Michael Satterfield
Protecting our hearing is often an afterthought, I am guilty of showing up at motorsports events only to spend time hunting down some basic foam earplugs. While those disposable earplugs are better than nothing, the technology in hearing protection has come a long way. This is why I sat down with James Jones of Southern Adrenaline to talk about the benefits of custom hearing protection and go through the process of having molds taken of my ears.
I was somewhat familiar with the process, I had visited the labs of Racing Electronics in Charlotte, North Carolina, the manufactures of custom hearing protection and ear-pieces for top racing drivers. In their state of the art lab, they have racks and racks of molds for the start of NHRA, NASCAR, and IndyCar. The process that Jones offers is the same technology but at far more affordable prices. With custom-molded protection starting at just $75, made with proprietary Insta-Mold’s® silicone are stronger and more durable than off the shelf silicone earplugs.
The process is simple and can be done nearly anywhere, in fact, Southern Adrenaline can often be found at motorsports and shooting competitions making custom hearing protection on site. The first step is putting a stopper in each ear, followed by injecting the Insta-Mold’s® silicone, once it cures, Jones trims and shapes the plug. There are options for adding Bluetooth, Acoustic Filtering, HearDefenders-DF® electronics to improve your hearing experience.
After using the Southern Adrenaline earplugs for a few weeks at events and the shooting range, I have to say that the level of comfort and protection is far superior to any other in-ear hearing protection and comparable to my over the ear hearing protection. Since I am on the road so much they take up less space in my backpack or range bag.
Southern Adrenaline is based in Texas, but they offer an at-home mold kit allowing you to take your own impressions, once you send them in in just a week or so later your own custom earplugs arrive in the mail. Southern Adrenaline can also customize hearing protection for teams, businesses, or clubs. If you would like to learn more visit SouthernAdrenaline.net.
