Ear plugs - who wears them ?

[thedoc46]

I do, and have done so for the last 15-20 yrs. However i now suffer from tinnitus (but do pretty much ok with it, in that i dont notice it unless i'm thinking about it) , however one thing i really notice now that when i have ear plugs in, is a very exaggerated ver of tinnitus, or a better way to describe it is white hissing noise. I'm wondering who else hears it when they have their earplugs in... I know i've been focusing too much on it and there's always been something there before i ever realised i had tinnitus, but recently i'm almost finding it distracting when riding. Its loud enough to be heard, over the wind and engine noise, (Helmet is an Arai RX-GP7) not that it should make any difference.

Wondering if anyone has noticed the hissing sound with earplugs ? 45yr old male... who did listen to loud music in his youth (who didn't) but has done a pretty good job at protecting my hearing since learning that wind noise can damage your hearing !

 

[thedoc46]

Where i live, most people don't even bother with a helmet, so i get to look at their ears, and rarely do i see any of them with earplugs. Crazy thing is a lot are riding big loud V-Twin Harley cruisers, that rumble away at the lights.

I have an FZ/MT09, with stock exhaust, and its a fairly quiet bike, so the hissing / high pitch whine is another way to describe it, is really noticeable on that bike.. I also have a Ducati Scramber with Full Termignoni and its loud as hell ! (cops don't bother you over loud exhausts here) and that's loud enough to cancel out any hissing, that being said, its almost nauseating, if not in the right frame of mind.. So much so, that i've actually kept the FZ09 with a stock exhaust, as its a nice change to have the peace and quiet lol yep i'm getting old !!!!

 

[thedoc46]

Used to wear plugs 100% of the time, then I bought some Shure SE215's and just played music through them. They cancelled out the same amount of noise, if not more with the foam tips.

Interesting. and does it not hurt the ears with a helmet pressing them in a bit ? I'm thinking about getting something similar, though preferably wireless, so that i can use Waze to warn me of any speed traps ahead !

 

[thedoc46]

Thanks I think I'll try a pair of Shures. Actually even when I cycle the wind noise is a little too much (definitely getting old!!)

So these sound right up the street for what I'm looking for.

 

[thedoc46]

OP here, I'm giving the Shure SE215's a try.. Buying them, that way i can have some light background music to take my attention off the hissing.

 

[thedoc46]

This might sound a bit weird, but I can't wear ear plugs when riding. They make me incredibly nauseous, and when I stop and take them out it makes me retch because they prevent my inner ear pressure from equalising. Does anybody else get this problem?

You can actually damage your ear if you're not careful taking them out, as it does provide a vacuum of suction. They recommend you slightly twist them back and forth and slowly sorta twist them out... Otherwise you get what you're describing.