We are fast appraoching that time of the year again! When your dog is exposed to the unpredictable loud bangs and flashes of fireworks. Our dogs simply don’t understand what’s really going on and many become totally scared and frightened for no fault of their own. Unfortunately, nowadays fireworks seem to be going off on a more frequent basis – it’s no longer a once a year event, so your dog needs some help!!

It’s easy -  Mutt Muffs, the Ear Defenders for Dogs are the world’s only over-the-head hearing protector for animals. Mutt Muffs are designed not to block out all sound, but to be a passive, noise reducing device that will make a boom from a Thunder Flash firework or Sky Rocket not sound like a life threatening noise.

When designing Mutt Muffs the acoustic properties of the parts used was a major consideration. Mutt Muffs materials were selected to reduce incoming sound by around 20dB. The second consideration was the high frequency noise that is beyond the range of human hearing but not for our canine friends whose hearing is hyper sensitive. All the criteria were met and Mutt Muffs have now become your best friends new friend.

Read more about Mutt Muffs and buy on-line today

Mutt Muffs available from this site, where featured in this week’s Mail on Sunday. Follow the link to see this news article, Mutt Muffs and The Mail on Sunday. Click here to go to Muff Muffs available to purchase.

DIY Custom Earplugs are a great cost effective way of getting some tailor-made hearing protection. Sourced from the USA these plugs are excellent for everyday applications including shooting, sporting events, lawn care, industry, building, farming, motor sports, motorcycling, swimming, flying, and much more!  Also on-line to view is a  video showing you just how easy they are to make from scratch, click here to watch.

A very interesting subject, follow the link to Lighting and Sound Internationals website and read more about it and have your say.

Ear Wax is an oily substance produced by the glands in the ear, the reason is quite simple it is there to give your ears a natural defence mechanism. The skin which makes up your ear canal will grow outwards at a rate of around 33mm per year. This is enough to naturally encourage your ears to shed the wax in flakes or small crusty pieces.

Healthy ears produce wax and it does not need to be removed unless it has caused dulled hearing, itchiness or discomfort, or the wax is obstructing the ear canal. If this happens never use an cotton bud to try and clean your ears. It is very dangerous and can often cause the wax to solidify by extracting all it’s natural oils into the cotton wool. Pain will quicky follow and often infections.

Ear health is very important, our new product CleanEars will dissolve unhealthy earwax and keep your ear canal clean and clear.

These are worrying times not just financially but health wise. First of all it was Bird Flu originating from Asia and now it is Swine Flu from Mexico.  Indeed the world is a small place and getting smaller.

Over the past few months we have been inundated with requests for hygiene masks, whether people are worried or not, I am not totally sure but the trend is definitely upwards. We have looked into the market to come up with some viable options. There is no point just having a surgical mask, they will have absolutely no effect against an air born germ. The option we have is a Moldex Respirator Mask with it’s inbuilt ventilating valve to filter germs, dust and enzymes, keeping the face mask clean and cool for long periods. Of course these are not guaranteed to protect you completely but will definitely help and are recommended for infectious control practices.

The masks meet international standard EN 149-2001 FFP2D. They can be used to protect the wearer when  concentrations of solid and non-volatile liquid particles up to 10 times the OEL (Occupational Exposure Limit). The mask is also completely PVC free for added comfort. That all sounds rather complicated but the mask offers an excellent level of protection and comfort. Look at the products we have available.

Some interesting articles from the BBC website which are worth taking a look at here and here

1.Earplugs will not block out ALL sound, look for attenuating or full blocking
earplugs depending on your environment.
2. It is physically impossible to achieve “absolute silence”; sound is also
transmitted to the eardrum by bone-conduction
3. Custom fit are not necessarily always the best; but certainly the most comfortable
durable and discrete.
4. We can supply earplugs for almost all applications including swimming, shooting,
industrial, aviation, sleeping, music lovers and more.
5. We list over 50 different types of earplugs mostly for sound, but others include,
pressure balancing earplugs: which stop pain during aircraft cabin-pressure
variations and other specialised earplugs not found anywhere else.
6. Never share earplugs: it can promote ear infection.
7. Earplugs are advised if your workplace exceeds 80dB and mandatory if the sound
exceeds 85dB or above. Visit the government website Health & Safety Executive for
further info and current legislation
8. The process of ear impressions for custom fit earplugs does not hurt. Please read
our Audiology section where it is fully explained. If you need impressions made, we
have access to a network of Audiologists across the UK and we can arrange
appointments for you.
9. Tinnitus is not curable through conventional medical practice. There are therapies
and management regimes that will help to control it’s effect.
10. If the sound reaches 120 dB you can still suffer hearing damage even with the
best earplugs in the world. So beware.
Please Note: One person in in seven in the UK have a hearing problem with
increasing numbers of young people presenting with problems. A statement from
Deafness Research UK: The deterioration of the ear which accompanies ageing still
leaves more than half of all people over the age of 60 with a hearing impairment,
and an increasing number of young people have their hearing permanently
damaged through exposure to loud noise: usually music.

Glastonbury is in a couple of weeks and the festival season is in full swing. Don’t get an acoustic hangover, the sound can reach 110dB, that is seriously loud. It is like listening to a jet engine taking off, for longer than 15 mins it can cause serious hearing damage. The small hair sensors in your ear canal get damaged, amphibians and birds can grow them back but not humans, once it’s gone it has definitely gone.

Follow this link to the RNID’s “Don’t lose Music Campaign” a press release and some worrying stats Ultimate summer hangover threatens festival music lovers

 If your taking the kids? 100% make sure they are protected, Earplugs and Muffs for Children

Of course protect yourself, try our Acoustic earplugs, they are great and a hearing saver. You wouldn’t forget your toilet roll, rain coat, hat, probably wellies, so don’t forget the Earplugs!! Check them here

This is a great video! if your wondering if your earplugs are in correctly, have a quick look at this. It is perfect for foam type earplugs. Earplug Fitting Correctly

Happy with the sound on your earphones? Yes you probably are but add custom eartips to them and just hear the difference. Wow!! The hi end seems tighter and the bottom just happens easily, it is quite re-markable what they do. The eartips are now in full contact with your body, your cheekbones become part of the acoustic chamber and the sound just changes for the better. Once you have used them there is no going back.

By using the personal fit eartips the volume can be turned down, sound isolation is guaranteed, they are comfortable and soft to wear for long periods. It is easy to get a set of ProGuards and the process is simple, once you have registered on the site, you will be contacted by our friendly staff and booked into an impression centre (over 300 locations country wide) . The taking of an impression is simple, read more about it here.

Once the impression has been taken, you send it back to us and it’s made up for your particular earphone, they just slip onto your favourite earphone and you will never want to take them off again. Read more about the Custom Eartips and maybe consider purchasing a set, you really won’t regret it. ProGuard Custom Eartips for leading makes of earphones i.e. Shure, Etymotic, Westone, Ultimate Ear and more ……..