earplugs question again

[varunkapahi]

which ONE of these would be the best?
http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?q=...er&form=search
i want as much flat frequency reduction in volume so i should go for the Hearos High Fidelity Ear Plugs but would a 12dB net-reduction be good enough or one would normally need around 25-30dB reduction in volume for most averagely loud pub gigs with house PA systems

[varunkapahi]

bump!

[Deacon_Blues]

15dB reduction is very common. 25-30dB is often unnecessary. The brand I own (Elacin, custom-moulded) sells plugs with 9, 15 and 25 dB filters. Mine have the 15dB filters, which has always provided enough reduction for me. I have even thought of buying the 9dB filters for those instances I think mine dampen the sound too much....

I would say try the high fidelity plugs with 12dB reduction. They should be OK in most cases, and as I said in the other thread, any earplugs are better for your ears than no earplugs....

Of course you can say it's better to have plugs that reduce too much than too little, but then again they often tempt you to turn up the volume. I've once heard a funny story about a guy studying guitar playing in a music institute, and when he practiced in his room there at the school, he always wore a pair of those ear protectors used a lot in the industry (the ones that look like headphones, I don't know the english word for them). The ones who lived at the same place always complained he turned up his 100W full Marshall stack to max volume when he practiced his shredding...

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I like ER-20s.

But, if you want the best fidelity, you'll want to spend more than that and go for custom molded musicians plugs.

[varunkapahi]

so in your opinion 12db reduction would do fine?

[theshadow2001]

They seem to be cheap just buy a few different pairs and see what works for you

[varunkapahi]

just bumping to get more views on the question "would 12db NRR be safe enough at most mid sized gigs?"

[Deacon_Blues]

I think so. But it all really depends on how loud you're playing. If you can't stand the sound level at all without earplugs, 12dB reduction is likely to little...

That said, I haven't yet been to a concert where my 15dB plugs wouldn't have been enough....

[Mcrelly]

I recommend these http://www.zzounds.com/item--HEA211 off of zzounds. they're similar to er20's and reusable.

ALOT better than foam because they cut frequencies more evenly, high and low, than foam does.