Half a gallon of wood glue, a pile of random, scattered resistors, or in [Ken]’s case, closed-cell silicone foam. Wanting to avoid this situation he set about trying to make his own silicone ...

Several experts mentioned soft foam or silicone as the best options for comfort. These materials seem to be the most common, though there are others, like wax or earbud-like designs that play audio.

Unlike others (e.g. my girlfriend), I can use in-ear silicone tips without getting a headache after 20 minutes. It’s not my favorite method of listening to music, however, because I know that memory ...