Cheap DIY Custom In-Ear Headphone Molds

Rather than shelling out a couple hundred buck for professional in-ear headphones, I was able to do it for about $10! Using Radian custom molded earplugs.
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[@DatFloLife]

This video helped me allot even 10 years later, it's 2024! Puddy is now $15

[@mjmason75]

Yeah, they actually say to leave your mouth open when your having professional molds made. When you open your mouth, it changes the shape of your ear canal a slight bit. Opening your mouth when making the molds helps them to fit more snug and reduces the chance of them coming loose when you open your mouth to sing (or whatever) with them in your ears.

[@Grellibe]

Wow. I am not a musician but I've never had earbuds of any kind stay in my ear. This is life changing. Thanks!

[@ladysingstheblues2]

Its really good of you to share this information!! As a vocalist singing with a band I have terrible trouble keeping in ear monitors in so going to give this a try!! fingers crossed!! :)

[@Rockin_Ross]

Beautiful! I'll look into this stuff as it looks much more comfortable than the Sugru molds I did about 6 months ago. Great vid, man!

[@MarcPlaysDrums]

Saved my life with this post. Trying to get rid of the bleed through my in ears and I ain’t trying to spend a bunch of money.

[@NiteFlyer1000]

Thanks Kennis. I am going to have to give this a try. Great idea.

[@VegasGeek42]

Bam! Made a set tonight me and my wife. They fit great and sound great!

[@MATRODITH]

So glad I came across this video! Definitely gonna give this a try!

[@infotainmentinc1956]

Thanks man. Very helpful video. It worked on first attempt!

[@nordcape]

Very good presentation Kennis , i ' ll try this , THX.

[@paulkrupa]

Nicely done, very helpful. Good flow.

[@PlAyInSomeBluez]

Awesome video man! I'll deff working on this.

[@alaysiakayebutler6299]

Bravo! Thank you so much, I'd never heard of this and am having problems, since I am physically working on clearing property, swinging a machete(uh, thats what happened to my good sony xb whole ear coverage headphones: cable slipped out, and DOHH) while using, now trying to keep earbuds in

[@davidharmon8663]

The key for vocalists is to use a 1 inch bite block. It helps the mold shape to your ear while you are signing. Makes for a tighter fit. Keep it between your teeth until your molds harden.

[@douglaslafountain6146]

You said it allot better than me. I think my comment may have sounded rude but definitely was not trying to sound that way

[@LILRHONDALEE]

Crazy fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@ricklieffering241]

Awesome video mate! I think I'm gonna try this with Ahead Custom Molded Earplugs. Thanks!

[@musasenpai6025]

10yo later ... but thank u for the tutorial 🙏🏻you are my saviour

[@fredcrys]

Thank you, brother, for the video, I have been looking for a way to make some monitors and you hit a home run. Perhaps the next thing to recommend is some budget multi-driver headphones, I found some in amazon when a made a search for 5 or 8 driver headphones. I believe that some of those plus this method are the ticket. Thanks again

[@TheBurleybrawler]

You sir are awesome, going to try this!

[@marc_leblanc]

I've wanted custom ear molds for awhile now but I can stand to have my ears popping! 🤤😮

[@Sonors7]

Great video! Thank you, I will give it a try.

[@tasostsoumachidis7694]

Thanks for the advise man! I hope one day do it also :)

[@miyagi501]

Awesome! Great idea and great instructional video.

[@davidkennerly]

Poor man's IEM! Exactly what I was thinking to do, and now I'll do it. Thanks!

[@mjt11860]

really neat! how many decibels attenuation?

[@gingaleanda]

Thanks for making this, I shall try it.

[@AdrianClement]

So helpful my friend! Thank you so much!

[@comuniunecuosho-campulbudi7611]

Thanks for the useful info

[@SF-kz7ub]

which pair of in ear headphones have you used to make this vid thanks you to reply me : ) by the way great video !! well made

[@MrAlex5908]

Sometimes a bad positioning of the IEM in ear reduces the volume of bass. Change the position of the earphone and the bass is much better. When you let it loose (remove your hands from the earphones) the bass "goes away". Does this method help in this respect too? Or is it just for the sake of sound isolating?

[@ImperialCovers]

Those are JVC Xtreme Xplosives right? Used to have a pair... Good stuff... I use Westone UM1's now

[@ninjalightning2631]

I like it thanks but does the ear plugs not slide out?

[@birdz_]

Great video!!! Do you know how to make wireless ones???

[@bigrick666drum]

Going to try these this week using more of the mould to isolate them for drumming!! I have a small mixer that I can use in rehearsals/live

[@comuniunecuosho-campulbudi7611]

did it work well?

[@wilhat]

Art by me , hi are the soft to lay on I have low hearing and I use headphones a lot gone through 6 pears just to find the best but it’s the ending on them they just dot work when in bed they fall out so this is just what I need thanks great video.

[@1533ramsay]

Great vid, Very helpful. I can NEVER get headphones to stay in my ear. I work outside and when I sweat they fall out of my ears.

[@caseykittel]

I’m going to put my earbuds in and then build the mold over the outside. My earbuds actually fit well they just let too much sound in. I think placing this stuff over the outside will be easier for most people. It may be smart to rough up the headphone with a little 1,000 grit sand paper so the putty sticks better. Not sure. Probably depends on the shape of the earbuds.

[@jakecooley4588]

Did You put a hole where the driver would be in the Clay? I have sure 215's I feel like this would get Clay in the hole of the driver

[@fdomago]

Thanks for your help. We are motorcycle riders and this will help us a lot...

[@MastaSquidge]

***** The problem with that is the earbud sticking out gets a lot of pressure put on it by most helmets. Unless you have a cutout in the helmet to give clearance, earbuds are very uncomfortable. Either that, or extremely low profile earbuds. But you still have to drag the helmet across them while putting it on, and that pulls them out as well. I have a cheap chatterbox duo that works pretty well even at highway speeds, and allows me to make and take phone calls. I paid about $100 for it. Of course sound quality isn't there, but it works and is much more useful than just earbuds. I can tie my GPS into it as well.

[@TrNdke]

MastaSquidge Meelectronics M6 in-ear monitors are EXTREMELY low profile inside a helmet. They also have a memory-wire portion that hooks them over your which virtually eliminates cable noise and keeps them from getting jostled out of place when you put your helmet on.

[@okolepuka808]

I see that you didn't run the sound hole down into your ear canal--how does that affect the sound?

[@davidnollmusic363]

Thanks Kennis!

[@krissdior8303]

Thank you very much sir , I love your videos I will definitely try it out :-)

[@gustavilio48]

excelent idea!!!thanks!!!

[@GabeSanchez]

Hey Kennis! Great tutorial. I have the Shure SE215s too, and wanted to make custom molds. Did you take the rubber part off when you put it into your ear? It seems that most molds dont have the rubber tip on the end. Have you tried it that way also?

[@GabeSanchez]

+Kennis Russell Cool! I couldn't tell if that was taken out or not. I might give this a shot on my Shure SE415s. Do you think that adding the excess clay would work to go over my existing shell. I want them to be one color. I want to be careful cause those are about $120 bucks. Also, is there any way to reverse the process if you dont like it?

[@chrisbell5032]

I take it the mould won't get stuck/stick inside the earphone hole?Thanks.

[@JANDEJOEP]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@TheStemo1]

Tried this and the goop got into the sound nozzle (I even tried taping over the nozzle before inserting). Hopefully I can clean out my $50 monitors but if not, will have to rebuy. From my experience, if you have cheap earbuds it may work for you otherwise don't take the risk. I've had custom sleeves made for $200 (which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things if you use your in-ears for several years) that feel way better than the Radians stuff and you don't risk ruining your in-ears.

[@bobcrock3395]

Yes, same happened to my $100 Shure SE215s, Had to buy a new pair. Won't try this again.

[@shinluffy9495]

Do you take off the little earbud part or leave it on?

[@richardli6775]

I heard that you can add the mold on the tip first so that you can find the perfect fit in is this better

[@seanjoe1704]

going to try this with my bluetooth beoplay eq

[@Laura-ht6vs]

Where can I buy this stuff? I want to make new molds for my hearing aids

[@sherrydrive8545]

I sent this vid to the guys in the Band and I have ordered the stuff to inculde the earphones. If this works than we will have to find some good budget wireless packs. Any suggestions?

[@jj519910jon]

Can you paint or spray paint these when they are done solidifying? Also, are you able to detach you headphones anytime you want, or are they in there for good when you put them in? Thanks!

[@wellnesswisdom-vi2sb]

You watched him take them in and out....???

[@stuartdy]

used my 2020 Campfire Audio dorado's failure. lost all the bass & definition overall, still with comply foams.

[@marknethanelmichael7516]

How actually you make this things harden?

[@13bluestars]

It's (almost) 2017. Is there a new headphone that you'd suggest? Something with multiple drivers? Thx for your videos. I've found them very helpful.

[@JoshDHall23]

I use the Westone UmPro 20 universal monitors (2 drivers), huge fan, very comfortable with a jump in sound quality from Shure 215 (1 driver)

[@matts8012]

Philip Rode I just got the 1More triple driver in ear headphones for $100 on Amazon and I love them. They are not a reference monitor, they are tuned to sound pleasing to the ear. You do not have to EQ at all (although I did some minor touches). They sound great. I would suggest doing this for them because they do not isolate sound very well and I found I actually lost some treble.

[@CARLOSVENTURES]

Hy Kennis. In the past you've made a fantastic job with the GR 55. I bought one due to your reviews (Ask to Roland a comission check)Can you send us some music, or some other stuff you've made with it???By the way, I will try also your tip regarding to the earsphone. Kind regards.Carlos

[@NoiseAngelo]

Hey Kennis, you could even glue the headphones to the mold... Right...

[@wyattteare6268]

would this work for wearing a helmet

[@SergeyPupkoMusic]

You've just made a lot of friends (and enemies) 😂

[@seeeee7883]

thanks Broc

[@joshuapaulbaylon9481]

Can you setup In-ear monitors in just a simple mixer? And, does every musician in a band need it's own in-ear monitor system (a little mixer for me) or it can just be connected in 1 mixer?

[@Zordid0]

Ideally, you would want your own mix. But it is posible to share a mix as long as everyone in your band agrees..... Hard to do honestly 😂

[@faustinorider7977]

Could this work also for swimming, avoiding water to let it coming into the ear? Has anyone tried?

[@fudenciojp9676]

Hello Kennis do you have any suggestions of a not so expensive good Headphone to go with this mold?

[@fabiowilbert1877]

im50

[@yourfastlife]

Making these right now for my 800 mile ride from Atlanta to New York City on a Kawasaki Z x14

[@yourfastlife]

First attempt fail. Did not push deep enough

[@yourfastlife]

2nd and 3rd failed. They dont go deep enough into the canal, so bass response and volume is low . Plus left ear always loose. Tried with shures and AKG.

[@yourfastlife]

Dont block much noise either.

[@jackieharris2854]

Your Fast Life! My husband and I are both riders and I’m making some as soon as that stuff comes in the mail

[@yourfastlife]

@@jackieharris2854 good luck I went through four or five of them by now and still don't have a decent set yet. One thing is for sure don't follow the recommendations in this video If you like high-quality sound. When you make such big holes in them and you don't reach into the ear canal at all you're going to destroy your base response and also General volume.

[@natashajumari]

Thanks!!!

[@TomOBrien323]

Does this improve how much of the bass you hear (like when you put your finger on the earbud)?

[@TomOBrien323]

+Tom O'Brien asked and answered - yes it does.

[@TomOBrien323]

Hi Alson +Alson Toh it dramatically improves the quality of the earbud. I use the Skullcandy Fix in-ear headphones www.amazon.com/dp/B00BYVY5TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_L6d9wb066C3H4 And they sound like the $300 bose noise cancelling headphones I lost.

[@ImTheDrummer115]

So, can I use these for drumming?

[@normanbataille8865]

good stuff man

[@chrischong6613]

No cotton blocker? I've heard a lot of people say you could break your eardrum doing this. Is this safe?

[@chrischong6613]

+Kennis Russell thanks for the quick reply.

[@trilingualkid]

***** did stuff stick inside of the IEM when you press against it? does that make sense?

[@ahmettay2382]

if theres a filter in the air canal of your iem, that can get out

[@craftygeekent4620]

This appears to be some sort of silicone so you should be able to mix up some more and add to the mold that’s already cured. Should be able to fill that hole up nicely.

[@davidterry7004]

Thanks! I am a worship drummer, and after i work up a sweat, which doesn't take long, my in-ear monitors wont stay in place. They slide partially out of my ear making it difficult to hear anything. And that always happens during a song when i cant stop to adjust. I just ordered my ear mold pack. Caint wait to try this out.

[@davidterry7004]

Thanks. I am using Shure A215 in ear monitors. But after I start to sweat they start slipping out. I will check those out. I made my new molds last night. They worked pretty well at practice last night.

[@davidterry7004]

No. I haven't.

[@jesusroquezJesusRoquez]

***** I have tried the yellow foam, that is my fav, I ordered some extra for $17, I'm can say also that the M6 are great for the price!, I own also Shure 315, and I will say they kind of the same, have you tried the new M6, the pro? have you done this customs with the M6?

[@davidterry7004]

I just got a pair of the M6 yesterday. I will try them out 2morrow night at band practice. They do fit very comfortably in my ear, with no slipping that I can tell. It seems to be a tighter fit than the Shure set.

[@godzillazf18]

this is neat. Im just used to quality so I dont mind to spend a few hundred

[@DhaneshMahtani]

Ain't nothing wrong with singing for the Lord. Thanks for the video.

[@playdoewilliams8129]

I have small ears so this is great for me.

[@ron99693]

How do I set these up to hear my guitar while playing at church? Somehow run them through my helix???

[@albertogaytan4619]

You connect them to a monitor box where you can turn the volume up or down. The sound engineer or whoever works on the sound at your church can turn up or down whoever in the band you ask them to.

[@romanbolgar]

А можно использовать какой-нибудь другой двухкомпонентный пищевой силикон? Это для меня всё равно дорого платить такие деньги за маленькую коробочку.

[@PTTY100]

Please, May you text the name of the materials !?

[@CommHive]

Soooo, You didn’t mention and I didn’t think of the fact that mold material would plug up the freeking sound holes of my earbuds! Thoughts?

[@timjrvine]

little bit of tape over the end of the earbud?

[@nickloss2377]

he did. what do u think the drill bit was used for....? just drill out a pathways for then "sound holes"

[@dmelv]

nice video thanks!

[@jasonnunweiler9554]

I tried making a pair of these. Shure se215's are hard to line up properly in your ear while doing this. If you mess up do not pull your IEM back out and try again. I found out the hard way you can lodge a piece of the earplug putty in the IEM. I now have to buy new IEM's do not make that mistake.

[@audiolover7128]

Couldn't you have just taken out the putty?

[@jasonnunweiler9554]

Maybe... I am not sure. This was also a comment from 2 years ago. Haha

[@seanratchford7113]

LOL most of the church musicians i know are top notch and what u believe that makes you a better person cant be bad to each there own God bless all BTW anyone posting money saving ideas is a saint in my book.l

[@ayadal-aneeq4638]

I want from this How ?

[@ScottVeirsinVA]

I would think it would work better to put it around the IEM with them already put in, that way you seal it off more so and more of it is used to create that outer ear mold to seal it off better. Yes, no? Input? Thanks your the pro.

[@animatorgeek]

Scott Veirs I think the problem with that idea is that you want to make a seal on the inside as well. The stuff in the outer part of your ear is more to hold it in place. The inner part is the more important part for the seal (at least that's my impression).

[@donlibes]

+Scott Veirs I like your idea as you really want to avoid putting things in the ear canal as it pushes wax in. Despite David's thoughts, I suspect you can create a good seal externally; you simply need more of the molding material.

[@monkeyman8265]

Do you sleep with the earbuds in over night?

[@monkeyman8265]

Ha ha. Thanks for the tutorial nice of you to take the time to show people this kind of stuff

[@slicedpage]

Thanks for the video Kennis. I live the the UK and got what your talking about from ITS dot com and Screwfix dot com and just as cheap,

[@XplicitM8]

Will the putty get inside my earphone hole and break the electronics?

[@Garry646]

just put some minimal duct tape over the hole i guess. and make sure not to cover the groove on the outside.otherwise it shouldnt be much of a problem

[@diogograca376]

Can someone tell me where can I buy this type of molding clay? Maybe around the internet because I can't find it in portuguese stores.

[@diogograca376]

+Kennis Russell Thank you so much! Can you tell me the "official" name of the product?

[@diogograca376]

+Kennis Russell once again thank you so much, appreciated!

[@playdoewilliams8129]

you can buy them on Amazon.

[@jsollien127]

I've heard "Sugru" works as well. It might not be as good but it is afford and easily available.

[@diogograca376]

+Jerry Sollien i also thought about that, but sugru takes a lot of hours to dry and I shouldn't have them in my ears for so long

[@GuraKruor]

I'm not native english speaker and can't hear with my right ear.... could somebody tell me what is the product he used to make them? It looks like clay, but I'm not sure.

[@nicid2]

www.radians.com/radsite/index.php/industrial/industrial-safety-products/item/radians-custom-molded-earplugs

[@GuraKruor]

Thanks a lot!

[@andykbh]

i have SHURE SE215 and was wondering if this would work?

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

+Andy hvem aslong as they're IEMS then your golden

[@nuthinbuttrubl89]

I just did it. Worked. Think i may want to try again, but i still have to try and fine tune the ones I've got

[@CommHive]

Phil Timpson what did you do about the sound holes of your SE215’s so they wouldn’t get blocked up?

[@CommHive]

Thanks!

[@FrankyColon]

What I don't understand is, initially you had them hanging over your ears, when you put them in the mold, but then later you were able to wear them just hanging down. what is this sorcery?!

[@paulkrupa]

I suspect that since the shape is symmetrical it can rotate within the mold allowing infinite positions for the buds. The "sorcery" comment made me laugh!

[@smokeman-yc1pr]

Couldn't I just send this to have the custom ear monitor made instead of going to a doctor?

[@sendforacar9323]

You should have kept your mouth open with a hair brush handle to expand your ear canal.

[@davidcollins5489]

I am not musician rather a kitesurfer who wants to hear tunes on the water. I have had no luck with all my methods so far. Equipment fails in saltwater and ear buds will not stay in after crashes. I am hoping ear molds help the latter problem. Just made a pair and yet to test on water, but one thing i can recommend already is get at least 2 packs or Radians. You shouldn't try to squeeze two pair out of one pack as Kennis even admits later in video and ( if you are like me) you will screw up the first attempt. Headphone alignment is not good on my right ear and then when i was Dremeling the left, I lost my grip and it spun out of control splitting one side. It stays together in ear but this will probably be a real liability in the water. Delivery of the Radians took a long time so I am kicking myself for not ordering multiples. Oh well. They are working decently here at the dining room table, but real test is this afternoon in the surf.

[@AmiltonGarcia]

Its needed to clean? How can i clean this?

[@AmiltonGarcia]

+Kennis Russell Hm, literally to clean it lol :D To keep it clean, I just use a dry cloth? And avoid to screw up it... (Sorry for my english) Thanks!

[@igorniedzielski1759]

+Amilton Garcia use rubbing alcohol, even if it gets into the electronics it will evaporate super quick and likely not damage anything, rubbing alcohol is the industry standard in cleaning anything to do with electronics

[@AmiltonGarcia]

Hum, indeed. Thanks for the idea!!!

[@rayallendumale]

can i buy ur molded earplugs? im from the philippines

[@rayallendumale]

***** If you're goin to sell one of those. how much ?

[@joseescarcega]

I would not buy those if I were you, because those earplugs are molded specifically for his ears, not yours. Just make them yourself.

[@2010ngojo]

Instruction says you shouldn't talk or move your head/jaw around as that may loosen up the mold. Something you don't want it to do if your doing this.

[@faisalrana9945]

when you shake your headphones like that looks kinda ...