Table of contents
- 12 earplugs tested Earplugs for motorcyclists
- In this test, the practical motorcycle suitability counts
- This is how MOTORRAD tests
- Alpine Motosafe Earplugs
- Conclusion
- Alpine plug & Go earplugs
- Conclusion
- Hansaplast noise stop earplugs
- Conclusion
- Hearos Ear Plugs
- Conclusion
- LUX ear plugs
- Conclusion
- Mack’s soft foam earplugs
- Conclusion
- Noton hearing protection
- Conclusion
- Ear plugs Classic
- Conclusion
- Earplugs color
- Conclusion
- Pinlock earplugs
- Conclusion
- Wellnoise silicone blue
- Conclusion
- 3M 1100 DS
- Conclusion
- This is how hearing works
- Individual hearing protection
- Final scoring
jkuenstle.de
29 pictures
jkuenstle.de
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At the latest when the wind sounds while driving as if your ears are not protected at all, you should think about earplugs.
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Noton hearing protection.
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Noton hearing protection.
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Ear plugs Classic.
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Ear plugs Classic.
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Earplugs color.
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Earplugs color.
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Pinlock earplugs.
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Pinlock earplugs.
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Wellnoise silicone blue.
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Wellnoise silicone blue.
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Customized hearing protection is better, but also more expensive, than mass-produced goods.
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Ingenious construction: air vibrations are converted into fluid movements and then into electrical impulses.
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Mack‘s Soft Foam Earplugs.
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Mack‘s Soft Foam Earplugs.
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LUX ear plugs.
Lohse
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Recently on the A 81: Messrs Lohse (right) and Herder with BMW and Harley.
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3M 1100 DS.
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3M 1100 DS.
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Alpine Motosafe Earplugs.
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Alpine Motosafe Earplugs.
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Alpine plug & Go earplugs.
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Alpine plug & Go earplugs.
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Hansaplast noise stop earplugs.
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Hansaplast noise stop earplugs.
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Hearos Ear Plugs.
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Hearos Ear Plugs.
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LUX ear plugs.
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The final rating of the earplug product test.
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Earplugs for motorcyclists in the product test
12 earplugs tested
Earplugs for motorcyclists
Are you still very tight? You should be, purely aurally. If you drive a motorcycle intensively without hearing protection, you run the risk of reception problems. Twelve head gaskets in comparison.
Klaus Herder
07/09/2015
Would you voluntarily and without hearing protection do the infernal screeching of a circular saw for several hours? Of course not, because around 100 decibels on the ears cannot be really healthy in the long run. But is it completely normal for you to gondola for hours on a motorcycle at the recommended speed on the motorway and without additional hearing protection? Allegedly. For our ears, however, a circular saw and 130 km / h under the helmet are practically the same, and for this abuse it will take revenge in the long term. And not just at 100 decibels, in occupational safety 85 dB (A) are already the measure of things at which trouble threatens in the long term.
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Anyone who ignores hearing protection must expect that their hearing ability for high frequencies will first be lost. The hair cells responsible for this area (“This is how hearing works”) are located right at the beginning of the cochlea, so they always get the full load of the noise and simply lie flat when overloaded. And layer is with a due part of the speech intelligibility.
In this test, the practical motorcycle suitability counts
In order to prevent this, the motorcyclist should rather close up. However, not completely tight, because firstly, according to Section 23 of the Road Traffic Act (“Other obligations of the vehicle driver”), he is not allowed to do so. And secondly, it would be quite annoying if you overhear the impending bearing damage, the screams of fear from the pillars or even just the special signal from the fire brigade.
In this test of twelve earplugs bought across the board, it is not just about noise attenuation, it is primarily about suitability for motorcycle use. And that not insignificantly includes wearing comfort; because the best earplugs don’t really help if they are left at home.
This is how MOTORRAD tests
Lohse
Recently on the A 81: Messrs Lohse (right) and Herder with BMW and Harley as well as 10 sets of earplugs.
MOTORRAD bought the test samples in June 2015 from specialist retailers, hardware stores, drugstores and pharmacies. The test drives for the evaluation points “wearing comfort” and “damping practice” took place on the A 81 motorway, mostly in the range of 130 to 160 km / h with a Harley-Davidson XL 1200 Sportster and a BMW R 1200 R..
The test drivers wore Schuberth C3 Pro and Shoei Neotec helmets. For the test point “Damping Laboratory”, they went to the hearing test room of the Stuttgart branch of the hearing aid acoustician chain KIND, in which an audiogram (range 125 to 8000 Hertz) was created for each product with an audiometer.
Alpine Motosafe Earplugs
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Alpine Motosafe Earplugs.
Providers: Alpine Hearing Protection, 3769 AL Soesterberg / Netherlands, www.alpine.eu
Price: 24.99 euros / 1 pair + 1 spare plug (pair price: 24.99 euros), bought at: Polo, Juchen
Properties: Dimensionally stable earplugs with lamellar structure, reusable, two interchangeable filter sets and synthetic leather transport bag included
Handling: very easy to insert, ready for immediate use, relatively easy filter change; easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: clearly noticeable, but not unpleasant; does not press, sits very stable, does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: clear (green filter) to very clear (yellow filter) damping of engine and wind noise, great even at very high speeds; Signals and language remain clearly understandable, you don’t feel disconnected from your environment
Attenuation in the laboratory: Uniformly good attenuation of 10 to 30 dB over the entire frequency range with slightly increased values at the higher frequencies – all in all absolutely practical
Conclusion
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Alpine Motosafe Earplugs.
There is nothing to complain about: easy handling, good wearing comfort, top workmanship and features and, above all, the practical damping for all motorcyclists’ situations give the Dutch the test victory.
Alpine plug & Go earplugs
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Alpine plug & Go earplugs.
Providers: Alpine Hearing Protection, 3769 AL Soesterberg / Netherlands, www.alpine.eu
Price: 7.95 euros / 5 pairs (pair price: 1.59 euros), bought from: Hein Gericke, Stuttgart
Properties: Dimensionally stable earplugs in cone shape, conditionally reusable (according to the provider “both once and several times”), plastic transport box included
Handling: somewhat fiddly insertion, must be rolled very carefully and fixed for a relatively long time after insertion in order to stay in place; relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: very soft and comfortable, no feeling of pressure, hardly noticeable even after a long time, does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: Engine and wind noises are very much attenuated, but not completely decoupled; Speech and signals can still be heard in a satisfactory manner
Attenuation in the laboratory: consistently good attenuation of 10 to 35 dB from the middle frequency range; very low tones are only slightly attenuated – overall a still quite practical interpretation
Conclusion
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Alpine plug & Go earplugs.
No ordinary earplugs, but hearing protection that takes the peculiarities of motorcycling into account. The handling requires a little practice, but the reward is the best wearing comfort. And at a very fair price.
Hansaplast noise stop earplugs
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Hansaplast Larmstop earplugs.
Providers: Beiersdorf AG, 20245 Hamburg, www.hansaplast.com
Price: 2.95 euros / 3 pairs (pair price: 0.98 euros), bought at: Kreuser’sche Apotheke, Stuttgart
Properties: dimensionally stable, cone-shaped earplugs, reusable, plastic transport box included;
Handling: relatively easy, can be rolled very thinly and inserted far, take a little longer to reshape, but then sit very crisp; relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: very soft and comfortable, no feeling of pressure, hardly noticeable even after a long time, does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: Engine noises remain relatively clearly audible, wind noises are strongly muffled, overall relatively open, not a feeling that is too decoupled; Speech and signals can still be heard in a satisfactory manner
Attenuation in the laboratory: linearly increasing attenuation by 5 to 35 dB from the middle frequency range (over 1 kHz), only minimal to moderate attenuation at the lower frequencies; Design for use on a motorcycle is not quite optimal, but still acceptable
Conclusion
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Hansaplast noise stop earplugs.
A classic case of universal earplugs that still does its job quite well on the motorcycle. Very strong in terms of comfort. Well worth a purchase consideration for not-so-often-drivers and bargain hunters.
Hearos Ear Plugs
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Hearos Ear Plugs
Providers: DAP World Inc., Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 / USA, www.hearos.com
Price: 5.99 euros / 1 pair (pair price: 5.99 euros), bought from: Louis, Stuttgart
Properties: dimensionally stable earplugs in mushroom shape, reusable, plastic transport box included; HANDLING: easy to insert, but hard and long filter element may press, making corrections may be a bit painful; very easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: noticeable, but not pressing; However, as soon as movement comes into play (e.g. putting on a helmet or glasses), the filter insert may be painfully noticeable; does not hit helmet pads
Attenuation in practice: Wind noise comes through practically unchanged, but the bass is almost completely absent; overall a rather unpleasant background noise, language seems extremely alienated
Attenuation in the laboratory: slight, somewhat irregular attenuation of 5 to 10 dB from the medium frequency range (1.5 kHz), practically no attenuation in the low-frequency range – design for use on motorcycles only partially practical
Conclusion
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Hearos Ear Plugs.
Handling and wearing comfort are okay – at least in theory. But every small change in location can be uncomfortable. The fact that the damping values are rather modest when riding a motorcycle doesn’t make it any better.
LUX ear plugs
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LUX ear plugs.
Providers: Emil Lux GmbH & Co. KG, 42929 Wermelskirchen, www.lux-tools.com
Price: 3.49 euros / 5 pairs (pair price: 0.70 euros), bought at: OBI, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
Properties: dimensionally stable earplugs in cone shape, “only for single use”, available in two sizes: S-M (orange), L-XL (green)
Handling: must be rolled before insertion, but reshapes immediately; Correct insertion is therefore very difficult, they slip out easily
Wearing comfort: uncomfortable foam, permanent foreign body sensation, press and protrude from the ear, slowly “wander” out and possibly hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: decouple the driver from almost all environmental noise, but wind noise can penetrate in a disruptive manner; Language hardly understandable
Attenuation in the laboratory: from the middle frequency range uneven attenuation of 5 to 15 dB, only minimal attenuation in the low-frequency range; rather not designed for motorcycle use
Conclusion
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LUX ear plugs.
For short-term use on the lawn mower or the hammer drill, the DIY store disposable ear plugs may still be good. But they have no business under their motorcycle helmets, because they are weak in all relevant areas.
Mack’s soft foam earplugs
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Mack’s soft foam earplugs.
Providers: AAFI Trading GmbH, 80797 Munich, www.aafionline.de
Price: 9.95 euros / 10 pairs (pair price: 1.00 euros), bought at: Kreuser’sche Apotheke, Stuttgart
Properties: Dimensionally stable, cone-shaped earplugs, reusable, plastic transport box included
Handling: very simple, can be rolled very easily, remains dimensionally stable when inserted and has a perfectly measured “swelling time” in the ear, very pleasant foam; relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: very high, practically not noticeable, no pressure, no wandering out, comfortable even on very long stretches, does not protrude and does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: good to very good over a wide range, nevertheless no feeling of disconnection; Language and signals are still easy to understand
Attenuation in the laboratory: linearly increasing attenuation over the entire frequency range by 5 to 40 dB, successful design for use on motorcycles
Conclusion
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Mack’s soft foam earplugs.
The package lettering (“Dreamgirl”) and the stopper color may be irritating, but in the real motorcyclist’s life, the cheap soft parts are completely convincing. Handling, wearing comfort and cushioning are right – a clear case of “best buy”.
Noton hearing protection
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Noton hearing protection.
Providers: ABC GmbH, 41564 Kaarst, www.noton.de
Price: 3.65 euros / 3 pairs (pair price: 1.22 euros), bought at: Kreuser’sche Apotheke, Stuttgart
Properties: Dimensionally stable earplugs in cylinder shape, “can be used as often as you like”, plastic transport box included in the scope of delivery
Handling: simple, can be easily rolled up, remains compact when inserted and only expands precisely in the ear, pleasant foam; still relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: very high, light and hardly noticeable, no feeling of pressure whatsoever, still very comfortable even after hours, does not stick out, does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: dampens engine and wind noises and also all background noises very strongly, completely decoupled auditory impression, speech and signals can hardly be understood
Attenuation in the laboratory: slightly increasing attenuation of 10 to 40 dB over the entire frequency range; Suitable for motorcycle use under certain conditions (motorway, high speed)
Conclusion
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Noton hearing protection
As universal hearing protection, the very light plugs do exactly what they should: completely leak-proof. This is not ideal for motorcycle country road use, as important background noises may be lost; but great for the autobahn.
Ear plugs Classic
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Ear plugs Classic.
Providers: Ohropax GmbH, 61269 Wehrheim, www.ohropax.de
Price: 2.65 euros / 6 pairs (pair price: 0.44 euros), bought at: dm drugstore, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
Properties: malleable wax earplugs, single use; Plastic transport box included
Handling: a bit cumbersome: remove the cotton wool, shape the earplugs, close the ear and do not insert the earplug; after that you have rather greasy fingers, and the helmet has to be put on very carefully so that nothing slips out
Wearing comfort: permanent foreign body sensation, but presses only a little when the work is precisely tailored; may hit the helmet padding and cause contamination
Attenuation in practice: attenuates the bass relatively strongly, but wind noise still clearly comes through, the hearing impression is strongly decoupled, speech and signals are barely understandable
Attenuation in the laboratory: attenuation by 10 dB in the low-frequency range, from 1 kHz very uneven attenuation by 30 to over 50 dB; not practical for motorcycle use
Conclusion
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Ear plugs Classic.
The classic advertises with the motto “Ideal for sleeping and relaxing”. There’s no mention of motorcycling, and that’s a good thing. Because awkward handling, moderate wearing comfort and unrealistic damping are annoying.
Earplugs color
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Earplugs color.
Providers: Ohropax GmbH, 61269 Wehrheim, www.ohropax.de
Price: 2.45 euros / 4 pairs (pair price: 0.61 euros), bought at: dm drugstore, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
Properties: Dimensionally stable earplugs in cone shape, reusable (according to the provider “cleaning up to 5 times possible”), plastic transport box included in the scope of delivery
Handling: simple, stays rolled up for a long time, has to be held in position a little longer, but then sits very well, pleasant foam; relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: very high, hardly noticeable, no pressure, no wandering out, only protrudes minimally and does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: very good over a wide range, but decouples strongly and also attenuates all background noises, speech can hardly be understood
Attenuation in the laboratory: linearly increasing attenuation over the entire frequency range by 5 to 35 dB, for use on motorcycles a satisfactory to good design
Earplugs color
buy from Amazon
Conclusion
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Earplugs color.
Ear plugs can also be different, namely perfectly suitable for motorcycles. The country road operation is not the great strength of the colorful things, however. But on the autobahn and at high speeds, the cheap plugs play their trump cards.
Pinlock earplugs
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Pinlock earplugs.
Providers: Pinlock Systems BV, 8232 WL Lelystad, The Netherlands, www.pinlock.com
Price: 24.95 euros / 1 pair in size L + 1 pair without filter in size M (pair price: 24.99 euros), bought from: Hein Gericke, Stuttgart
Properties: Dimensionally stable earplugs with lamellar structure, reusable, exchangeable filters, foamed storage box included
Handling: Insertion is relatively easy with a little practice, ready to use immediately, a bit of a fiddly filter change; easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: Somewhat noticeable, but no foreign body sensation, relatively light, does not press, sits very stable, does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: good to very good damping of engine and wind noises, background noises remain easily recognizable; Signals and language are clearly understandable, you don’t feel disconnected from your environment
Attenuation in the laboratory: Uniformly good attenuation of 10 to 35 dB over the entire frequency range with slightly increased values for the medium frequencies – all in all absolutely practical
Conclusion
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Pinlock earplugs.
It is very clear in which direction the earplug newcomer is aiming: top dog Alpine is targeted. It is not shot, but Pinlock plays at a comparably high level. An absolutely recommendable purchase for frequent and everywhere drivers.
Wellnoise silicone blue
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Wellnoise silicone blue.
Providers: Wellneuss GmbH & Co. KG, 41406 Neuss, www.wellneuss.de
Price: 5.25 euros / 3 pairs (pair price: 1.75 euros), bought at: Kreuser’sche Apotheke, Stuttgart
Properties: deformable earplugs made of silicone, conditionally reusable (according to the provider “may be cleaned with water and soap”); Plastic transport box included
Handling: still sufficiently simple: form a ball, close the ear canal, find the right fit quickly, stay in place and do not smear; still relatively easy to clean under running water
Wearing comfort: clearly noticeable, but rather inconspicuous and pressure-free, does not protrude excessively and may only hit the helmet padding slightly
Attenuation in practice: predominantly attenuates the low tones, wind noise is hardly attenuated, decouples strongly and falsifies the auditory impression, speech is barely understandable
Attenuation in the laboratory: in the low-frequency range moderate attenuation of 5 dB, from the medium frequency range strongly fluctuating attenuation of 20 to 55 dB – only very limited suitability for motorcycle use
Conclusion
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Wellnoise silicone blue.
In principle, they work like the classic earplugs, only a little better. But not good for motorcycle use, because the damping behavior is not really practical. After all, they are reusable and don’t smear.
3M 1100 DS
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3M 1100 DS.
Providers: 3M Deutschland GmbH, 41453 Neuss, www.3m.com
Price: 6.99 euros / 2 pairs (pair price: 3.50 euros), bought at: Polo, Leinfelden-Echterdingen
Properties: Dimensionally stable, cone-shaped earplugs, one-time use, metal transport box included
Handling: simple, stays in a rolled shape for a long time, has to be held in position a little longer, but then sits very well, pleasant foam
Wearing comfort: very high, light and hardly noticeable, no pressure, no wandering out, just protrudes a little and does not hit the helmet padding
Attenuation in practice: dampens engine and wind noises as well as background noises very strongly, extremely decoupled, speech barely understandable
Attenuation in the laboratory: Even and very strong attenuation of 40 dB over the entire frequency range, but only conditionally suitable for all-round motorcycle use, as it is too attenuating
Conclusion
mps photo studio
3M 1100 DS.
Easy handling, great wearing comfort and strong cushioning – too strong cushioning, because the plugs, officially intended as single-use products (and therefore expensive), do their job almost too well. Nothing for the country road, great for the highway.
This is how hearing works
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Ingenious construction: air vibrations are converted into fluid movements and then into electrical impulses
The sound waves reach the eardrum via the outer ear and the ear canal. This forwards the vibrations to the middle ear, in which the smallest human bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) convert the air vibrations into fluid movements and pass them on to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the so-called cochlea, the fluid sets the hair cells in motion.
About 20,000 sensory cells generate electrical impulses that are passed on to the brain stem via the auditory nerves. The signals from both ears are brought together and processed in the brain stem. The brain decodes the incoming impulses and assigns meanings to them – people understand what they have heard. The hearing range of the human ear should ideally be around 16 to 20,000 Hertz. Source: CHILD
Individual hearing protection
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Don’t worry: top tester Karsten Schwers is critical, but hearing aid acoustics master Johanna Gottschild works soooo gently.
Off-the-shelf hearing protection is good, individually adapted hearing protection is in many cases even better and is called hearing protection otoplasty. The MOTORRAD test drivers Karsten Schwers and Rainer Froberg had these made by the hearing aid acoustician KIND and were thrilled with how easy it is.
First appointment: Consultation, among other things about which filter system is best for the respective purpose. Then an impression of the ear canal is made with silicone, which serves as the basis for a negative mold, with which the actual otoplastic is then manufactured. It consists of silicone (highest wearing comfort) or acrylic (particularly easy to clean). Second appointment after a few days: Pick up the earmold and have the handling and care explained to you. The bottom line is about 150 to 180 euros, which are very well spent.
Final scoring
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Table of points for the products tested
That’s unfair: the test winner will be a product specially made for motorcyclists, and at the end of the test field, articles will end up whose development probably did not involve motorcyclists’ demands. But that’s life, the generic test term was “hearing protection”.
Mack’s, Ohropax Color and Hansaplast prove that the test field compilation might make sense – none of them “motorcycle specialists”, but still well suited for use on motorcycles and with their low prices for infrequent and normal riders Buy recommendation. Frequent drivers prefer to use the more expensive products from Alpine and Pinlock. They cost significantly more in the beginning, but pay off in the long run.
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Overview of motorcycle accessory tests
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