I need excellent reusable earplugs for studying. Where can I buy some online?

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Med_Leviathan

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Price is not an issue.

Thanks in advance 👍
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The bose headphones look really great, but they're expensive. Are they worth it? Any recommendations that are a little cheaper or is nothing else the same?
 
if you're into listening to music at all, i would recommend sound isolating earphones.

someone posted earlier about the bose noise cancelling headphones which is similar in overall concept but the mechanism is quite different. the noise cancelling headphones emitt certain sound frequency which effectively "cancels" the noise that comes in from the outside environment. in comparison, sound isolating earphones act essentially like earplugs. they go into your ear canals and prevent majority of outside noises from coming in.

the 2 popular brands for sound isolating earphones are shure and etymotic. i personally use shure e2c, the lowest priced sound isolating earphones from shure. it costs about $80, which is quite a bit for most people who aren't really into music. i was at first very hesitent with my purchase but it sure justified its value with its performance and durability.

if you want some cheap ear plug, it wouldn't be worth the cost. but if you have portable audio that you listen to quite often, these earphones will act as both regular pair of ear plugs without music or a great pair of earphones for any personal audio.
 
I use my Sennheiser HD 280pro headphones to study and fly. They work pretty well and don't have active noise cancelling.

Check out www.head-fi.org/forums for various reviews on headphones.

Otherwise, those collapsable intracanal foam ear plugs are really cheap and you can buy them at Home Depot.
 
f you want absolute silence go with Mack's ear plugs. You can get them from pharmacy for $4.00 for a pack of 20. They are far the most comfortable than any others that I have used so far.

If you listen to music, you can go with In Ear Monitors (IEM). Shure sells them for about $100 for entry level up to $500 for top of the line. I have not tried Bose, but in general they are considered overpriced for the quality. i.e. you can get much better quality of sound from other companies.

I highly recommend Mack's though, for $4, you got nothing to lose for trying.
 
Could always just head to your local gun shop and pick up a pair. They should have several different varieties.
 
Online??? Try walmart, even those orange earplugs found in the sports and outdoors section are totally reusable and would keep the noisy world away. And they are only like 99 cents a box. You don't need anything fancy. or maybe you do, i guess i dont really know you. haha
 
tomatoattack said:
Online??? Try walmart, even those orange earplugs found in the sports and outdoors section are totally reusable and would keep the noisy world away. And they are only like 99 cents a box. You don't need anything fancy. or maybe you do, i guess i dont really know you. haha
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Yeah I agree that nothing fancy is necessary. I have purple foamy ones that I use to nap during the day and during the test, they are from rite aid and were like 4 bucks for a bunch of them. My cats steal them and use them as toys so I probably go thru them faster than most people, and a box still lasts a really long time.
 
I agree with the Mack suggestion. Don't get sidetracked by the bright orange ones (not even sure they are the same brand.). In my experience, they don't block out enough.

I've had very good luck with the light green/blue ones. They also have a version at 32 dB, which I have not tried. Walmart, Target, CVS, etc. . .

http://www.macksearplugs.com/product3.htm
 
Walgreens or CVS has these really awesome silicone ones. you can mold them and stuff them into your ear until every crevice is filled and no noise can possibly leak in.

they aren't reusable though.

around $3/box of 8 pairs
 
lil pook said:
Walgreens or CVS has these really awesome silicone ones. you can mold them and stuff them into your ear until every crevice is filled and no noise can possibly leak in.

they aren't reusable though.

around $3/box of 8 pairs
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They just go over the end of the ear canal, not INTO your ears, so if you aren't too fussy, you can keep re-using them until they're not sticky anymore.
 
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I used to work around fairly loud equipment so we'd always use the bright orange intra canal ear plugs. A coworker rolled his up and stuck it so far into his canal that I had to use a needle-nosed pliers to get them out. Heehee.
 
The bose headphones are excellent for certain things, and studying is not one of them.

Those $300 headphones really shine in environments with drone/white noise in the background like airplanes. They really dont work at all for abrupt sounds, people speaking, etc.. They are excellent headphones with awesome sound quality... just be sure you are using them for the right application.

I recommend the foam earplugs you can get at any drug store for a couple of bucks. Other than that, your best bet is going to be firearm ear protection.
 
the headphones that drown out gun noises are ok

but they're so heavy your neck is gonna feel like snapping after hours

i second the bose headphones nomination

they work well with just cancelling the surround noise but if you happen to plug in your iPod later, it's a worthy investment!!

i would agree with uncle izzy that they work better on an airplane but for studying at Starbucks, they work pretty well too (and it looks a lot better than gunshot drowning headphones or those bright orange things you wear at a pool!)
 
I thought I would resurrect this thread to get a more recent update on this. I don't listen to music when studying oftentimes because it's too distracting. (Having a music background can make you analyze the music without even trying, I guess.) The more noise reduction the better. But I definitely can't spend a fortune on them. I also want to use some for sleep. The foam ones I've used in the past usually fell out before my alarm went off so I never had a problem. I could keep using foam ones for sleep if I have to. But for studying something that stays in my ear and block out noise is ideal.

Thanks! 😀

EDIT: I just noticed this is in the medical student forum. I just googled ear plug related stuff and found this. But either way this should be applicable to everyone, right?
 
Mel Belle said:
I thought I would resurrect this thread to get a more recent update on this. I don't listen to music when studying oftentimes because it's too distracting. (Having a music background can make you analyze the music without even trying, I guess.) The more noise reduction the better. But I definitely can't spend a fortune on them. I also want to use some for sleep. The foam ones I've used in the past usually fell out before my alarm went off so I never had a problem. I could keep using foam ones for sleep if I have to. But for studying something that stays in my ear and block out noise is ideal.

Thanks! 😀

EDIT: I just noticed this is in the medical student forum. I just googled ear plug related stuff and found this. But either way this should be applicable to everyone, right?
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I use these : http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-MAX-1-plugs-Uncorded/dp/B0033YLEGO/ref=zg_bs_3779871_6 . I am a student-athlete, and I have to do alot of studying on a noisy bus! They are great for drowning out noise, and I use them to sleep as well.
 
No, not Bose.

I once considered getting Bose headphones, but I read a lot of reviews written by Bose users who complain that it doesn't block every sound from the surrounding environment.

Bose filters an air conditioner or jet engine, but not voices.

Now any ear plug works well for me. It's funny how on Day 1 of medical school we go all OTT on "supplies" only to find that the simple stuff works best.
 
Mel Belle said:
Do you have suggestions for reusable ones? I've reused foam ones before out of necessity... But I would certainly prefer ones I could clean.
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3M E-A-Rsoft for non-reusable foam
3M E-A-R Ultrafit for reusable rubber

I've used each at work. They're both pretty comfortable.
 
Shure SE 535. Can't hear anything with them in.
 
I have the Bose QC20i. They are unparalleled (Noise isolating, canceling or earplugs) for LOUD environments, but in a quiet library, they don't make much of a difference.

I've also used everything from foam, beeswax and cotton ear plugs and etymotics noise isolating earphones.

The BEST with the highest Noise Reduction Rating is Hearos heavy duty with a NRR of 33 (highest NRR of anything unless you double up). I recommend earplugs over earphone because earphones have wires that makes noise when it brushes against you.

That said, the Hearos are in-ears so you it gets in your ear canal. If you find that uncomfortable, then QC20 is the best solution.

good luck!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll be sure to check out all of these options. 😀
 
Anastomoses said:
Could someone tell me why a person would need earplugs? I'd really like to know if I'm missing a value that could be added to my life.
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So the question is "why does a person need earplugs?"

The answer is to block out/silence unwanted noises that the wearer finds distracting.

I hope that helps you understand the utility and function of earplugs.
 
ImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1376158465.171424.jpg

Use these. Hands down best earplugs and I've used many kinds
 
Etorphine said:
Even better than the Hearos, from someone that has used earplugs daily for years now:

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight...8&qid=1376164516&sr=8-1&keywords=laser+leight

200 ct. for $20.

Don't buy reusable plugs, if you get bacteria on them and reuse enough times, it might lead to an ear infection.

Just buy inexpensive, ultra high quality earplugs on Amazon, and throw them away.
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I ran out and picked up a box of those hearos xtreme that were pictured earlier just so I could get in on the hype and determine whether I would prefer to use earplugs while studying/test-taking.

They're really nice, but wow, 200 of those Howards for $20 is a great deal. I saw them at the store for close to $6.50 for a pack of 10. The cost-benefit outweighs the fugly.
 
Anastomoses said:
Maybe my question wasn't specific enough.

What is the specific utility med students get out of this than the average person...library is usually quiet. Is it roommates? why so many people seemingly into earplugs on here? Is the average person buying earplugs to block out unwanted noises and I've been unaware of this social phenomenon?
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Try it.

I use earplugs even when I'm at the library. I can focus on my books and everything else disappears.

Otherwise, even if the library is quiet, there's always random sounds, chatter or cell phones on vibrate and I find myself looking up constantly if I don't have earplugs.
 
Anastomoses said:
I'm just curious whether there's a correlation, but do you also wake up easily to minor sounds?
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Heh. I don't, actually. I crash asleep quickly and morning comes just as quickly 😴

Seriously, though, I can study with or without earplugs, but I found that the quality of my study time is higher when I use them.

I'll admit it took me a while to get used to wearing them, but now it's fine.
 
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