The Complete Guide To The Best Earplugs For Concerts

 

Your Guide To Protecting Your Ears While Attending Concerts – The Best Earplugs On The Market In 2018

Concerts, music festivals, live performances – if you attend these events regularly you may be familiar with the negative effects of the loud music on your hearing. We all enjoy experiencing our favourite musicians on stage – seeing them perform live. However, when the music really ‘hits’ and you hear that ringing in your ears you know the pain is about to begin!

What many people do not realize is that damage to the ears does not always cause immediate signs and symptoms. Sometimes, the damage occurs over a long period of time and leads to complete hearing loss later in life.

We love our music here at BoomSpeaker, but we are serious about safety as well, so we have taken the time to prepare our top picks of the best concert ear plugs. Whether it may be for a nightclub, festival, concert or whatever else, these devices will protect your hearing and provide a better overall better experience.

 

Why Wear Earplugs To Concerts? How Loud Is Too Loud?

You may be asking, bow loud is too loud anyway? While the purpose of this guide is to present our readers with the best earplugs they can buy in 2018, we should really start out by taking a look at why you should definitely consider wearing earplugs when going to a music concert in the first place. Knowing the consequences of not wearing the adequate ear protection at a music concert is vital – this will help you realize just how important wearing earplugs is and also help you make the decision to wear a higher-quality type of earplug that will offer improved protection against the high-volume sounds.

Data published by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders explain that as much as 17% of teenagers in the United States, and as much as 24% of all adults within the country, suffer from some level of hearing loss in either one ear or both ears. What caused this? The data shows that one common cause was an attendance of music festivals and concerts, where millions of people are exposed to music at volumes much higher than what is considered safe.

The American Hearing Research Foundation explains that, on average, a rock concert usually exposes the human ear to a sound of 115 decibels, which is EXTREMELY LOUD!. They continue to explain that it is advised to avoid exposing the ears to more than 15 minutes of sound at 115 decibels on a daily basis, or damage may occur to the ears. A post on NPR Music’s blog explains that 90 minutes is a good average length of most music concerts. This means your ears are exposed to excessively loud sounds at approximately 115 decibels for around 75 minutes more than what is considered your daily safe limit when you choose to attend a rock music concert. Hey, this is some serious stuff!

 

Types Of Earplugs

There are many different types of earplugs on the market, but many people do not realize this. Walk into your local convenience store and you’ll find a limited selection of foam-based earplugs. These are the most common and also the cheapest option. They are, however, not the most comfortable and not the most effective option when it comes to providing an adequate level of protection for your ears.

Don’t get us wrong – foam-based earplugs are better than nothing. If you are on your way to a concert and the only place that’s open is a convenience store, then stop by and grab a pair of foam earplugs, sure. Even though these earplugs are unable to provide a maximum level of protection and comfort, they are still useful.

Let’s take a look at the most common types of earplugs that you can find on the market.

 

Foam-Based Earplugs

As mentioned, foam-based earplugs are extremely common. They are used by millions of people for a variety of reasons. Your partner snores in bed? Drive to your local convenience store and you’ll be able to buy a pair of these earplugs for only a few dollars. These earplugs offer a universal fit, instead of a custom-fit, which means anyone can buy them as they should fit in all ears, large or small.

Foam-based earplugs are inserted easily into the ear and they are usually comfortable to wear. This is usually the most important benefit of these earplugs for most people. The issue is however, it can be difficult to find the perfect fit that will completely block out the majority of noises. In fact, these earplugs don’t normally reduce noises to a completely safe level, they just lower noises to a ‘tolerable’ level.

 

Flanged Earplugs

When it comes to affordability, flanged earplugs falls just after foam-based earplugs. These earplugs also offer a universal fit, which means there is no need to have your ears measured, you don’t have to spend a significant amount of money and you don’t have to wait for a pair of earplugs to be made. Flanged earplugs are readily available at numerous locations, but they will most likely not be as readily available in your local area as foam-based earplugs.

It should be noted that, when it comes to comfort, foam-based earplugs offer a more comfortable fit than flanged earplugs.

These earplugs are designed with rims which are formed into cone-like shapes. When placed into the ear, the cones create a seal inside the ear canal, therefore blocking outside noise. This is why flanged earphones tend to be popular among musicians.

 

High-Fidelity Earplugs

Now let’s talk about hi fi! They are often used by musicians to help them protect their ears against extremely loud noises experienced while performing. They are also used by “behind-the-scene” crews such as photographers, videographers and other professionals.

High-fidelity earplugs offer numerous benefits over the cheaper options available on the market, including flanged and foam-based earplugs. While these are somewhat more expensive than the previous two options we mentioned, the benefits outweigh the price difference.

The purpose of high-fidelity earplugs is to reduce the intensity of the sound that is exposed to the wearer’s ears – the quality of the sound remains the same. When buying high-fidelity earplugs, you can either buy a universal one, which fits any ear, or visit an audiologist, who will be able to take measurements of your ear and have a set of custom high-fidelity earplugs designed for you.

 

Custom-Molded Earplugs

Custom-molded earplugs offer the highest level of protection among the different options available on the market at the moment, but they also fetch for the highest price. To obtain a set of custom-molded earplugs, you will first have to make an appointment and pay a visit to an audiologist. The audiologist will take measurements of both your ears, and then create a special mold from the measurements. The mold will then be used to create a special set of earplugs that will be designed to offer your ears the perfect fit.

Custom-molded earplugs are produced by a limited number of companies, including Sensaphonics and JH Audio. These options usually go for a minimum of $100 per pair of earplugs. It should be noted that the $100+ does not include your appointment with the audiologist, which will incur further costs. While custom-molded earphones do tend to cost a lot more than any other option on the market, the level of protection combined with the level of comfort, is usually well worth the money. As noted previously, custom-molded earplugs can also be obtained in a high-fidelity option to help reduce the volume of outside noise, but without affecting the clearness or quality of the sound.

 

The Best Earplugs For Concerts And Live Music

Now you should see the need for adequate hearing protection while attending concerts and other live events.  You should also be able to distinguish between the different types of earplugs that are available on the market, and recognize a more adequate option for the particular type of music concert you are planning to attend.

So, without further delay, here are our top picks for the best earplugs for concerts and live events…

 

 

1. Greatest Protection: Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs For Concerts Musicians

First on our list of top earplugs in 2018 is Eargasm’s High-Fidelity earplugs. These are state-of-the-art, top-quality earplugs that deliver some of the best protection you can possibly wish for when it comes to attending live events. The High-Fidelity earplugs by Eargasm are used by over 100,000 happy customers so far, and is trusted by many musicians. These earplugs are often recommended by associations that provide information and management services for music festivals and music concerts. The best feature of the Eargasm High-Fidelity earplugs is that these earplugs offer the ability to enjoy listening to your favorite musician performing live or even hear people talking with clarity, but not hearing any excessive noise!

These earplugs have been designed to reduce extreme noise without having any type of effect on the quality of the sound. Another neat feature of the design if that it is made with hypo-allergic soft silicone which will allow you to wear them comfortably for very long periods of time.

 

Pros:

• Offers a high-level of protection against outside noise.
• Available at a very affordable price. These earplugs can be purchased on Amazon for about $30.
• Ergasm’s High-Fidelity earplugs are trusted by some of the top music festivals around the world.
• The plug-part of these earplugs are made from a soft silicone that is hypo-allergic, which means they are perfect for extended wear.

 

Cons:

• These earplugs are not as readily available as some other options, especially when comparing the availability to foam-based earplugs.
• Eargasm’s products are not sold in all countries, which means individuals interested in these earplugs who reside in a country where the brand’s products are not stocked will not to pay extra fees for shipping.

 

2. Most Reusable: DownBeats Reusable High Fidelity Hearing Protection

Next on our list is the DownBeats Reusable High-Fidelity Hearing Protection earplugs, another excellent option if you are looking to buy a pair of high-fidelity earplugs. These earplugs are similar to the Eargasm earplugs meaning they are filters.

What do we mean by filters?

We mean instead of blocking outside sound like some other options on the market, these earplugs are able to help you hear the high-quality sounds from the environment but without allowing you to be exposed to the harmful noises that are also out there. Yep, unwanted noises are left out in the crowd!

These earplugs are able to reduce the intensity of the sound by approximately 18 decibels, and deliver a sound between 87 decibels and 92 decibels, which gives you up to eight hours of harm-free listening.

 

Pros:

• The earplugs come with a durable and convenient aluminum carry case that makes it easy to carry them with you, no matter where you go.
• Two different options are available when buying DownBeats Reusable High-Fidelity Hearing Protection earplugs. The Long Stem DownBeats provide an easier and more convenient way to insert and remove the earplugs on-the-go.
• DownBeats offers a Long Stem version for larger fit.

 

Cons:

• The original version of these earplugs might be difficult to insert and remove while on-the-move. This means you may have to spend more money to buy the Long Stem version of the product if you need the added convenience.
• DownBeats products are not sold in all countries.

3. Most Affordable: Hearos Ultimate Softness Series Foam Earplugs

If you are looking for a more affordable solution to protecting your ears when attending a music concert, then the Hearos Ultimate Softness Series earplugs may be the perfect option for you. The Hearos Ultimate Softness Series are general purpose soft foam ear plugs for all noise reduction and hearing protection so they aren’t the most effective (as we have already explained about foam earplugs) but they are good enough if you aren’t going to be using them for long periods in an event where the noise isn’t very loud.

These are some of the best foam-based earplugs that you can find on the market, and they offer a higher level of comfortability and protection than many of the other foam-based earplugs that are currently available. The Hearos Ultimate Softness Series earplugs come in packs of 20 earplugs, and only costs about $7 on Amazon. See, pretty inexpensive!

 

Pros:

• The earplugs offer a neutral color, which means they will blend it with your skin and not make it obvious that you are wearing earplugs.
• Hearos utilizes a special polyurethane foam that provides a premium experience to the wearer, which includes a higher level of comfort as compared to some of the other foam-based earplugs you can buy.
• These earplugs offer a noise reduction of approximately 32 decibels, which is much higher than many of the other options out there.

 

Cons:

• These earplugs are disposable, which might make them convenient, but it also means you’ll have to continuously buy more of them.
• The Hearos Ultimate Softness Series earplugs have been designed to block sound, and not filter sound, as with a High-Fidelity earplug. This means you will not be able to preserve the quality of the sound you are exposed to.

 

 

4. Most Convenient: Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs

Finally, this one is for those of you who are looking for a higher-quality option. The Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs have numerous benefits to offer over other options on the market. One of the most significant features is the fact that there is no need to visit an audiologist in order to use these earplugs. You can easily mold them to the shape of your ear at home! This is very convenient and allows for a more comfortable, customized fit.

Another major benefit would most certainly be the price – at only $25.99, you get a custom molded pair of earplugs! After purchase, you simply use warm water to heat up the earplugs, and then shape them to your ears. The earplugs will retain the shape of your ears, which means, in the future, you can easily pop them into your ears whenever you need protection. Good stuff!

 

Pros:

• These earplugs offer you the convenience of custom-molded earplugs without the large price tag often associated with these earplugs, and without the need for visiting an audiologist.
• Since these earplugs are shaped to your unique ear, they will offer a more comfortable and perfect fit as compared to earplugs that feature a universal fit.
• The earplugs can be easily remolded – if you do something wrong during the initial process, simply heat and mold again.

 

Cons:

• These earplugs are not available at local convenience stores, so there is no way to obtain them when you are in a hurry. You will have to log on to the official online store of the brand to order a pair.
• Since you first need to heat and mold these earplugs, the first application is not for those on-the-go.

 

Are You Suffering From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?

If you suspect that you are suffering from hearing loss, then you have our sympathies as we will try our best to assist you below.

Firstly, we are not doctors, but there are some tell take signs that may be used to identify hearing loss. When these signs are detected after you have attended a music concert, you should ideally make an appointment with your doctor to have your ears checked out and to have your hearing tested.

The Better Hearing Institute explains that particular signs that individuals should be wary of include:

• No being able to hear what someone is saying, especially if they are standing within three feet from you.
• After leaving the concert, experiencing a sensation of “fullness” in either one or both of your ears may be a sign of damage.
• If you are able to hear what someone is saying, but find it difficult to understand and process the information they are sharing with you, it may also be a sign of damage to your ears.
• Signs of tinnitus also signals hearing impairment. This usually includes a buzzing or ringing sound in the ears. If damage has occurred while you attended the music concert, then signs of tinnitus may develop soon after you leave the noisy area.

Now, if you are experiencing these symptoms after a live event, then you are likely suffering from noise-induced hearing loss.

In addition to noting the symptoms, it’s important to realize that damage that is dealt to the ears due to exposure to high decibel sounds can be either temporary or irreversible. In case of temporary hearing loss or impaired hearing, the reduction in hearing ability may restore to an optimal level by allowing the ears some rest from exposure to loud noises. In a case where irreversible damage has been suffered, the affected individual would be affected by the level of hearing loss they have suffered from for the rest of their life. While hearing aids are available to assist with improving hearing abilities, the natural hearing ability would not be restored, even with extensive rest and with preventing future events where the ears are exposed to loud noises.

Of course, with rapid advances in technology, there is always new hope. Of course, it is always recommended that you speak with your doctor to get medial advice.

Conclusion

If you are planning on attending a concert or festival in the near future, then I’m sure by now you see the need for a good pair of earplugs. Your ability to hear is a gift. Your ears are sensitive structures that allow you to hear the world around you can be damaged easily.  If you do not take care of your ears by exposing them to significant levels of strain from loud noise during concerts other live events, you may end up with severe problems.

This can lead to noise-induced hearing loss, which may often include temporary hearing problems but, in some cases, may also lead to more permanent impairments in your ability to hear. Like us here at BoomSpeaker, we know you enjoy your music, we know you enjoy live events, but we are also sure you like hearing as well, so ensure you grab one of the best earplugs for concerts from this list and take care of your ears!

 

The post The Complete Guide To The Best Earplugs For Concerts appeared first on Boom Speaker.

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