterday and they came out ok. Spent an hour this morning creating the audio canals in them and managed to get them done without ruining them. Flew today and, though they do work, it still seemed pretty loud to me (the EMB is a loud airplane!).

I am used to DCs (have my own set that I've flown with many years) and I guess I compare the noise reduction of everything to them. The new setup wasn't nearly as quiet (although I could probably do some better plugs if I did another kit as the second ear I did was better than the first and was quieter).

You guys that use the professionally done molds: just how quiet are they? Are they as quiet as DCs? Do they seem to move or attenuate differently with jaw movement and/or need to be adjusted occasionally (mine did)?

All things considered it was worth the effort just to experience the feel of an in-ear setup (and so I know that I didn't spend $200+ when $15 might've done fine). I may try them again tomorrow some too, but if I choose to stick with this route I will definitely go with the professionally made plugs.