Earplugs for loud music and concerts, is the price worth it? Is it a scam?

[mouhette]

Hi everyone!

During the weekends, I like to indulge in the tender, melodic joys of delicate, soft, European Techno in abandoned warehouses, accompanied by other "intellectuals".
 

However, sometimes the volume is very, very loud and I wish to protect my un-deflowered frail little ears. To do so, I begun a benign quest of basic information retrieval. 
    A Google search later, and I stumbled upon the onerous world of concert earplugs.... 
 

Prices range between 30 and 150 Euros, with claims such as a guarantee to preserve the entire audio spectrum while reducing volume.

I can't find any independent testers capable of confirming the claims made by the manufacturers.
 

--> Do you think it's a scam?

$50 for two earplugs already seems like a trick to me.

--> I can't understand what justifies this cost, knowing that pseudo-technological music Hardware scams are rife, how to be sure it is correctly holding it's claims?

In my case, if there's a real difference compared to simple foam or rubber earplugs, it's worth the budget. But I would be curious to see data from a dummy head spectrum analyzer first.


Cheers
 

[Needfuldoer]

Just wear regular ol' cheap disposable foam earplugs that meet local regulations for construction sites.

[BrandonLatzig]

4 hours ago, Needfuldoer said:

Just wear regular ol' cheap disposable foam earplugs that meet local regulations for construction sites.

or a set of noise cancelling hand phones might be a good investment in general
 

[Needfuldoer]

4 minutes ago, BrandonLatzig said:

or a set of noise cancelling hand phones might be a good investment in general
 

I don't trust ANC that much. Foam earplugs work.

[BrandonLatzig]

fair enough

[vf1000ride]

I get the cheap ear plugs from the sleep aid isle at the food store.  Less than $10 for a whole bag full of the foam rubber ear plugs.  When I was younger I didn't wear them and now I wear hearing aids and listen to my tinnitus instead of enjoying sleep.  Still rock out at unsafe levels though.  Oh well, once a metalhead always a metalhead.  

[Beerzerker]

$50 is a rip-off for ear plugs.
Noise-cancelling head phones can run that much but only because it's viewed/classified as safety equipment which always carries a nice price tag.

I used to have (More or less) unlimited access to however many pairs I wanted of ear plugs and they are just pieces of shaped foam on a string.
 

31 minutes ago, vf1000ride said:

I get the cheap ear plugs from the sleep aid isle at the food store.  Less than $10 for a whole bag full of the foam rubber ear plugs. 

^^^THIS^^^

31 minutes ago, vf1000ride said:

When I was younger I didn't wear them and now I wear hearing aids and listen to my tinnitus instead of enjoying sleep.  Still rock out at unsafe levels though.  Oh well, once a metalhead always a metalhead.  

I'm the same way (Metal head) but my hearing problems came from being around a big 3408 V8 Caterpillar in an earth mover (Dump truck) that was screaming in my ear for 12 hours everyday I worked and that was with ear plugs being used.

Get the plugs as suggested, use them and you should be OK.

[undergroundbeef]

Many years ago I picked up some Vibes earplugs. They were/are billed as earplugs specifically for concerts, where they lower the volume without messing with the sound quality. It looks like they are just under $30 now. It might be BS, I don't have a fine enough ear to tell, but I've used them at pretty much every concert I've been to for the past 8 years. They seem to work well enough. Because I bought them specially for this, I always think about them before I go to a concert and know just where they are. Before this I'd usually forget and not bring anything and just suffer. That alone is probably worth the price for me. I also like that they are a little more designed and less obvious than jamming foam in my ears.

[atxcyclist]

I have been motorcycling for over 9 years now, wind noise at standard highway levels is above 110 decibels, more than enough to damage hearing within an hour, and helmets do not attenuate it that much. I have tinnitus from past music performances in full orchestras and things like installing car stereos and using tools without hearing protection, so my ears are fairly sensitive. I have found that the inexpensive disposable tapered plugs work best, even after many hours of riding my ears don't ring or have any issues, and I spend extra to get 3M ones of a specific rating. I go through two sets a day every day I commute, it is well worth it to me.

 

The custom earplugs are not really a scam, many people that are competitive target shooters buy them and I've spoken to them over the years about them, but the foam earplugs tend to offer slightly better sound attenuation across the entire frequency spectrum. Also, your ears are going to get reusable ones dirty and it's something to clean, which if you're using them frequently enough would be a drag for me anyway.

[mouhette]

On 3/15/2024 at 9:56 PM, Beerzerker said:

$50 is a rip-off for ear plugs.
Noise-cancelling head phones can run that much but only because it's viewed/classified as safety equipment which always carries a nice price tag.

I used to have (More or less) unlimited access to however many pairs I wanted of ear plugs and they are just pieces of shaped foam on a string.
 

^^^THIS^^^

I'm the same way (Metal head) but my hearing problems came from being around a big 3408 V8 Caterpillar in an earth mover (Dump truck) that was screaming in my ear for 12 hours everyday I worked and that was with ear plugs being used.

Get the plugs as suggested, use them and you should be OK.

Thank you for your feedback, 
I don't doubt the usefulness of protecting hearing. However I am more curious about the claims of enjoying the sound better with dedicated earplugs for concerts. I too have unlimited access to rubber plugs. But the music I listen to (some might disagree) is far from sounding like a big 3408 V8 Caterpillar. The topic is more about the veracity of the claims held by the audiophile earplugs makers. 

[mouhette]

On 3/16/2024 at 4:34 AM, undergroundbeef said:

Many years ago I picked up some Vibes earplugs. They were/are billed as earplugs specifically for concerts, where they lower the volume without messing with the sound quality. It looks like they are just under $30 now. It might be BS, I don't have a fine enough ear to tell, but I've used them at pretty much every concert I've been to for the past 8 years. They seem to work well enough. Because I bought them specially for this, I always think about them before I go to a concert and know just where they are. Before this I'd usually forget and not bring anything and just suffer. That alone is probably worth the price for me. I also like that they are a little more designed and less obvious than jamming foam in my ears.

You make some compelling points. Have you ever tried rubber ones and yours to see if there's an audible difference? 
It does seem like a scam. How would anyone be able to run a proper benchmark for this? They could basically get away with any claim. Especially as I see a LOT of chinese brands in the lot. 

[mouhette]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:41 AM, atxcyclist said:

I have been motorcycling for over 9 years now, wind noise at standard highway levels is above 110 decibels, more than enough to damage hearing within an hour, and helmets do not attenuate it that much. I have tinnitus from past music performances in full orchestras and things like installing car stereos and using tools without hearing protection, so my ears are fairly sensitive. I have found that the inexpensive disposable tapered plugs work best, even after many hours of riding my ears don't ring or have any issues, and I spend extra to get 3M ones of a specific rating. I go through two sets a day every day I commute, it is well worth it to me.

 

The custom earplugs are not really a scam, many people that are competitive target shooters buy them and I've spoken to them over the years about them, but the foam earplugs tend to offer slightly better sound attenuation across the entire frequency spectrum. Also, your ears are going to get reusable ones dirty and it's something to clean, which if you're using them frequently enough would be a drag for me anyway.

Interesting feedback, I wonder why competitive target shooters choose custom ones instead of foam ones, it seems overkill for the discipline at stake? 

[Dillpickle23422]

5 minutes ago, mouhette said:

Interesting feedback, I wonder why competitive target shooters choose custom ones instead of foam ones, it seems overkill for the discipline at stake? 

Mostly because it's something they use a lot, a nice pair of custom earplugs are so much nicer than the foam ones when you're shooting, too. As you shoot, the little foam ones (in my experience shooting skeet and trap, anyways) like to wiggle their way out as you shoot more and more. Really would depend on the gun, too. Custom ones don't do that, since they're usually fit to your ears, and a competitive shooter obviously wouldn't care to have an earplug fall out. 

I'm almost 18 (3 more days lmao) , and already have a tiny bit of tinnitus starting unfortunately. I shot a lot without ear protection, and noisy machinery at work is to blame too. Wish I would have done things differently and cared more about my ears

[Beerzerker]

9 hours ago, mouhette said:

Thank you for your feedback, 
I don't doubt the usefulness of protecting hearing. However I am more curious about the claims of enjoying the sound better with dedicated earplugs for concerts. I too have unlimited access to rubber plugs. But the music I listen to (some might disagree) is far from sounding like a big 3408 V8 Caterpillar. The topic is more about the veracity of the claims held by the audiophile earplugs makers. 

Regardless of the sound source, hearing damage is hearing damage and I have it - Lost about 25% of my hearing from those days.
Thing is to protect yourself from this kind of damage because in almost every case it's permenant like mine is, which in turn does impact enjoyment of music.

One of the things I've noticed about my damage is there are certain notes/tones I cannot hear well anymore and like an equalizer, these frequencies are "Filtered Out" because of it but in this case it's not filtering, it's simply the eardrum cannot vibrate at that frequency (Or higher) because of scarring damage which leads to this filtering effect.

I'm into music and even have a couple guitars myself (Bass and electric guitar) so I can speak to that end, I understand wanting to hear every nuance of what's being played/listened to but at the same time preserving your hearing is priority above that.
Better to miss a few notes here and there than to be missing them completely from now on like it is for me.

[vf1000ride]

I know this might be a slight diversion from the actual topic but it is kinda related to what your trying to work through.  I know the OP is looking to maintain the listening experience, as well as protect hearing, but concerts don't normally sound as good as a properly recorded studio album.  I don't see the economy of buying crazy expensive hearing protection to listen to music that isn't of the same fidelity as what comes from even a medium grade of headphones plugged into a stereo.  I have been to 40-50 concerts in the past 30 years and none have ever had the sound quality good enough to wish I had better ear plugs than foam squishies.  My reason for concerts is the stage show and the experience as well as back in the good old days to stand next to a speaker stack with volumes levels way past OSHA safe levels. 

 

If your going to rave/techno events on a regular basis try the cheap foam earplugs first.  I can't imagine the people setting these things up are spending even 5 minutes on room correction, system balancing or any of the probably dozens of things you need to make music sound it's best.  They are probably cranking the amps till things distort and then turn it back down 2 notches.  You can put the cheap ones in and out and compare how they affect your personal experience.  If you find you don't like how things sound then feel free to upgrade to more expensive hearing protection.  Just don't overlook cheap and effective just to buy the expensive and effective alternative without trying cheap first.

[undergroundbeef]

14 hours ago, mouhette said:

You make some compelling points. Have you ever tried rubber ones and yours to see if there's an audible difference? 
It does seem like a scam. How would anyone be able to run a proper benchmark for this? They could basically get away with any claim. Especially as I see a LOT of chinese brands in the lot. 

I haven't tried comparing back to back. I already have them, and they work, so I don't see a point. I also like them much better than the foam ones that need to be rolled up. Even if they were the same in terms of effectiveness, I'd pick the Vibes.

 

Benchmarking seems like it would be pretty easy with the right equipment. Have a speaker and some kind of enclosure with a hole that would act as the ear. Inside the enclosure put a mic. Measure the audio quality with nothing, the Vibes, and the foam earplugs (and whatever else). Compare the results. Subjective results from user could be done as well, but the reader would have to trust the person's ear. As mentioned, my ears are good enough to trust on that. I just know I can still hear the music, it still sounds good enough, and my ears don't ring the next day. That's really all I'm going for.

[mouhette]

On 3/22/2024 at 4:41 AM, undergroundbeef said:

I haven't tried comparing back to back. I already have them, and they work, so I don't see a point. I also like them much better than the foam ones that need to be rolled up. Even if they were the same in terms of effectiveness, I'd pick the Vibes.

 

Benchmarking seems like it would be pretty easy with the right equipment. Have a speaker and some kind of enclosure with a hole that would act as the ear. Inside the enclosure put a mic. Measure the audio quality with nothing, the Vibes, and the foam earplugs (and whatever else). Compare the results. Subjective results from user could be done as well, but the reader would have to trust the person's ear. As mentioned, my ears are good enough to trust on that. I just know I can still hear the music, it still sounds good enough, and my ears don't ring the next day. That's really all I'm going for.

Thank you for your answer, in regards to this topic I don't think we could push it further for now. --> solved. 

Between, my first post and today, I talked about this topics to friends of mine, one is a sound engineer and has access to good equipment.
I think your idea is actually good. I gotta make the box really sound proof and with as little echo as i can. 
I got a few days off in may might as well give it a shot.