Flare Audio's ISOLATE Ear Plugs

[quietatnight]

I found these ear plugs advertised, I never seen them before, I thought about giving them a try. They are available in Titanium or Aluminum. They are supposed to be better then standard foam one's. Please let me know if anyone has ever tried these before. I think this link will work, but I found it on Facebook so please let me know.

http://www.flareaudio.com/

Thank You

Louie

Quietatnight

 

[Fangen]

Hi guys!

Came across the ISOLATE ear plugs, what do you think? Are they worth the money? One standard pair is £24.

 

[Karel]

I backed it. I'm not sure they'll really do what they promise (always the problem with Kickstarter and the like), but if they do, I want a pair. Just pop one in my bad ear whenever I go to a potentially noisy place and I'll feel much safer. Still no going to fireworks shows or construction sites or anything like that of course (bone conduction says hi), but I don't need that anyway, I just want some good protection against unexpected loud sounds that can happen anywhere.

 

[Fangen]

I backed it. I'm not sure they'll really do what they promise (always the problem with Kickstarter and the like), but if they do, I want a pair. Just pop one in my bad ear whenever I go to a potentially noisy place and I'll feel much safer. Still no going to fireworks shows or construction sites or anything like that of course (bone conduction says hi), but I don't need that anyway, I just want some good protection against unexpected loud sounds that can happen anywhere.

Would you please tell me what you think of them once you get them? I see that they will start sending out next month and I am sure it'll take a bit longer for people ordering last min. If they work well I'd happily buy a pair or two.

 

[Karel]

Would you please tell me what you think of them once you get them? I see that they will start sending out next month and I am sure it'll take a bit longer for people ordering last min. If they work well I'd happily buy a pair or two.

Oh, yeah, sure. I'll post here once I've received them and got to try them out for a while.

 

[Bobby B]

nice idea but

1) no DB reduction figures at all !. The graph they show don't display any numbers, or am I missing something ?

2) A hard metal piece inside a thin soft bud - almost guaranteed that it will hurt your ear canal real good after extended use.

3) a heavy protruding side is an issue, whenever you open the jaw, laugh or eat those plugs will move and create a gap where the high frequency damaging sound could penetrate.

That's an issue with my silicone plugs already.

Who cares about fancy colors anyway - give us the honest NRR figures !

 

[Fangen]

nice idea but

1) no DB reduction figures at all !. The graph they show don't display any numbers, or am I missing something ?

2) A hard metal piece inside a thin soft bud - almost guaranteed that it will hurt your ear canal real good after extended use.

3) a heavy protruding side is an issue, whenever you open the jaw, laugh or eat those plugs will move and create a gap where the high frequency damaging sound could penetrate.

That's an issue with my silicone plugs already.

Who cares about fancy colors anyway - give us the honest NRR figures !

I emailed them about the DB reduction and this was their reply:

"Isolates are going through (the very lengthy process) of independent testing at the moment. Here is a link to testing we have done in-house, with a video showing our methodology.

Here are the direct sound attenuation figures for Isolate Pro from this test...

@20Hz -37dB
@100Hz -45dB
@1KHz -50dB
@2KHz -59dB
@5KHz -80dB
This test data is an initial rough guide. For employers use as PPE equipment you need to use the official SNR and NRR test data which will be ready and published by the time we make reward deliveries. The official tests are not the same as a direct sound test Davies just did, they are subjective and bone conduction comes into play, which will mean that the dB attenuation numbers will be less with SNR and NRR test data."

Since I haven't used metal body in ear plugs before, it was sort of the reason why I asked for an opinion here about them. They do sound good on the paper and I am willing to try them if they work as promised.

 

[gotyoubynuts]

Those claimed attenuation figures are lies, lies, lies!

You won't get that much attenuation even when using double protection, with plugs and ear muffs!

ISOLATE EARPLUGS PEOPLE ARE LIARS

 

[undecided]

And damn cheap.

 

[Pleasure_Paulie]

lol.. 80db reduction.....More like 8db

 

[squeek]

You only need to look at the image to see that the product is snake oil. The metal in the plug is going to transmit audio rather than absorb it.

A more interesting upcoming product Hearables promises to selectively tune out baby screams, engine noise, etc.

With the way machine learning/deep learning is progressing in leaps and bounds I think we're going to see a flurry of active noise cancellation devices bettering our favourite Bose QC-15s within the next few years.

 

[Lassi]

Hi! Does any of you use Flare Audio´s Isolate ear plugs? I just bought a pair of Isolate Mini and need some advice.

https://www.flareaudio.com/produc…/isolate-pro-titanium-mini

How deep I should be able to insert the plugs? Are they correctly attached, when just the foam tip is in the ear canal or when a little bit of foam is still visible? In the package´s instruction picture foam seems to go totally inside, and also major part of titanium stem.

End of the plug is behind the tragus, but I can´t get the solid metal part into my ear. Should the metal stem be deeper in the ear cavity for maximum attenuation and bone conduct? Or just only the foam and a little bit of the body?

I have seen the fitting instruction video, but didn´t get enough information from it, and when I asked this directly from the company, they just sent me some standard links but did´t reply directly to my question.

I´m heading to festival at weekend and because of T good attenuation is needed.

 

[Amber]

Are they correctly attached, when just the foam tip is in the ear canal or when a little bit of foam is still visible?

Can you take a picture of them when they're in your ears?

 

[Lassi]

Sure thing! Highly appreciated, if somebody can guide me a little bit. I just want to be sure I am using them properly (cautious, I know). Damage has already done and I can´t afford more punishment.

Maximum allowed level of sound pressure is in Finland at venues 100 db (peaks more), but at lowest kHz measurement is not obligatory. This is the mean reason, why I ordered the Isolate Mini´s. Just want to get protected also from low frequencies. I have also custom molded Elacin 25.

 

[TuneOut]

Have you tried testing these against some standard 33db NRR foam plugs? Do these feel like they form a tight seal against your ear canal?

 

[Lassi]

I was able to seal my left ear but had the feeling right ear leaks. Today I made new attempt and found out I need to push plug much more upwards on my right ear and finally Isolate went deeper and closed ear canal. Plugs definitely blocked sound while using hedge-trimmer. They should be better attached now: foam is totally in, and so is also part of the metal body (feeling was pretty much same as with standard foam plug):



I don´t think this product is snake oil, like squeek said in previous post. As a company Audio Flare has good reputation and this product is CE certified to BS EN 352-2-2002 - SNR36. What comes to attenuation I believe Isolate works as promised but problem is adaptability: foam or silicone are versatile and metal... well, is hard.

People have very different anatomy, and I doubt piece of metal fits everyone. According to my ENT I have very small ear canals, and as a result I have such difficulties even with Isolate Mini AND extra small foam tip.

There are many disappointed people who were not able to use at all regular sized plug, and I presume there are also many who don´t use product like they should (standard foam plugs has naturally same problem), like in this review.

I feel some discomfort while pushing plug into ear. This is an obstacle for several other customers also. Water based lubricant might be a solution. I don´t want to develop otitis externa .

Audio Flare has put a lot effort on marketing, but they should share more information about the product. Who cares are the plugs blue, green or red. Safety and usability comes first.

 

[Bobby B]

With such a large piece of metal it's going to hurt after a while

Try the moldex meteors foam plugs

 

[Alessandro Rossi]

I have had flare audio metal plugs, and I think you should absolutely avoid it if you have hyperacusis; I went to a gig in 2018 with these plugs, came out and felt like hell for months. The metal part makes bass frequencies really hitting hard and my hyperacusis worsened really bad since that day. They don't protect you like the classic foam plugs, you'll be REALLY exposed to noise without noticing it !