Which custom earplugs suit you best? How to compare fit, filter and service

Which custom earplugs are best depends less on the brand than on whether they suit your ears and the noise you deal with. So compare seven points, namely the impression and fit, the filter, the material, the standards, the service, the delivery time and what is included in the price. The best choice is the earplug that seals well, feels comfortable and that you therefore actually wear.

Below you can read what to look for on each point. We deliberately do not rank brands, because what works well for a drummer can turn out badly for a hunter. At the end, you can read how Audibling scores on each point.

Which custom earplugs are best for your situation?

Start with the noise, not with the earplug. How loud is it, how long does it last and what do you still want to hear? A musician wants to keep hearing the music clearly. A mechanic wants fewer shrill high tones and still wants to understand colleagues. A hunter has to deal with short, very loud bangs. If you sleep with earplugs, you are mainly looking for comfort on the pillow.

More attenuation is not automatically better. The British regulator HSE advises aiming for 70 to 80 dB(A) at the ear. If less than 70 dB(A) reaches the ear, HSE calls that overprotection. You then hear warning signals less well and feel cut off more quickly. According to Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions, your employer must offer hearing protection at work from 80 dB(A), and from 85 dB(A) you are required to wear it.

Seven criteria for comparing custom earplugs

Use this table as a checklist.

Impression and fit

Custom earplugs only protect you if they seal well. According to HSE, hearing protection does not reach the manufacturer's values if it is difficult to put in, uncomfortable or not worn all the time. The Dutch guideline by the NVAB, the Netherlands Society of Occupational Medicine, points out that attenuation in practice is often lower than stated in the instructions for use. According to the same guideline, special equipment can measure whether custom earplugs are leak-tight.

Filter and attenuation

The filter determines how much your earplugs reduce sound and how they sound. A good provider shows the SNR and the HML values for each filter. With the HML values you can see for yourself whether a filter reduces all tones roughly equally, which is pleasant for music and speech, or mainly the high tones. Also check whether the filter is interchangeable. Then you can choose a different level of protection later without a new impression. Also read what the SNR value on earplugs means.

Material

Custom earplugs are usually made of hard acrylic or silicone. Acrylic is sturdy and easy to clean. Silicone is softer and more flexible. That can be pleasant when you wear them for a long time, under a helmet or in bed. Read more about the difference in acrylic or silicone custom earplugs.

Standards and certification

Hearing protection falls under the European PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, in the highest risk category. That means CE marking and an assessment by a notified body. For earplugs, and so also for custom earplugs, the standard EN 352-2 applies. What the codes mean is explained in what PPE-3 and EN 352 mean.

Service after delivery

Custom earplugs last for years, but your ears change and filters get dirty. The NVAB guideline mentions an annual check of protective equipment that has been issued. So ask where you can have a fit check done, whether you can order a new filter separately and what a new impression costs if they no longer fit. As a guide, custom earplugs last around 4 to 5 years with normal use and good care, as you can read in how long custom earplugs last.

Delivery time and price

Is the filter included, or do you pay for it separately? Do you get a case, a cord or a clip? And does the hearing care professional charge anything for taking the ear impressions? If you need your earplugs for a festival or the hunting season, have your ear impressions taken in good time.

How Audibling scores on these criteria

We make custom earplugs ourselves, so we are not a neutral party. That is why we only mention what you can check on our site.

• Impression and fit. You have impressions taken at a partner hearing centre. For companies with 10 or more people, we offer on-site fitting and take the ear impressions at the workplace. Every custom earplug is made in our own lab, Audiform in Kilder, which has been making ear moulds and custom hearing protection for more than 25 years.
• Filter. We work with interchangeable membrane filters from Dynamic Ear Company in four series, from DR for general use to DIM for impulse noise. The SNR and HML values for each filter are on our filter page.
• Material. You choose hard acrylic or silicone yourself. All filters fit in both.
• Standards. Our custom earplugs are PPE-3 hearing protection, compliant with EN 352, with certified filters. You can read more on quality and standards.
• Service. You order a new filter or a different level of protection as an extra filter set with two filters. You keep the same custom earplugs. If an employee of a business customer loses their earplugs, we offer a fast replacement service.
• Delivery time. Your custom earplugs are ready about three weeks after your ear impressions are taken.
• Price. You see the price in advance in the Designlab. For personal customers, it starts at €179 including VAT and ear impressions, with a DR filter, cord, clip and storage case. You pay at the hearing centre. A DM, DI or DIM filter costs extra. All prices are on what custom earplugs cost.
• Appearance. You choose clear, black, white, green, red or blue, or a custom colour by arrangement. You can also add a logo print, which is patent pending. Your own logo is available from 10 pairs. For smaller numbers, you choose a standard logo from our range.

On a few points we have less to offer. Our network of partner hearing centres is still growing, so there is not yet one close by in every region. In that case we will help you further through book an appointment, and in the Kilder area you can also go to Audiform itself. We do not have custom earplugs with Bluetooth or a connection for a two-way radio. If you want music and protection in one earplug, read whether AirPods Pro are suitable as hearing protection. And if you are mainly looking for the lowest price, you will find cheaper earplugs. Loop Earplugs or custom earplugs explains when a universal earplug is perfectly adequate.

Frequently asked questions

Are more expensive custom earplugs always better?

No. The price says little about how well custom earplugs suit you. You will be less keen to wear expensive custom earplugs with too much attenuation than well-fitting ones with the right filter.

How much attenuation do I need?

That depends on how loud the noise is and how long you are exposed to it. For music, you usually choose a filter with flat attenuation. For noise at work, you choose a filter that reduces the high tones more. If you know the noise level at your workplace, a hearing care professional or prevention officer can calculate which attenuation suits you.

Which custom earplugs are best for music?

For music, you want a filter that reduces all tones roughly equally, so the sound does not become muffled. At Audibling, that is the DM filter. Our earplugs for music have an SNR of 16 dB. Read more in custom earplugs for music and festivals.

How do I know whether my custom earplugs seal properly?

A fit check measures whether sound leaks past the earplug. If you use them at work, an annual check is sensible. If they feel looser or you hear more noise than before, have them checked.

Sources

• HSE, Controlling noise at work (L108, third edition 2021, PDF)
• NVAB, multidisciplinaire richtlijn Preventie beroepsslechthorendheid (guideline on preventing occupational hearing loss, 2006, PDF in Dutch)
• Arboportaal, Gehoorbescherming (hearing protection, in Dutch)
• Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment (EUR-Lex, Dutch version)
• Dynamic Ear Company, datasheets DR, DM, DI and DIM Impulse (PDF)

Last updated 7 October 2026