Good Earplugs

[The Professiona]

I'm looking for some good reusable earplugs that lower the volume of me playing in a band without losing too much clarity. I know of some that I can get custom made for my ears which actually have different levels of volume control, but I'd like to try to avoid that kind of money if possible.

Thanks

[Carpathian]

try one of your eighty-eight fingers. They are reusable and cheap. or you might try hearos

[turdadactyl]

Westone is the {censored}. I paid $160 for a custom-fitted pair about 4 years ago. Never looking back.

 

They have interchangeable attenuators so you can change the amount of reduction. Good stuff.

[Kabaalk]

[The Professiona]

 

Westone is the {censored}. I paid $160 for a custom-fitted pair about 4 years ago. Never looking back. They have interchangeable attenuators so you can change the amount of reduction. Good stuff.

 

 

Yeah, those are the ones I'd like to avoid for the time being. WHich ones did you get though, I'll keep it open as a future option.

[1001gear]

The hearos will not protect you from any combination Fenders, Marshalls, Boogies, and Zildjians.

[JakeTheSnake]

 

The hearos will not protect you from any combination Fenders, Marshalls, Boogies, and Zildjians.

 

 

How about Accugroove, Orange, and Bosphorus?

[drumtechdad]

 

The hearos will not protect you from any combination Fenders, Marshalls, Boogies, and Zildjians.

 

 

I beg to differ.

[1001gear]

 

This. Etymotic makes them, too. Soft, comfortable, and they sound good, too. I beg to differ.

 

 

 

I SAID WHAT KIND IS IT?

[mparsons]

Hearos are good, but they do muffle the sound a bit.

 

I'm using some "high fidelity" earplugs lately, but they only reduce by 15dB. So it still gets fairly loud, just doesn't hurt and doesn't seem to be harming my hearing any. I'd still like to get some more powerful ones, but eh.. this'll do for now.

[drumtechdad]

 

Hearos are good, but they do muffle the sound a bit. I'm using some "high fidelity" earplugs lately, but they only reduce by 15dB. So it still gets fairly loud, just doesn't hurt and doesn't seem to be harming my hearing any. I'd still like to get some more powerful ones, but eh.. this'll do for now.

 

 

You might note that the Hearos recommended here are in fact their "high fidelity" plugs. They also make the foam types that "muffle the sound a bit."

[1001gear]

No doubt they work. Prollum is guitar amps can make mid range transients far in excess of 120 db at close range. (my guess) So at 15db nr you're still above 100db in your ear canal. That just from the 2 twelves off to your side. Then you have your floor monitor making sure you can hear whatever you need to hear and you still haven't hit your china. I think if you play small sane or unplugged gigs Hearos may be ideal. Anything louder and you need ear monitors or failing that the 32 db nr industrial foam.

[drumtechdad]

 

No doubt they work. Prollum is guitar amps can make mid range transients far in excess of 120 db at close range. (my guess) So at 15db nr you're still above 100db in your ear canal. That just from the 2 twelves off to your side. Then you have your floor monitor making sure you can hear whatever you need to hear and you still haven't hit your china. I think if you play small sane or unplugged gigs Hearos may be ideal. Anything louder and you need ear monitors or failing that the 32 db nr industrial foam.

 

 

If you've got 120dB on stage I agree with you, but if you've got 120dB on stage in this day and age you're doing the sound all wrong anyway, and deserve to go deef. It ain't 1972 no more.

 

Still, why take the word of someone who's used the product under the conditions specified for over a decade?

[race81]

any of these formentioned work any good for a singing drummer? Its strange but I am more comfortable playing with either plugs or headphones on......but if I sing I have to much voice muffled in my head!

[marko46]

Check out the thread I just posted on "New style hearing protection". You can get a free pair to try if ya click on the link. Also, read the PDF. They appear to be for "medium" type noise environments, say 85db to 90db. Obviously acoustic drums, or a stage band is louder, but it seems to me these would block the harmful levels and still allow for optimal hearing that would sound muffled.

I've tried the "Hero's". They're great, but they muffle too much for my liking. I use IEM's now when playing. But for home practice in the basement when I'm not using my mp3 player, these may be the ticket. Plus, they are reusable to a point.

[1001gear]

 

If you've got 120dB on stage I agree with you, but if you've got 120dB on stage in this day and age you're doing the sound all wrong anyway, and deserve to go deef. It ain't 1972 no more. Still, why take the word of someone who's used the product under the conditions specified for over a decade?

 

 

I think some scaling is in order. I mean regular bands in regular joints. Four, five guys crammed into less than 200 square feet. The treble under those conditions is deadly.

[kmart]

I'm looking for some good reusable earplugs that lower the volume of me playing in a band without losing too much clarity. I know of some that I can get custom made for my ears which actually have different levels of volume control, but I'd like to try to avoid that kind of money if possible . Thanks

 

Sure, because if you're playing in a situation where you think you may need hearing protection, going the 'lower cost' route and NOT spending money on the best solution makes so much sense.

I guess once you lose the ability to hear a couple 'normal range' frequencies, THEN it will make sense to spend some dough...but oops! No matter, the damage is already done, and hearing loss isn't reversible...

:poke:

 

 

Not trying to be a dick on this, but...it's an area you really shouldn't skimp on., and protecting your hearing adequately is not a 'luxury' at all.

 

The ER (Etymotic) plugs are definitely something ANYBODY thinking about hearing protection should look into. Depending on what kind of insurance you may have and the coverage, you could see a SIGNIFICANT discount on them For example, when I got mine in the early 90's, they were covered under 'preventative medicine' (I think now it's 'medical necessity'). I paid a $5 copay for the visit to the audiologist (hearing test and molds) and the plugs were 100% covered. Obviously that's an extreme example, but you never know if you don't look into it.

 

 

Now...

Off to the audiologist so I can see where my ears are at and get my in-ear monitor molds taken...

[sharkhamill]

i'm wayyy over using disposeable earplugs. I've hated them for

years and years because i can never properly hear myself and

all the little nuances but i've never gotten off my ass and shelled

out the $150-200 for a fitted pair.

 

I really want some.

 

For now, i use Hearos. Cheap and they protect well. I just can't hear

anything, ha:mad:

[the DW]

 

I use these. They work just fine.

 

Of course, I'm not doing any heavy metal music, so I don't ever have to deal with a Marshall stack or anything like that.

 

I've already lost some of my hearing, so I use these to protect what I have left.

[the DW]

...i can never properly hear myself and all the little nuances....

 

I know what you mean.

 

What I do now is leave one side out a bit, so I can hear the 'nuances' for the first song or two, then I put it back in for the rest of the gig, and just trust my hands to 'do the right thing'.

 

[cdawg]

i wear mine from the time i get to the gig until i'm on my way home. i don't even notice having them in.

[marko46]

 

i wear mine from the time i get to the gig until i'm on my way home. i don't even notice having them in.

 

 

WHAT?

[piersonm]

Cheaper pair of Shure SCL2 off Ebay, 60bucks.

4 channel mackie mixer, 100 bucks.

1-2 mics to get the outside ambient sound, a line off the mixer to have a custom mix and another line to run a 'meter-gnome' or click track.

 

The system I'm running and I love it. Great for practice and live playing. Its awesome to block out the volume, but still get the outside sound that you want to hear.

 

Yeah, its over kill than a simple pair of earplugs. But, you get what you pay for!

[marko46]

That's a good set-up piersonm. I'm using this:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Shure-P2TRE2H2-PSM-200-Wireless-Personal-Monitor-System?sku=270237

 

Well worth the $ IMO. Buy I'm sure you system pretty much duplicates mine other than the wireless part. Just the ear buds with my mp3 player are nice, but they truly "seal" inside the ear canal.

[kmart]

Well, if you're talking in-ear monitors, that's a whole other can of worms...

 

I lucked into a FREE Shure PSM600 hardwired pack several years ago, and have recently started using it regularly with SCL2s ...and just had my molds made for Sensaphonics custom-fit buds this morning ($$$!!!), but...

 

As my audiologist reminded me today: in-ear monitors give you the ABILITY to keep things quieter to protect/prolong your hearing, but ultimately, YOU still need to make sure you're keeping the volume down. Otherwise, they can be just as damaging as wearing nothing.