BACKGROUND: I'm a musician so my hearing is VERY important - and fortunately, I still have a superior sense of hearing despite my younger days when I'd go out clubbing and danced next to the speakers cuz that was apparently the cool thing to do. Oh how I wish these had been around back in the 90s!!! In the last few years I started going out dancing again and found that I was uncomfortable with some of the volumes that are now being pushed by the DJs at the midnight hour. So I experimented with traditional foam ear plugs, which I'm sure protected me but, I didn't feel like I was part of the action as much. I felt the music was too muffled and I couldnt get myself into it.
EAR DIALS: I first saw these advertised on a deal site and what sold me was the Android app (who doesn't like to measure stuff and have the satisfaction of knowing they are protected) as well as the translucent appearance of these. A 3rd feature that I liked was the bullet-like carrying case, which is always attached to my keys and is very handy. It comes with a glow-in-the-dark sticker too if you like that. So after going out twice here's what I have to say:
REVIEW --
The PROS: Audio level is definitely reduced but not muffled so I can confirm I am protected (also no ringing noise next day). The protection is immediate - in other words you don't have to wait for the foam to expand in your ear. The app is easy to install, use, and satisfying. The fit in the ears is snug and the little piece sticks out just enough so that you can actually pull them out when you're done. The price is fair, in my opinion. The customer service is fantastic.
THE CONS: Not sure if this is a con per say but, if you're used to foam ones, you may wonder at first if you put them on deeply enough because you're still hearing more than you're expected. So this "uncertainty" is a slight drawback but probably unavoidable. I have used these twice now and both times, I struggled to remove them from the carrying case. And that's because they have to be pushed in deeply in order for the case to close. Another con at the time of this writing is that it's not clear how to clean these. While a pro is that you CAN clean them, written instructions don't really help. Videos would be MUCH MORE helpful. So while I gave this 5-stars, it's actually 4.5 because of this.
WISHLIST FOR NEXT VERSION: 1- Ability to control the volume of the sound you hear. While this is MUCH better than foam in that you still hear everything just at a safe level, it would be nice if somehow they figured out a way for us to adjust the volume of what we hear, either thru a twisting motion of a part, or using some technology that may come around in the future. 2- Ability to light them up..maybe have microsized LEDs on there, and then be able to control their color from the app. Many dance parties involve glowsticks, and LEDs are the rage so I see this as something that would be cool.
| Manufacturer | EarDial |
|---|---|
| Place of Business | Bury, Lancashire BL8 2NZ,GB |
| Item model number | ED2 |
| Product Dimensions | 1.45 x 1.44 x 2.41 cm; 0.8 g |
| ASIN | B00P2NTVPA |
