@tenkan: 
You’re very experienced/skilled at this sort of thing → is it really that easy for a layman to do?
My audiologist told me that silicone ear molds wouldn’t be good for me because of the humidity and heat where I live and the fact I do a lot of hiking and I sweat a lot.
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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: 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.
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I did that years ago. It is no more difficult than removing a dome.
Oh yeah definitely, there’s no glue or anything like that holding the receiver in, very easy.
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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 : 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!
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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.
Here is what they look like:
The left one is an earbud mold for headphone, but shows how opaque they can become. The R one is clear and almost invisible initially. Probably worth replacing every 3-4 years.
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@jcech: I beg to differ. My experience has been the complete opposite of tour description over a period of 16 years.
Members reading this post should take it for what it is: a single person’s subjective opinion. (IMO)
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Not sure what you are referring to as a difference of opinion. That molds are used because they stay in position better? That silicone is softer than hard acrylic? That they stain and gradually become less clear? Or what???
I have worn both and domes as well. IMO and my smaller canals, domes do not work adequately. They constantly changed position in the ear and that changes how well you hear. I found myself constantly pressing them back in.
Hard acrylic was NO different and also more uncomfortable to me.
As you can see from the picture I posted, the silicone molds fit the shape of outer ear better and this holds them in place easily and because they are soft, they are very comfortable. Unless you have tried all three, how you can say one is better than another.
@jcech: This is what you asserted. My experience has been different from your assertion: for 16+ years , my hard acrylic molds have stayed comfortably in place and afforded me excellent acoustic coupling and great sound.
I never said that acrylic was better. I said your assertion doesn’t hold true for everyone.
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smaller canals are personal to you, and others of course. I have large canals. Actually several reconstructive surgeries have left my canals…unusual.
Spudster is correct: on a forum frequented by folks with a wide variety of anatomies and hearing loss caused by a variety of reasons,–flat so called ‘statements of fact’ that may be true for one person have to carry a caveat: namely, what;'s true for me may not be true for others.
I have acrylic molds and they work well for me.
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Small canals, bu definition, are a minority people. Unless you have tried, at least, a more common canal size, how can you adamantly refute the experience of someone with a more common canal size?
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@prodigyplace: Thanks for making the point that hearing losses and their treatments are highly variable, and highly specific to each individual who is affected.
I think the usefulness of possible approaches to hearing problems is diminished when opinions are presented as fact, and options as mutually exclusive.
I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that open mindedness and the avoidance of absolutes/categorical statements makes for more helpful conversations here in the Forum.
It’s a trap that I sometimes fall into, myself; but, nonetheless, I (increasingly) try to avoid it.
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Just like no one aid is the best for every user, no one type of mold is the best of every user.
Hard acrylic molds are very comfortable for me, they just tend to back out a tad. Silicone seems to work best for me, and i dont seem to have discoloring at all on my well used Resound silicone molds, see pic.
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I have a lot of confidence in my audiologists. When it comes to things like decisions as to whether I need a power aid and what type of mold will work best for me, I leave it to them. As a side bar, when I was dialing in my new aids, on one visit the audi called the Signia on line audiologist. The conversation was on speaker phone, The Signia rep mentioned immediately how I needed a power aid in my right ear. My audi had already ordered that. So these folks have a lot of experience based on seeing hundreds of patients. Sometimes one can just trust the knowledge and experience of an audi and go with it.
Of course, I also had to walk my audi and this same rep through programming my new aids for a functioning musician program. That was the next visit.
My point is, yes, we need to be informed and bring our requirements to the audi. Sometimes we need to press the point and advocate for ourselves. And then, maybe most often, we can expect the audi to make the right call. This last may be controversial!!!
we all like to think we should be in charge our own heart surgery. that’s a bad idea.
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