Calmer | Noise Reducing Ear Plugs Alternative | Silicone Reusable Ear Plugs for Noise Sensitivity, Focus and Travel | Ear Plugs for Noise Reduction (Standard, Soft Blue)

*Reason for buying* I had read about Calmers as a potential accommodation tool for people with autism and general sensory/perceptual sensitivities (which I have). *Outer Design Pros* They fit well, they are very discreet (in clear), their bag keeps them dry and clean. The bag is easy to recognize by touch if you have it in a laptop bag with other stuff. *Technical Design Pros* Some people have said that, after the 24h test, they took the Calmers out in noisy environments and immediately noticed the Calmers had been making a difference, because they became more anxious and irritable. I do not notice such a shift (which is a plus because it seems that wearing the Calmers a lot doesn't further lower your tolerance to sound). On whether it works for me- I can easily notice that mid to high pitched sounds are, indeed, muffled. Low pitch sound is unaffected, and I can still hear mids to highs pretty well. There is seemingly no decibel difference, just pitch. So, Flare is legit on those claims. Again, I haven't felt a distinct shift when I put them in or take them out. However, I have been far less anxious, irritable, and overwhelmed since I started to wear them (real result, placebo, or other cause- I don't know, but I'm sticking with it). Also, I can tolerate close proximity to very harsh noises like vacuuming (never could achieve this before). I feel as though I am able to function better in my noisy home, whereas before I was knowingly and frequently running away from noise. Noise can still be annoying sometimes, but it just seems more tolerable/manageable. *How/When I Wear Them* I place the Calmers in my ear as directed (logo/projection side facing the back of your head, not super far into your ear). They really don't work otherwise, so be sure to do that. I just put them in before any louder noises I expect to occur and/or that I suspect or know stress me out. So, for example, I will put them in when my family is settling down to watch TV. I haven't tried the Calmers at a noisy restaurant or public space yet. I so far didn't feel I needed them at those places, but I'm sure they will help there. I also reach for them if there is a louder noise in my environment and I notice that I am irritated or have a headache in the back of my head/neck (I learned recently that these headaches are often from overstimulation). The noise may not be the cause, but who knows? I grab my Calmers anyway. *Technical Design "Cons"* Nothing is a real con for me. I do notice some weirdness to my voice when I wear the Calmers. People call it "echoing" but it just sounds a bit muffled and low to me. Nothing bothersome over time, though. It can also be a bit harder to hear people. This was all expected, especially due to the range at which I and other people speak (mids I guess). You also can't wear earbuds for music with them, so headphones are good, or I just take them out. I originally wanted colored Calmers for fun (I don't actually like boring and discreet items), but I found the available colors to be ugly, and I see that the clear ones are actually a great choice. So, Flare could make nicer colors, but it's not that important. I am guessing that I can't wear my tragus piercing without affecting the Calmers' performance (haven't tried, they are bendy but it might still affect things). That's fine, as I'd rather wear the Calmers most of the time. It's not a problem existing for most potential buyers anyway, but I wanted to note that. *Overall* I love the Calmers, and I think the price is fair for the materials used and how they have helped and will help me. I would definitely suggest splurging on accommodating yourself (I know Calmers are not that expensive, but I was still dragging my feet to buy them). Accommodating yourself in health is not shameful (you aren't being overly dramatic), it definitely helps you to live a little and be more productive, it is needed, it is worth the price, and it opens up space to be happier. 10/10 great tool for sensory sensitivity.

I wanted to allow myself time to get used to these before reviewing it. I have sudden hearing loss on one side, which has been mostly a nightmare. People think it's not a big deal, but we were born with two ears because we need both of them to function properly. Since losing half my hearing, I have no more balance, no center. Unless you're half deaf, you just don't realize how much you lose when you only hear on one side. I can't tell which direction the noise comes from or how far away. Everything is just noise, at the same level, all the time. If someone is talking on my left, I can't hear it over whatever is happening on my right. When someone calls my name from a distance, I have no idea of knowing where they are unless I see them. This is dangerous in some situations because sometimes the sounds I don't hear are cars, and thankfully I have a dog who warns me before something like that can happen. At some point, it's just stimulation overload and I get migraines, dizziness, vertigo, etc, and I just stay home. What I'm trying to say is I have been looking for something to make sounds more bearable, and I think I finally found it in Flare Audio's Calmer. So with all that in mind, here's what I think of it: - It does what it claims. When in place, sounds no longer sound like one big sheet of noise. It's like the difference between using your TV's stereo and upgrading to a home theater. Sounds sound more layered, like I'm finally hearing them as I should before only being able to hear on one side. I still hear on one side, but the sounds seem more organized. - I don't know how much it helps with tinnitus, but I have tinnitus, and if there is an improvement, it's subtle. But I'll give that more time. After all, some ongoing problems won't go away instantly, so expectations have to be realistic. - Sounds seem crisper. I feel like I'm hearing things I missed previously. - I have a bone-anchored hearing aid on my deaf side, though it doesn't work very well. A bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is one of the ways the deaf can hear again, using bone conduction to allow sound to travel from the deaf side to the hearing side. The idea is to allow your brain to feel like you're hearing on both ears, but really all the sound is just traveling to the hearing side, and when in harmony, it works just well enough to make life bearable. In reality, it's far from ideal, and the device was almost useless to me. But with Calmer in my hearing ear, it helps the sound from my hearing aid become more focused because it eliminated a lot of white noise and just lets me hear more efficiently. It's truly wonderful, and I almost cried because it's been a few years since being able to hear with that much quality. It's not perfect, but it's the best I can hope for with one functioning ear. That's my honest testament to this device. - Lastly, the bummer of this device: it doesn't stay in place. I bought the standard size, not the mini. If you're not sure which size to get, get the standard. Unless you know you have smaller ear canals (you will have known that by now because any doctor would have mentioned it), it's best to get the standard. But it is easily dislodged. I don't have a very active lifestyle anymore, so I don't do things that would cause it to be dislodged, but it always happens. A regular activity like having a conversation or walking can dislodge this thing because it needs to be redesigned to fit better. It won't fall completely out. Between your tragus and antitragus, you'll feel something different and touch your ear and realize the device is resting there, instead of in its place. I don't have super waxy ears and that's the only thing I can think of that could cause the device to keep dislodging. I just think it's a design flaw. So, when the device is in place, it's wonderful. The design needs to be reconfigured to not fall out so easily, but otherwise, what a great idea. It's a game-changer and I'm so glad I got it. As with anything you put in your ear, be careful, educate yourself, and even talk to your audiologist. But this is a great product. If it was on Shark Tank, I think the panel would go for it. The company's website has more products as well, and it's worth looking into. Good luck!

I've tested these in multiple scenarios, from teams meetings at my desk, to live bands and crowds. These are invaluable to me, I've ordered a second set to keep one in a container on my key ring. My use case: I recently learned I am autistic and have been exploring recommended tools to increase my enjoyment of life, or at least decrease my discomfort in it. These earplugs are one of the recommended tools. Here is what I noticed: The first 6 hours they were itchy. Not because they cause an itch, but because my ears are unaccustomed to earbuds or ear plugs. I typically prefer over the ear headphones, so this adjustment was necessary and reasonable. Pulling them in and out throughout the day while at home alone, I noted that it suppressed the sound of light rainfall entirely and made my conference calls much easier to deal with. I didn't have to constantly adjust the sound up to hear certain people, then down to muffle the ear grating noise of others, despite using a high quality conferencing speaker. Over the course of several days, these ear plugs have actually decreased my pre-meeting stress dramatically. I wore them to the book store, which is typically pretty quiet. This was day 3 and I had no discomfort or fear of them falling out. I did enjoy it more, I didn't notice much talking except for those in my immediate vicinity. I didn't notice the horrifying music they typically play, and I didn't notice it so thoroughly I'm only now realizing it. Then, I wore them to a bar/restaurant that has indoor live entertainment. Here the effects were massive. These entirely eliminated the steady drone of conversation from all the other tables that carries so well in large, highly acoustic buildings. Additionally, I wasn't being distracted by those around me that weren't speaking to me. Typically, I can, without intent, easily hear such conversations. There was no decrease in the quality of the sound of the band that I could tell, though it did eliminate the "brackishness" that is usually uncomfortable. I feel like I had to ask people that were speaking to repeat myself far less than normal, and far less than others were asking people to repeat themselves (based on watching the bartenders and customers interact). I was asked to repeat myself more than normal, but I think that is because my brain had adjusted to the lower levels of sound interference. Once I realized and adjusted for that, no worries. No one, to my knowledge, noticed the transparent ones I was wearing. I do have long hair that typically covers my ears, but I also have the habit of tucking my hair behind my ears. Eating... It is my personal preference to take them out when eating at home in a relatively calm environment. In such cases the sound of my eating is too much. However, when I'm in loud environments I prefer to keep them in because the benefits of the overall noise suppression far outweigh the sound of my own chewing, which is by comparison to that around me far more minimal. As I mentioned, I've already purchased a second pair. I find these far more useful than the other main brand with a circular design, at least for daily use. I'll save the other for planes and occasions that I want to block out pretty much everything. This brand is the winner for times I need just enough suppression to make it through the day AND interact with those around me. I sometimes have to check with my hand to make sure they are there because they're comfortable enough to escape my constant awareness. I'm truly pleased these exist.

These are very comfortable. For size comparison, in loop earplugs I wear a small tip size and the regular flares fit perfectly in my ears. While these don't reduce db in any meaningful way, they really do significantly reduce the higher pitched sounds such as a refrigerator buzzing. And there's zero occlusion - I sound completely normal to myself when I talk. I wish I could wear these at work, but I also need db reduction because it's overstimulatingly loud as well as lots of uncomfortable high pitched buzzy noises (restaurant). But these are perfect for normal quieter situations when the issue is only annoying background noises and not also loudness. So, because of all that, even though I bought them to try at work and wound up not being able to use them I'm still keeping them and carrying them with me everywhere I go (in my earplugs pouch where I carry my loops, too) because there's some situations where I need a bit of overstimulation relief but the loops are just a bit overkill. I wish flare's ear shades were as discreet because I'd love to try those, too, but my strict requirement for any earplugs is discretion (clear and compact).

I like that they mute the sound somewhat, not a lot, just enough to notice. However I was in a noisy area yesterday and could not hear or focus on the person talking to directly to me. What I have seen with video reviews and audio test is that they change the direction the sound is coming from and basically take away your echo location ability or hamper it., that then mutes noises or lessens certain ranges I literally could not tell where this person was speaking from and it was distracting. I had to take out one just to focus on him enough to hear him. With bone conducting headphone they seem to enhance the depth of the sound and make it better almost like regular headphone would sound. They don't block any noise so really do not do anything to crowd noise. However because its changing the direction of the crowd noise it seems to help me focus less on the crowd but also hinder listening to one person talking to me. At work we have to leave our doors open all day and it makes it heard to focus. They do not get ride of the noise form others, but do mute it a little. There is also a whining noise in my office and I noticed it immediately after taking them out, so that was a plus. What I really hate is that one falls out constantly. I am not sure if it's too big or too small. The other two bothersome things are the itchiness, which apparently is normal and the slightly underwater feeling of sound. I like that I don't get full occlusion with these like the loop ear plugs. I do get some. I have misophonia and I can't stand mouth noises from others and wearing the loop makes me hate myself when eating these less so but its still there. The loop helps much better with the mouth noises from others because it blocks a lot more sound all together. The loop also blocks a lot more crowd noise and help for loud noises close to me. I have yet to test these in a game night with 7 friends who get loud and often trigger me. That test will come in the next month. These have their place and so do the loop. Neither solve my issues but they do help a little.

If you think you even MIGHT need these: BUY THEM. It could LITERALLY change your life! I honestly don't think I could live without these anymore and it's only been like 3 days The first time I put these in I almost IMMEDIATELY felt my body relax. Things like the noise from the washing machine, the buzz of the refrigerator, the wind whistling, cars going by, every single time one of my cats *moved in the house.* ALL these sounds that apparently normal people can't hear thay drive me INSANE were suddenly just GONE. BUT I could still hear!! I was always genuinely baffled by how friends didn't notice those kinds of sounds, while I was ready to SCREAM! Apparently this is how neurotypical people hear?! I just cannot believe my issue was SOUNDS my entire life?? On top of all of that, I have such a difficult time in crowded rooms, at busy events, and ESPECIALLY when I run into issues. I get SO emotionally overwhelmed and it's like half the sounds in the world mute and the other half get SO LOUD it's like a tornado in my head and I just can't think. This happened ONCE to me since I've put them in and it was BEARABLE, whereas before I'd have had like 5 moments like that a day. No exaggerating, really. Just now I came back from a birthday dinner for a family member AND I WAS ABLE TO EAT MY WHOLE MEAL *AND* interject *APPROPRIATELY!* It makes it SO MUCH EASIER TO FOCUS AND RELAX IN PUBLIC SITUATIONS!! I also have ADHD and autism and tend to babble and talk a lot to the people closest to me. My partner has ADHD too and I stg I couldn't even ask like 1 or 2 questions sometimes without him getting overwhelmed. We've been chatting like we used to when we first started dating again. And it's FUN! Before I got these after ANYTHING I would just feel exhausted and cranky and want to go home ALL. THE. TIME. BUT NOT WITH THESE BABIES IN!! I literally I have fun now! I can't WAIT for summer when I'm at the beach! These just literally changed my life ENTIRELY. I never, ever want to be without these again. I've bought several spares as well as multiple pairs for a few friends who I KNOW struggle with the same things. I hope this is able to help them, too! I know my partner loves theirs! Finally, I love the fit and think it's WELL WORTH the money. Maybe sometimes it just takes a little while to get used to it? I dont know, I love it SO MUCH I honestly cannot recommend these enough. If I could rate this over 5/5 I would. I don't think I can live without them anymore

I'm autistic and ADHD. I have trouble with audio processing and noise sensitivity. This is the second ear plug product thing I've tried (also tried loops) and I think it's an overpriced piece of rubber. They are kind of awkward to put in and feel like they are ready to fall out easily. I wouldn't be too hard on it, if it was priced appropriately. I mean come on, look at it, look at it in your hand. That should be multiples for 10 bucks. I'm pretty desperate for a product that will allow me to tolerate 'loud' spaces like restaurants, stores, anything with more than a few people in it, while still being able to hear the world around me and interact with it: This may just be pure fantasy for somebody like me. It will reduce sound a bit, but that is a double edged sword when you need to hear your name being called out or anything. I just feel like there's no happy medium with this type of product. You either muffle too much sound, or you slightly muffle everything and wonder what the point is. It did help me from feeling overwhelmed in a waiting room, but then I had to take them out to actually talk to somebody. So, as long as you don't care to actually talk to anybody, and just want to tolerate the grocery store or something, these can be useful. If you are like me, chances are you've long since discovered headphones. If you are a bit self conscious about wearing headphones or would just rather not, I guess these are okay, but get the ones that are tethered so you don't lose them. I think they called them Flare Secure or something like that. Don't get me wrong, you can talk in these, and I have no idea what it's like for a normal person, but for me and my problems, it's still hard to separate voices from other voices and background noise. There's less background noise, but conversing is still an issue.

****Edited review after my order was corrected**** I was shipped Minis in error at first but Amazon quickly replaced them for the correct size. I tested them for 2 full months and these are my thoughts as a neurodivergent person with Auditory Procesing Disorder and general noise sensitivity: * The standard size of Flare Calmers is still very small and feel tiny enough to fall out at random. However, when you follow the wear directions and ensure they're inserted correctly, they don't actually fall out. The only times mine do fall is when I kept messing with my ears, hair, and the Flares, throughout the day. I do moderate exercising and competitive bowling while wearing mine and they stay in place despite the sensation that they aren't securely seated. * These aren't miracle sound blockers. You will still hear all of the annoying chewing sounds, pings, clangs, ticks, smacking sounds, and so on. These do indeed take the edge off a little bit, but you still need your full scope of coping skills to manage your daily auditory stressors. *Be warned, mine made some sound frequencies slightly altered and uncomfortable until I adjusted to the changes with prolonged wear. It wasn't the worst, but some pitches and tones sounded slightly skewed. It stopped being noticeable after a week. *These were most helpful to me with consistent wear. When I first put them in, it seemed they made absolutely zero difference at all and I wanted to throw them away. But after long daily wear for a few days, I noticed a huge difference when I took them out. The slight buffer was gone and the world suddenly sounded sharp and harsh again. *These help with my APD by gently buffering the sharpest parts of ambient noise so I can spend my mental energy focusing on words and lip reading. I still have to combat competing noises, and these don't make me magically hear speech more clearly. But they do help give my focused energy just enough of a break to be able to concentrate more on the conversation task. *Extremely easy to keep clean *Easy to lose if you're prone to absent mindedly setting things down and forgetting. *Cats are idiots and will try to eat them if you're not careful. *NO Occlusion Effect, unlike my Loop Engage plugs which gave me severe Occlusion Effect issues. *These have been an excellent tool for daily wear and I plan on buying another pair of Flare Calmers. I prefer these over Loop Engage when it comes to situations where I do need to be able to hear conversation and my surroundings clearly.