Perfect comfortable earplugs for musicians?

October 18, 2016 7:29 AM

I'm starting to get some ringing in my ears from various loud music/teaching/gigs/etc, and looking for earplugs that I can wear for hours at a time, with decently flat (i.e. not muffled) attenuation. I have these and they're great sound-wise, but uncomfortable long-term. Soft foam earplugs are comfy but too deadening & muffling. Any suggestions? Extra points for relatively invisible earplugs, so I don't have to explain myself 50 times a day.
posted by jeffjon to Shopping (12 answers total)

If you get the etymotics version of the ones you already have, you can change the part that goes in your ear from the rubber plugs to a foam collar if that suits you better.
posted by mattamatic at 7:52 AM on October 18, 2016

You did not mention budget, which is a huge factor in ear plugs.

I am a huge fan of the etymotics mattamatic mentions, but I haven't tried the foam insert, so I can't speak to their comfort. They also make much more expensive products. Some of them are custom made to fit your ears, so that might be something to look into if you're going to use these things regularly.
posted by lownote at 8:28 AM on October 18, 2016

My husband and sons are all musicians (husband orchestral musician, son #1 heavy metal electric guitar, son # 2 rock and jazz percussion). They have custom-fitted earplugs from an audiologist. This is in a major urban centre in Canada and the cost was about $150 Cdn per pair. They were a tax deduction for husband, and an investment in hearing protection for the kids. BTW, son #1 is now a commercial/industrial carpenter and replaced his "music" earplugs with custom-fitted "construction site" earplugs for about the same cost.
posted by angiep at 8:33 AM on October 18, 2016

+1 for custom fitted pro plugs from an audiologist. Mine are still going strong 15 years after I bought them, making them the lowest cost per use things I will ever own.
posted by outfielder at 8:40 AM on October 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

You might like ISOLATE, a project that started on Kickstarter (but is now fully funded, and taking and shipping regular orders). Here's a YT vid explaining, but the TL;DR is that they're supposed to reduce overall volume level without squashing details or muddying the mix.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:44 AM on October 18, 2016

I too spent over £100 on custom fitted earplugs back when I was gigging a lot, and they are a much-cherished possession even these days when I do not regularly perform.

Mine reduce everything by 15dB, very evenly across frequencies, which is enough to comfortably enjoy a gig whilst still getting good quality sound.

Tl;dr: treat yo'self.
posted by greenish at 8:47 AM on October 18, 2016

As mentioned, customs. I love mine and can't imagine being without. They a bit speedy but if you don't lose them they'll last forever. Most will also take different filters so you can change the attenuation. At my clinic we do the whole thing for about $130.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:02 AM on October 18, 2016

Nthing custom. They don't rely on pressure for fit so they're super comfortable. Not cheap but 100% worth it in my estimation.
posted by wemayfreeze at 10:37 AM on October 18, 2016

Etymotic Research has a wide range of earplugs designed for hearing protection.

The usual recommendation for your situation is ER's Musicians Earplugs. I have a set and I can say that they work very, very well for the type of use you are intending. You can buy different filters with varying noise reduction levels and just pop them in and out of the base unit as needed--one level when you're playing with a string orchestra, another when you're seated directly in front of the trumpets, another when you're playing with your heavy metal band that turns their amps up to 11, etc. They are very comfortable and it is no problem to wear them for hours or even all day.
posted by flug at 12:03 PM on October 18, 2016

Nthing Etymotic. I got my first pair like 25 years ago when I started going to a lot of punk rock shows. Click the links, make the appointment, save your ears.
posted by intermod at 1:54 PM on October 18, 2016

I came to enthusiastically recommend the Etymotic ER20XS. Specifically these. You can remove that little tabbed insert sticking out, so it looks slightly more invisible and unobtrusive.

Fellow musicians and concert-goers I know swear by them. They're comfortable, and they reduce the kinds of frequencies you want reduced, while keeping the good musical frequencies intact.
posted by naju at 12:04 AM on October 19, 2016

Nthing custom-made plugs from an audiologist.
posted by Coaticass at 2:09 AM on October 19, 2016