Switching from Acrylic Ear Mold to Silicone

thanks! I have acrylic.

@jeffrey said:

Spud likes his cheese *bleu’ and his mold

…en acrylique dur → pour éviter la croissance du “fromage à l’oreille”, or “ear cheese”, which grows in the soft, porous crevices of silicone mouldes, brown and stinking. Ear cheese can’t grow and ripen on hard acrylic.

Sorry for the confusion; I am referring to the Cerustop Wax Guard, I am currently using it on my hard acrylic; the audio says the soft silicone can be made to have a Guard or one made not requiring the Guard; can you help me out.
Thanks
Peter Caruso

@user299: I’m sorry, Peter - I don’t have the answer to your question, but I’m sure someone like @tenkan will be able to help you out.

@jeffrey: Bravo, jeffrey! Je crois bien que tu sois correct de penser que des moules en acrylique sans pièges à cérumen avertiront de nombreux problèmes, dépendent de la constitution de ton cérumen.

Personally I would opt for wax cups, since (because of my genetic makeup) the cerumen I produce tends to be dry and flaky, and gets into the small orifices of the mould … but that’s just me.

[…but I believe you’re correct in thinking that acrylic moulds without wax traps will avoid quite a few problems, depending on the makeup of your ear wax.]

I have acrylic ear molds and find them very comfortable and I have a severe hearing loss. I have no feedback issues. My molds are full skeleton and fit perfectly, they have very small vents, just enough to allow my ear canals to breathe.

@cvkemp: Same here, Chuck, FWIW.

@cvkemp: silicone molds + ear wax + humiddity →

[Ecch!]

I started with acrylic and moved to silicone. The acrylic ones seemed very hard and “slippery” and would always backed out a bit, and my silicone dont, even though they both were made off the same mold. I find the silicone more comfortable, seals better (i use zero vent on my bad ear) and i never have feedback where my acrylic ones tend to back out slightly and cause feedback if i am close to something on my bad ear side. Even if i didnt get feedback when they backed out, i was constantly shoving my finger in my ears to get them fully sealed. Also i like to lay down at night while watching tv thru my streamer and the silicone are way more comfortable for that. I imagine its a personal thing. I found that neither offered better hearing over the other, just the comfort levels where different for me.

@mr.smithster said:

I imagine its a personal thing. I found that neither offered better hearing over the other, just the comfort levels where different for me.

@mr.smithster: FWIW, I think this is exactly right. Like others that have posted, I react to the silicone, and my ears get very itchy. This seems to increase cerumen production.

I dislike the discoloured, unhygienic appearance of silicone moulds, although I suppose it’s more of an aesthetic issue for me than a biological one… (My deceased father did, indeed, ferment ear cheese in his cavernous ear canals, reminiscent of the cheese ripening caves of France, however!)

I like the way the slippery acrylic moulds slide fairly easily into my sinuous ear canals, affording me an excellent acoustic coupling.

I recommend acrylic to posters who ask, but you’re right - it’s an entirely personal choice.

Thank you for your excellent advice Can I still use the " PerfectDry Lux " to help clean the Silicone Mold.

The silicone molds are (supposedly) anti mold and fungi, and yes you can use the dryer if you wish

@tenkan said:

The silicone molds are (supposedly) anti mold and fungi,

@tenkan : Perhaps initially, Tencq🧯, on Day 1, but expose them 16/7 to Otobacillus formagicrescendus putrifacens for a few weeks, and see how they fare! Hah … The cheese! Therein’s the rub!

There is no comparison between silicone and acrylic molds. You use molds vs domes because you want them to stay in play and be as comfortable as possible. Hard molds don’t do either. I have Micro Sonic silicone molds that they are a breeze.

Be aware however that they will stain and become opaque over time. Nature of the beast. Also fitting can be variable. By that I mean not just comfort in the ear, but also how deep they fit in the canal. My original ones were too tight and had them redone, but the new ones were not as deep and therefore the sound was not as loud.

There is a bit of customization needed to get the right balance of sound and comfort, but they are worth while.