Urethral Sounds & Penis Plugs

Prices start around 11 euros for a single steel sound, and complete sets cost between about 33 and 78 euros. Steel by Shots makes the stainless steel sounds, dilators and stretchers, the Ouch line from Shots the silicone sets, and XR Brands the vibrating and textured models.

Steel or silicone

Stainless steel is smooth, rigid and heavy, so a sound glides in largely under its own weight, and steel can be boiled clean. Silicone is flexible and softer and follows the curve of the urethra easily, but it needs a little more guidance on the way in. Many men start with steel for its smooth glide and add silicone for variety, or the other way round. Both are non-porous and easy to keep clean.

Sizes in millimetres

Sounds are sold by diameter in millimetres; some sets use the French gauge (Fr), which you divide by three to get millimetres, so Fr 18 is 6 mm. Most men start between 4 and 6 mm. Good first pieces are the curved, double ended Steel Urethral Sound 4 mm, the ridged Metal Beginners Penis Plug 4 mm and the silicone Urethral Sounding Dilator Set, four dilators from 3.5 to 7.5 mm. Sets let you size up gradually: the Steel Hegar Sound Double End Dilator has eight double ended rods, and the Steel Rosebud Urethral Sounds are eight 30 cm sounds with shaped tips from 0.4 to 1.2 cm. Thicker single pieces, such as the Steel Single End Dilator 8 mm, are for men with experience. Move up only when your current size slides in without any effort.

Types and what they do

Long sounds and dilators go deep and are about the glide. Penis plugs are shorter and sit just inside the tip, often with a ring behind the head. Texture changes everything: ribbed and beaded sounds pulse with every movement, and the XR Brands Dark Rod adds a one speed vibrator at the base. The Steel Soaker Piss Plug lets liquid pass for watersports. The Steel Bumpy Urethral Stretcher combines a rod with a glans ring for CBT play, and the ManCage Model 16 is a chastity cage with a 3.5 mm silicone sound that clicks into the bottom; more cages are in chastity cages.

Hygiene comes first

Sounding goes where your body is normally closed, so everything that goes in must be clean. Wash your hands and your cock first. Boil steel sounds for several minutes or clean them with a toy cleaner, and clean silicone the way the product page describes. Use a sterile lube from a sealed single use sachet, such as the ElectraStim Sterile Lubricant Pouches, never lube from a bottle you also use for other play. Do not share sounds, and store them dry in a clean closed bag or box.

Take it slowly

Lube the sound and the tip of your penis, hold your penis straight and let the sound slide in by itself; with steel, gravity does most of the work. Never push or twist against resistance. Stop at once if you feel sharp pain or burning or see blood, and give your body a few days before you try again. If you are unsure, begin with a short penis plug rather than a long sound.

Frequently asked questions