Hearos Ultimate Softness

Reynolds 101 · #1 02-22-2009, 06:02 AM

Well I just bought a 4 pair box of Hearos Ultimate Softness earplugs, and had rehearsal yesterday so I tried them out. I noticed when I first tried them on at my house that they fit a lot better than those orange ones, but probably aren't as good as the ones with a filter/cap end. They truly are super soft, but they expand pretty quick so you just cant mess around when you're putting them in.

So, I tried at rehearsal to see how well they work and if they're applicable for live use. They dont hurt my ears when they're in, I actually forgot they were in. But the thing is it cuts out a big amount of high frequencies. They made my bass sound good, brought down the loudness of the drums, and made it easier to hear yourself sing.

Overall, they are ok for practices if you know what is going on, but not very useful live. They cut out too many different frequencies to be able to use freely at a gig.

/rant.

J.D.B. · #2 02-22-2009, 09:23 AM

I've been using them a couple years, now. Once I got used to what they were doing live, I've had no trouble "modulating to the mix". You can also experiment with NOT putting them ALL the way in for more of an "attenuation" effect if the sound pressure isn't too high. Sometimes I just leave them "cracked" open to hear more precicely on the softer stuff, live. You can't replace yer ears, so DO use protection(wish I did for the first thirty years of playing and working in loud places)!

Josh

Reynolds 101 · #3 02-22-2009, 10:22 AM

When I was playing I took one out and turned that ear to the drummer, and holy cow. The cymbals were just pounding right into my ears. I put them back in and I was back in heaven

Reynolds 101 · #4 02-22-2009, 12:51 PM

Well, I just bought a pair of the ER-20 Baby Blues, and Im really excited to try them out. This way I can use them anywhere w/o cutting out high frequencies. I'll A/B them with the Hearos for anyone that is curious.

dbassman59 · #5 02-22-2009, 03:35 PM

The best thing I ever did was to go out and buy a set of musicians ear plugs. I got them at the hearing center of my local Sears dept. store.

They weren't cheap. They cost $200 CDN. But they were custom fit to my ears. They took an impression of my ear canal first .. then a week or so later I had them. They are very comfortable. I got the 15db model which I was told was the most common.

They work far better than your typical ear plugs in that they lower the volume with out changing any frequencies. In essence, it's just like someone lowered the volume on your stereo. you still hear all the desired frequencies IMO about 98 - 99% as well as if you didn't have them.

But think about this ... after every practice ... after every gig .. once you pop them out .. NO MORE RINGING EARS!!!

I've had mine close to 2 years now ... I can't imagine playing without them .... and boy do they work great a rock concerts!!!

It's the best money I ever spent and my only regret is that I didn't buy them 15 years ago ...

OtterOnBass · #6 02-22-2009, 07:13 PM

+1 on musicians plugs. Well worth the ~$120 USD. It's like a volume control for life, there's no frequency loss that I can tell. In fact, I can hear the highs much clearer at high volume because it seems that when things get loud I lose clarity up high.

When I first put them in at the audiologist's, I thought they didn't work. The doc was talking and I pulled one out and he got louder. I've been loving them ever since.

JustDavid · #7 02-22-2009, 07:38 PM

I'm sorry, but every time I read that title I think of toilet paper.

doktorfeelgood · #8 02-22-2009, 07:50 PM

I have a set of the custom fit Musician's Earplugs and I have used them for about 4 years now. I have the 15 db filter and they work really well. The only thing that I have trouble hearing somtimes is the hi-hat but if I really need to hear it, I'll just move closer to the drums. I can't get onstage without them. I also have a pair of the generic ER-20's in my gig bag and just used them this weekend for a three day recording session. They worked perfect for that. My custom fit ones would have been too much so I pulled out the ER-20's and they were just right. I needed them for when the drummer was tracking. I've been pondering the idea of getting a set of the 9 db filters for quieter situations but as long as the ER-20's work, I'll keep using those. )-(

Reynolds 101 · #9 02-25-2009, 04:32 PM

Well the Baby Blues ER-20s came in today. These things are awesome. I have normal size ears and these things fit perfectly, so Im assuming the regular ones are pretty large. They come with a nice push open case and a chain, so they can be put on a set of keys or whatever. CONVENIENT.

Anyways, I havent had a chance to try them, maybe later this week and a show saturday. I did test them with my 8x10 all the way up. They dont cut out a bunch of sound like the foam ones, just enough. And you can hear every note perfectly and clearly, so Im assuming it works great with a full band.

Man are these things a good investment for $15.