So, full disclosure: I am a noob. My experience with motorcycles could... well, probably fill a reasonably-sized book, but it'd be poorly cited, factually inaccurate, and, to heavily paraphrase @
toEleven, mostly consist of a tribute to the erotic art of motorcycle maintenance.
That said, I felt the need to review these products, because I've been writing amateur reviews of things since I was 10 as an unusual form of entertainment and I don't see fit to stop now.
So I was having problems with wind noise causing fatigue and headaches at faster speeds. The recommended solution to this? Earplugs. I bought some high-attenuation Hearos (-32db) at the local Cycle Gear as a stopgap, then got a pair of reusable, and thus ultimately cheaper if more expensive up front, Etymotic ER-20XS Motorsports earplugs from Amazon.
I assumed the Etymotics would be a superior product, due to their price and stated advanced design blah blah scientifically engineered foo. (Isn't everything scientifically engineered? Last I heard, engineering was a science.) On almost all fronts, that turned out not to be the case.
Firstly, the feel. I don't typically like the feel of standard crappy foam earplugs, but the Hearos are actually tolerable for me - they seem to be made out of a somewhat higher quality foam than the average. They're a little tough to get in, but once you do they're not uncomfortable.
The Etymotics are, by comparison, easier to get in; this is because you insert them in a manner like unto drilling a wall anchor into your ear. It feels like that, too. I probably have weird nerve positioning or something, but as I twirled the right one in I felt an unpleasant sensation run from my ear to my throat via that complex web of connections that makes you sneeze when you pluck your eyebrows (don't laugh, it's a thing), which made me cough and splutter and my eyes water. Not a good first start. They felt uncomfortable while they were in there, too.
On actual noise attenuation, the Hearos also have these beat. It says pretty plainly on the packaging that the Hearos offer a 32db reduction in noise and the Etymotics offer 20, and that is noticeable. I was more able to hear engine sounds, which is good, but I didn't feel like wind noise was cut to tolerable levels. Wearing the Hearos, it feels comparable to road noise in a car.
The Etymotics have a little tab on them to aid removal, which I guess is fortunate since it means I won't need professional attention if I accidentally drill through my eardrum. Well, not immediately, anyway. It's a nice idea, but the tab and base mostly just catch on the inside of my helmet when I'm pulling it on, which doesn't pull them out but again is uncomfortable. The Hearos get nudged a little by the pressure of the helmet, but much less.
Overall, after this trial, my right ear feels personally violated and is suing the rest of my body for damages. Also, I'm going to keep wearing the Hearos.