No Stupid Questions

I use EARPEACE ear plugs when riding my motorcycles but also use them at concerts. They have ones for moto, music, sport, and sleep but I just use my moto ones for everything. Haven't tried any of the other varieties to see how they compare in the real world.

I enjoy them because they cut down on the shitty frequencies that'll damage your hearing but still allow you to hear things clearly. Also pretty nice that you get 3 ear plugs per order in case you lose one. It also comes with an aluminum carrying case for them so you can throw it in your pocket or bag and not have them get damaged or covered with pocket fuzz.

They're pretty damned inexpensive too for what they are.

Etymotic makes exactly what you're looking for.

That said, there is no such thing as hearing protection that doesn't muffle high frequencies at least somewhat. But what you can do instead is buy earbuds with ANC + audio pass through and foam tips. But keep in mind that the audio will be colored by the frequency response of the headphones, making live audio sound more like a recording. You'll still get the benefits of the live experience, however, because you'll still be able to feel the bass.

Keep in mind that these kind of earbuds are basically hearing aids, however. So they won't be cheap. They're known as "hearables" and "OTC hearing aids". And not all of them form a seal around your ear, which means that not all of them are suitable for hearing protection. Which why you'll need to do your homework and find some that have foam tips. Also be prepared to spend hundreds, possibly thousands.

Or you can just deal with a little bit of muffled audio and buy the Etymotic earplugs. That's what I would do.

I’ve used Mack’s Hear Plugs at a couple concerts. Inexpensive and the music actually sounded better and less muddled than full volume.

I have the Earasers with their case and keep it on my keychain. Super happy with them. Use them as drummer for all the rehearsals I do without my IEMS or any loud concerts I go to. Super comfortable and I can still talk to people fine with them in since they don't muffle the sound too much.

Just got a pair of eargasms too but haven't put them through their paces yet, but they're a different style of earplug that's more substantial but might have slightly better sound. They're also a little cheaper usually and they come with a case.

If you get the Earasers case make sure to sinch it tight when closing otherwise it has a habit of unscrewing in your pocket.

You want shooting ear buds. They actually amplify quiet sounds, pass normal sounds through, and muffle sounds above the threshold. But they won't really work as you want, because the entire concert is above the safe threshold. That means they'll effectively just be ear plugs during the whole show, so you might as well just get ear plugs for 50¢.

Live audio guy here, and I can say that custom-moulded plugs truly are tremendously above anything you can get in a universal fit. I got mine done for about $100 USD and they are super comfortable. If you are able to save up for it, I cannot recommend enough that you get custom ear plugs.

I also own a pair of Etymotic ER20XS universal fit ear plugs and they really irritate my ears. It hurts to wear them for a long period of time, whilst the custom plugs I can wear for hours at a time. Your mileage may vary, depending on the size and shape of your ear canal, but for me, universal fit ear plugs are just really painful. Whenever I forget my customs, I just go with foam ear plugs because I just can't stand the Etymotics.

None of that is to mention how much more balanced the sound is with custom ear plugs, I find that universal ones just don't sound as good.

If you are in the EU,

https://www.loopearplugs.com/

These things are pretty awesome. They have the switch which allows you to change the DB drop depending on what you are using them for (or how loud the specifically concert is)

My girlfriend has some noise sensitivity and they help her a lot just to put them on the lowest dB drop setting or the middle in a busy environment.

I use eargasm ear plugs. They increase the clarity while decreasing the decibels. https://eargasm.com/products/eargasm-high-fidelity-earplugs?variant=44275577225517

A colleague of mine got tinnitus after a concert when he was a teen, and its been a life long torture. He is now 37 and the ringing never stops, ever.

It's affecting his entire life. He has to wear noise protection when out in public, to prevent any loud noises, which makes him not hear what people are saying. Dating is hard, girls thinks he is not listening when he can't hear them. People stop having conversations with him. It's quite hard emotionally.

Be very careful to even risk this.

Go to a local music shop and look for musician's earplugs with a rated dB reduction. At least -8dB, but a bigger reduction won't make your experience worse, it'll just make things even quieter.

I have some from a major guitar manufacturer that I've been using at the infrequent shows I go to for a decade. They were $10 then, and it looks like that's still true. I clean after using, but I wasn't really expecting to get this many shows out of them.

They don't muffle sounds, it just sounds quieter. Without earplugs I need to stand on the other side of the room/field to be comfortable. I'll still leave with ear pain and feeling exhausted. With earplugs I'm comfortable right in front of the speaker stack, and leave feeling exhilarated.

They've been a huge upgrade in my enjoyment of shows and I'm very grateful to my friend for dragging me to the shop and making me buy them.

For reference, I have used equipment to tune home theaters to flat frequency responses, and designed speaker crossovers. Spreadsheets are fun, and sound is math.

Like the other commenter recoed: Loops https://www.loopearplugs.com/.

The loop is tuned for specific frequencies, and it actually works. My partner also uses them on job sites, and the soft ones are great for sleeping. I typically use the ones for loud places that help you hear voices.

Regardless of where you live, you can buy them in your currency on Amazon if you can't find a direct purchase: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=loop+earplugs&crid=2GUCLFWL47XJA&sprefix=loop%2Caps%2C164&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_4

While I was playing in a band, I was using some earplugs like these: Alpine MusicSafe Pro - Clear / Thomann.de. I was wearing them for every band practice and shows. It wasn't the exact same ones though. I can say I still have a good hearing today, I can still hear the high pitch noise from some power supply and I don't have any permanent ringing in my ears. So, they did a good enough job for me, standing next to a angry drummer and maxed-out guitar amplifier twice a week for 4 years :)

I just use regular disposable plugs. Except I reuse them and wash them until they fall apart. I've bought whatever was sold in the venue on several occasions because I forgot mine at home.

In my experience they lower the volume but don't "muffle" anything. What muffles sound is being exposed to extremely loud music for a couple of hours.

I'd be curious if the expensive ones offer anything more than increased comfort. There is a lot of audiophile stuff out there that is bullshit.

Earasers for me. They have a selective band pass to let vocal frequencies through. Airplanes, concerts, monster truck shows you name it, I’ve used mine and can practically have a normal conversation.

Anything thats rated for a certain db reduction. I like disposable ones personally because they tend to be more comfortable (edit: or maybe I just refuse to try the insanely expensive shit, so I could be missing out). The 3M ones in the article you linked look great, just make sure you know how to roll them and insert them

I hated loop earplugs - they just did not work for me. These did and we're significantly cheaper: https://a.co/d/02gC45R.

They were great at volume lowering while still letting the vocals/mids through, and critically they were comfortable for the entire concert.

I own a pair of Etymotic ER20XS ear plugs and I like them. I haven't had the chance yet to try them out at a concert, but I have worn them on other occassions. I think they're reasonably comfortable and the sound quality is still good while wearing them.

Sure, you could spend money on nice shit but I wear basic-ass foam earplugs fairly often and they work super well.

I asked a similar question to this a couple of weeks ago due to me needing them for work, and I ended up going with the Loop Experience 2 and they've been fantastic.

They dampen the sound around me but I can still hear voices clearly, and they're really comfortable and I barely notice I've got them in.

I use the Sennheiser Sound Protex Plus and am satisfied.

I have a set of vibes and like them

https://a.co/d/8cw7k4N

I would lean towards the 3M stuff... I mean folks are saying 3M plugs muffle things, but look at the decibel reduction rating. The loops linked in your article are 7 decibels vs 34 decibels from the real ear plugs.

Maybe 7 is enough... But I'd say the reason 34 decibel reduction is considered muffling is because it's a real significant reduction vs a minor reduction. Maybe you only need a minor reduction though 🤷‍♂️.