Bought earplugs don't know if they're good or not

[Tamz]

I bought some ear plugs yesterday they're high fidelity ear plugs, with 12db of protection. I don't know if these are the best ones I can get, the guy at the store said after 15db or so they don't sound that great I checked out all the other stores they don't seem to have any high fidelity ones other than the 12db's. All the stores sell the Hearos brand ones too, I don't know if anyone's used this brand but please tell me what you think of them if you have.

What I'm basically asking would 12dbs be enough for a 5piece rock band, we stuff like tool, metallica, nirvana, guns n roses etc and some soft stuff.

Set up is two guitars, drums, vocals and me of course bass

[tplyons]

I wear 31 dB ear plugs for everything from practicing, to concerts, to riding my motorcycle.

Hearos are great earplugs. I loved my pair so much that I wrote the president, and he sent me an entire CASE of disposables as a sign of appreciation.

12 dB isn't much hearing protection at all. Think this way: rock concerts tend to be around 115 dB or more. 90 dB is where you begin to experience hearing loss due to extended exposure. Do the math... 103 dB is still damaging.

No less than 30 dB goes in my ears.

As far as sound goes, as a bassist, the more muffled the better... blocks out the highs so I can hear myself in the pocket better, and the drums without the annoying wailing of the guitard.

[illmusician]

I disagree with tplyons on this, I use similar db reduction with hi fidelity plugs. 90% of the time they are fine and mine were custom fitted in an audiologists office, he recommended the 12 db's I bought 9, 15 and 21 db knowing i would have different situations but I have yet to use the 21 db's. I have my ears checked 3 times a year. 115 db at a rock concert is a little outrageous at a particular peak maybe. The main thing with ear plugs is reducing Sound pressure levels SPL in the ear canal caused by it being open to the environment.
as far as saying "the more muffled the better" umm I guess he never sings, but clarity to me is high on my list of priorities to hearing.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by illmusician

I disagree with tplyons on this, I use similar db reduction with hi fidelity plugs. 90% of the time they are fine and mine were custom fitted in an audiologists office, he recommended the 12 db's I bought 9, 15 and 21 db knowing i would have different situations but I have yet to use the 21 db's. I have my ears checked 3 times a year. 115 db at a rock concert is a little outrageous at a particular peak maybe. The main thing with ear plugs is reducing Sound pressure levels SPL in the ear canal caused by it being open to the environment.
as far as saying "the more muffled the better" umm I guess he never sings, but clarity to me is high on my list of priorities to hearing.

Nope, no singing out of me, but in that situation, I would reconsider my hearing situation.

Ideally, I'd love to get custom molded plugs with filters ranging from 9 dB all the way up to ~ 30 dB reduction.

[thesteve]

The Hearos 12db rating is an interesting one. They cut about 12-15db at 125 Hz, but because they attenuate more evenly than other earplugs, this varies across frequencies. At 8000 Hz they cut as much as 27.2db.

[xgator4u]

I dunno but HI-FI/Ear PLUGS just seems like a contradiction in terms. I wear ear plugs to reduce/eliminate as much of the distracting, and annoying ( such as the afore mentioned guitard)as possible. All I want to hear is just enough to know what is going on,and no more.
12db why bother?

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by xgator4u

I dunno but HI-FI/Ear PLUGS just seems like a contradiction in terms. I wear ear plugs to reduce/eliminate as much of the distracting, and annoying ( such as the afore mentioned guitard)as possible. All I want to hear is just enough to know what is going on,and no more.
12db why bother?

Because of the way the Hearos HiFi plugs work, you end up with higher attenuation in the upper frequencies (1K-8K Hz) and less attenuation in the <500 Hz range. It really helps to cut down the annoying high-end wash of the guitars and cymbals while letting the low end cut through better.

Now if what you want is to turn everything around you into a muddy, yet quiet, mess, then the Hearos Hifi plugs aren't for you.

Also just a FYI for anyone who's looked into earplugs before, the Hearos HIFI plugs are identical (unless something has changed) to the Etymotic Research ER-20. While the NRR on these plugs is 12db, clinical tests apparently have shown overall attenuation to be closer to 20db.

[Jazzdogg]

Pardon me for stating the obvious, but you have to insert earplugs properly; if you just shove 'em in your ear canals, they may not be particularly effective.

[doktorfeelgood]

I've been using the Etymotic Research custom fitted earplugs with the 15 db fliters onstage for about 4 years now. I won't go onstge without them and I also always take them to concerts. I also keep a pair of the generic ER-20 Hi Fi earplugs as spares in my gig bag. Anybody that plays in a band needs to really pay attention to hearing protection. )-(

[doktorfeelgood]

Originally Posted by Tamz

I bought some ear plugs yesterday they're high fidelity ear plugs, with 12db of protection. I don't know if these are the best ones I can get, the guy at the store said after 15db or so they don't sound that great I checked out all the other stores they don't seem to have any high fidelity ones other than the 12db's. All the stores sell the Hearos brand ones too, I don't know if anyone's used this brand but please tell me what you think of them if you have.

What I'm basically asking would 12dbs be enough for a 5piece rock band, we stuff like tool, metallica, nirvana, guns n roses etc and some soft stuff.

Set up is two guitars, drums, vocals and me of course bass

12 db is better than nothing but if your band really cranks, you need to look into the custom fitted earplugs where you can swap out the filters for higher levels of attenuation.
Check this link...http://www.hear-more.com/musician.htm
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