Fit is important in a helmet both from a safety standpoint and a comfort standpoint. It is miserable to ride for 12 hours in a helmet that isn't comfortable and we are supposed to be having fun.
But high cost doesn't always equate to high comfort or high safety. I have had expensive helmets that were miserable and relative cheap helmets that were both safe and comfortable. An example of the latter was a KBC VR1 I paid about $100 for, DOT and Snell.
One advantage of high end helmet like Arai is they are customizeable. In Arai once you find the model that fits your head shape you can tweek the sizing by changing pad. When something breaks you can get a part (at a price).
On the ear plugs, Radian makes a kit to mold your own earplugs. You can get the kits off ebay for about $20. You can also mold in earbuds. The molded plugs are very comfortable but rated 26db. The foam Radian earplugs are rated 33db.
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