First is the shape. What you can observe is a beautifully sculpted, tapered design. You'll notice that the tip of the plug is nicely rounded to provide the highest degree of comfort inside the ear.

Second is the skin, or surface of the plug. Notice how soft and smooth the earplug surface is. The skin being soft is important because the lining of your ear canal is thin and sensitive. The softer the material, the less noticeable the product will be, especially for long term wear.

Third is the internal cell structure. Now what you should know, is that every earplug manufacturer has its own foam formulation, and therefore, the internal cell structure of every company's foam earplug is different. A good way to observe this is simply by cutting a foam earplug in half. As a result, all foam earplugs, while they may look the same on the outside, it's what's going on inside that matters. Specifically, the internal cell structure will determine how easy the plug can be rolled down and how quickly it will recover.

This is really important because you need to be able to roll down the earplug, have it stay in a nice, tight, thin cylinder in order to give you time to get it properly positioned. And then from a comfort standpoint, if the cell structure is not just right, the earplug will expand too fast and not allow you to get the proper fit, and also have the potential to cause ear canal irritation.

Finally is the noise reduction rating, or NRR. So what does the NRR mean? In a simple way, like the sun protection factor or SPF of suntan lotions where the higher the number the better the protection, the noise reduction rating provides an indicator of the level of protection one can reasonably expect to derive when wearing an earplug. Another way of looking at it is the higher the NRR, the better the protection. For your information, the highest NRR of any foam earplug is 33 decibels. This earplug has a certified rating of NRR 32.

HEAROS is all about having the right foam formulation and the proper cell structure so that you get the most effective, comfortable, and reliable fit. Please feel comfortable to email us with any additional questions you might have.