I went through this process last year and I found it terribly confusing. I have nothing against ESP but they charge almost twice as much as the same exact product from a hearing aid company. Keep in mind ESP does not manufacture the product they are simply a middleman and have it made by a hearing aid company.

Go online and find a hearing aid outfit in your area that carries Westone. They have a custom molded product with a valve that cuts off loud noises and lets all other sound through. I want to say a pair cost me less than $125. They are perfect if you just want to save your hearing and you don't want gain (the ability to gain back the few db lost from having a device in your ear or to further amplify sound). The Westone product reduces your level of hearing by less than 5 db and that is not enough for you to even notice. They are also made out of a more pliable material than the ESP's.

A friend purchased the ESP analogs and used them last year and did not care for them. Given the other post it must be an individual thing. He recently purchased the Westones and he likes those.

I had a pair of custom molded digitals made (I forget the company) that were identical to ESP's that cost me $800. If you are going to use them in open prairie cover I found them lacking because of the whistling sound from the wind and it drove me nuts. The whistling noise comes from the electronics to provide gain and they are adjustable so you can turn them up but that turns up all sound including the noise of your boots hitting the ground. The idea sounded nice but was not for me. I took them back and was only charged a 10% of purchase price restocking charge. I am not sure if ESP offers this. I want to say the ESP analogs are $675 and the digitals are well north of $1,000.

If you go the digital route make sure you can return them if they drive you nuts. I know at least one company offers that and I wish I could recall which one of the major hearing aid companies it was.

Any of these products are going to bother you to some degree when you wear them or at least they bother me. I can't wait to get them out of my ears.

Good Luck,

Mike


Last edited by Chicago; 07/30/11 12:18 AM.