"Big Ear" Custom Ear Plugs (Review)

[motospeed9058]

Big Ear is a company that many of you may recognize from the various motorcycle shows and is based out of Colorado Springs, CO.

I paid for thier custom earphones/plugs.  They claim that they work 90% better than the Bose noise cancelling earphones.  My purpose for buying these?  I was looking for a solution whereas I wouldn't have to take my tankbag and chatterbox and wires, and more wires, just for a quick jaunt around town.  I just wanted to throw my IPOD or satellite radio, into my stich, plug in and go.  But I also didn't want regular earphones because they sound like crap against the wind noise and they were always falling out, or not sitting right inside my helmet.

I was able to test these new fancy plugs this weekend for about 2 hours.  I was pleasantly suprised, yet a little disappointed at the same time.  They work beautifully, and are very comfortable to wear.  When they mold them for you, they have you put in a dental bite for a few minutes to open up your ear canal, so expansion over elevations were not as painful as some can be.  They are also flat on the outside, so my helmet doesn't upset the feeling at all.  Very Comfortable.  I was still able to hear emergency vehicles behind me, and I didn't have to turn anything up or down based on the speed I was traveling.  All good.  

BUTTTTTT.........

They were not as good against the wind noise as I had hoped.  If my screen was all the way down, they were great, if I needed to crack my screen at all, they were a little noisy.  I will continue to test this problem, but for now, I've decided that they are great for the commuting and quick jaunts around town, but if I have a large slab to cover at any point, it looks like I'll be back to the foamies and the chatterbox and all the wires associated therewith.

Overall, I give them a good thumbs up realizing that nothing will beat the foamies that can expand and cover everything they are supposed to.  Will I buy another pair from these guys, possibly, depending on if they make any changes.  They do have other products, and they keep your mold for upto 5 years in case you want more, all you have to do is call them and they already have the "negative."  The craftsmanship is second to none and from what little I can see, should last for some time.  

[Mach VIII]

So what did they cost you?  I found their webpage, but there was no pricing and I didn't see speakers/earplugs that seemed to match your description (at least as I envisioned it).

[punk_emo_tx]

Have you tried the er6i's?  I saw a post that they are on sale for $70 shipped.

[R Doug]

I too just tested my Big Ear custom plus this past weekend.  I was surprised to hear the wind noise as much as I did.  BUT... these things are so much more comfortable than foam plugs and I thought they actually shielded wind noise better too.

I can never get foam plugs to fit properly in my left ear, so that could be the reason.  Whereas the Big Ears were custom fitted to both of my ears.

So far, I love them and really like how comfortable they are in my helmet.  Like Motospeed said, they're flat on the outside, so there's no pushing against them w/ your helmet.

Regarding price, I think I paid $60.00 for mine at the Cleveland Bike Show.

[motospeed9058]

I too just tested my Big Ear custom plus this past weekend.  I was surprised to hear the wind noise as much as I did.  BUT... these things are so much more comfortable than foam plugs and I thought they actually shielded wind noise better too.

I can never get foam plugs to fit properly in my left ear, so that could be the reason.  Whereas the Big Ears were custom fitted to both of my ears.

So far, I love them and really like how comfortable they are in my helmet.  Like Motospeed said, they're flat on the outside, so there's no pushing against them w/ your helmet.

Regarding price, I think I paid $60.00 for mine at the Cleveland Bike Show.

The plugs, I think they were around 250, WIRED.  and around 60, just for the plugs with no wires.  They are double shielded against the weather and pulling, and other acts of nature that abuse wires.  I don't mind the cost as long as it is justified.  So far, this to me has been very justifiable.

Like R Doug stated, you do hear wind noise and exterior noise, but they definately shield it out more than nothing at all.

Their website is http://www.bigearinc.com/ and they have a list of all their products.  The specific ones that I have are the BE1-C.

[motospeed9058]

Email from Big Ear Customer Service.  Fast response is always good in customer service:

Robert,

Thank you for your review.  It's nice to see our products becoming more recognizable!

The stereo plugs are only an 18dB because they have the mechanical elements inside.  They will probably continue to be 18dB, but we will make note of your request when we modify the stereo plugs.  The solid ear plugs are rated at 27-32 dB and sit in your ears like the stereo plugs, but have no electronics.

Thank you,
Big Ear Staff

Big Ear, Inc.
6660 Delmonico Dr, Suite D161
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
www.bigearinc.com
Toll Free: 866-661-2041
Local: 719-531-6868
Fax: 719-635-3665


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 8:28 AM
To: customerservice@bigearinc.com
Subject: Review and Request


I have just recently rec'd my ear plugs from you and posted my review of them at http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,4738.msg104632.html#msg104632

Also, I noticed on the website that the ear plugs that I have are separated at 18db, is there any chance of bumping that up at all for those of us that are particular about wind noise?  We typically ride with ear pieces that are rated between 26 and 32 db of separation.

[bikerider]

Interesting response from BIG Ear. When I bought mine I was told they would be around 30DB for the stereo plugs. Looks like the sales guy lied to me.

I too am a little disappointed in their wind noise blocking ability.

[motospeed9058]

Interesting response from BIG Ear. When I bought mine I was told they would be around 30DB for the stereo plugs. Looks like the sales guy lied to me.

I too am a little disappointed in their wind noise blocking ability.

I believe I heard the same thing, but when I think about it, he was talking so fast about all the products that I assumed that all earpieces were rated the same.  I never even thought to ask what the differences were for each one individually.  He was talking a mile a minute because of the amount of people that were around.  I can't put the blame on him for my own mistaken assumption.

[Ears]

I got Big Ear sound plugs, I think the BE-1. As I never wore ear protection before, I like them.
They do block alot of noise, as I rode once a short distance without them and couldn't figure out why everything seemed so loud.

With the tunes coming thru at a reasonable volume, I can still hear the horn on the bike while riding.

[punk_emo_tx]

Geez the er6i's are almost too quiet for me. What wind noise?  

[bikerider]

Geez the er6i's are almost too quiet for me. What wind noise?  

I have ER6i's as well. I have real straight ear canals and they work themselves out of ears after 30 minutes or so.  The custom molded ones stay put.

[punk_emo_tx]

Have you tried any of the different earphone tips?  I like the 2 flange tips.

http://www.discountheadphones.com/etymotica.html

[bikerider]

Only the 2 flange tips.