LiveWires: The Road To Custom Fitted Headphones. Part II: The Audiologist and the Ear Impressions

Posted by: dgoldring on Jun 19 2008

Before I could have my custom fitted headphones made by LiveWires, I would first have to provide them with inner ear impressions.  After all, they are not planning to build the headphones directly into my ear.  The ear impressions serve as a mold or road map for the engineers who will eventually build the headphones. 

Obviously, making a perfect ear impression requires the steady hand of a trained professional.  So, at shortly before 10:00 this morning, I found myself relaxing in the waiting room of The Hearing Health Center of Manassas, Inc., home of Licensed Audiologist Mary Jo Grote, PhD., CCC-A and Mark B. Grote, the Hearing Aid Technician with whom I would be meeting.

Before I get into the details of my appointment, I must tell you how impressed I was with the entire office staff.  I apologize for not catching the name of their receptionist, but I noticed right away that she called me by name as soon as I approached the desk, even though this was my first appointment with them.  As I sat in the waiting area, I was even more impressed to find that she appeared to know every patient (or prospective patient) who walked into the office.  You don’t see this kind of personal touch anymore in most doctors’ offices, and I must say it was rather refreshing.

OK.  On to my appointment which was quick and easy.  Mark Grote came and rescued me from the waiting room just in time for my 10:00 appointment.  We talked briefly and he examined my ears.  This is important because if there is any kind of irritation or infection, the impressions can cause further problems.  A quick examination revealed that my ears were in perfect shape and ready for the impressions.

One of the things I liked about working with Mark was that he took the time to explain everything he was doing.  This was nice both from the perspective of knowing what is being done to you…and also for trying to remember what was happening when you try to write about it later.

As Mark explained to me, the first step is to place a sponge, called an Otoblock, into your ear canal.  This Otoblock rests at a point which is deeper than the intended canal length.  This serves to ensure that none of the impression materials will delve too deeply into your ear canal (just past the second bend is ideal).

One of the questions I asked Mark while he was preparing to make the impressions was why the mold has to go past the second bend.  I mean, that is pretty deep…and I really hope LiveWires is not planning to make a headphone that goes way past the second bend of my ear canal (ouch!).  It turns out, the reason is pretty simple.  Of course, no headphones will go that deeply into the ear canal.  The reason for such a deep impression, however, is so that the engineers will be able to trace the path my ear canal takes.  As Mark explained to me, every ear is slightly different (some, he said, may even make a complete U-turn in that second bend).  So, even though the headphones will assuredly not extend that far into my ear, it is important for the engineers making the headphones to visualize the shape of my ear canal beyond the end of the headphones.  This ensures that they will not send the music blaring into a wall of my ear canal, or even back out of my ear.  Although the headphones will not extend toward the second bend, the music and sounds certainly will, and we want to ensure that the music makes it all the way to my eardrum with no interference.

Now that I more or less understand the process and the Otoblock is in place, it’s time to make the impressions.  Although these impressions used to be made with a fragile powder and liquid material, most modern impressions are made from a silicone compound.  This silicone compound is much more durable than the older powder/liquid combination, and easily withstands rough handling and shipping.  In fact, Mark later told me that although the impressions might bend, they are almost impossible to break (I did not test that claim).  The silicone compound was easily mixed, and soon took on the form of light green silly putty.  This putty was placed into a syringe-like device, which actually reminded me of a cake decorating tool.  This syringe was placed into my ear (where I did not receive the world’s biggest flu shot)  and the silicone was injected into each of my ear canals. 

Once the silicone material was in place, I entered my own little cocoon and for a brief moment in time, I encountered the world of the deaf.  You see, the silicone completely closes off your ear canal.  Virtually no sound is able to enter.  I wear noise isolating headphones a lot, though, and have used earplugs in the past, so this sensation was not unknown to me.  If you are not ready for it, however, it can be a bit frightening.  Mark then left me alone for a few minutes while the silicone hardened into a mold.

Fortunately for me, the office had a few books in the room, and I was able to check out a book of historical photos of Washington, DC.  Wild stuff, like an actual photo of the original Capitol dome under construction.  Before I knew it, Mark was back and the impressions were completed.

He removed the silicone from my ear, and there they were.  Two perfect models of the insides of my ear canals.  Now, all I have to do is get these to the post office and start sitting by the mailbox waiting for the headphones to arrive.  I sure hope that when the headphone finally arrive, they don’t tell me to Drink More Ovaltine!

Finally, I do want to send a special thanks to the folks at The Hearing Health Care Center of Manassas.  My visit with them was short, but their warm demeanor and easy explanations made me feel as though I had been a patient there for years.  I can certainly understand why children who go there for their first hearing aid, are still visiting much later into their adult years.  I might never need the assistance of an Audiologist again.  But if I do, The Hearing Health Care Center of Manassas will be hearing from me once again.

[Parts of this article were researched at Audiology Online]

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