[gariac]

I read about having a custom ear mold made to fit a bluetooth headset on the Howard forum. While there were some dubious techniques mentioned, such as DIY kits you can order on line, I only have two ears, so I figured better to get this done professionally.

Basically any company on the etymotic vendor list should be able to make a mold for your headset. Typically these are made for in-ear monitors for audio fanatics and newscasters (known as the IFB). But they do headsets too.
Etymotic Research, Inc. - CUSTOM?FIT - Custom ear molds for earphones and headsets
Possibly any hearing aid company can do this service too.

The procedure is simple. The first step is for the doctor/technician (as the case may be) calls the headset vendor and asks for the mold technician. This is to find if the headset is even suited for the task, and to determine what form the factory that builds the ear mold adapter will need. In this case, it was Westone, which makes hearing aids.

The doctor puts something in your ear to block the path to the ear drum. Your ear is then injected with a compound not unlike bathtub caulking. It hardens in a few minutes. The mold is removed, as well as the plug.

The mold and unfortunately your headset is shipped off to the factory for the ear mold adapter to be made. This takes two weeks, so you will be without your headset for that time.

The device isn't mailed to your house. Rather, you need instructions on how to insert it and remove it. Yes, really. The thing screws into your ear. Remember your ear resembles a twisted sea shell of sorts. So you screw it in until the larger part, i.e. what is shaped like the flappy part of your ear, is flush. It won't fall out. I don't jog, so I didn't test it in that manner, but I shook my head around enough to convince me I won't lose it.

The result is very good. Not perfect, but very good. The ear piece is comfortable. It holds the bluetooth securely. My only complaint is I get a little wind noise when (obviously) wearing it outdoors. The wind blowing past the mold makes noise. Of course, you get this with any headset unless it is over the ear. You get 90 days to have another one made if you aren't happy. I will contact the manufacturer and see if they can do something about the wind noise. If I get another one, I'll do a follow up. The wind noise isn't bad, but you always wonder if something can be made better.

Overall, this is way better than using any stock bluetooth headset. They always hurt my ear. This one is very comfortable.

The headset shown is a Motorola Whisper. About $100. The mold process is just under $100.

The Whisper is HD, something you will want for use with any modern phone capable of HD Voice. Certainly all new Blackberries. One button will bring up the Wolfram Alpha app. Voice assistance is not my thing, but hey, it might be yours. When you get a phone call, you are given the opportunity to say "answer" or some other word to hang up. [I just answer my calls, so I forget the negative word.) If you are playing music (one eared?) or a podcast, the audio is stopped when the call comes in and resume when the call ends. The headset has volume up and down buttons. It uses 4 microphones. The noise cancellation is great and you don't need any dead cat to filter the wind noise. {Common with Plantronics headsets.)

OK, go get your geek on!

Moderator: I couldn't figure out the most appropriate forum for this post. If you have a better one, just move it. Seems to me any phone could use the scheme.

[pkcable]

Thanks for the heads up. And I thought maybe BB 10 Accessories might be a better fit so I moved the thread per your instruction/ permission.

[DocDRM]

Bookmarked.

Thanks OP.

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