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$20 vs $200 earplugs. What's the difference?

M

MusicMan01

Jun 27, 2008
19
0
#1
Since I started playing with my band and the constant fight with the guitar to turn it down, I use earplugs.

So I have been wearing these earplugs twice that I bought at a local drugstore for like $5.

I see in the forums people talk about Sonic earplugs for like $20. I guess these are just like mine, but probably the material from which is made is way much better. I am pretty sure I will buy those and use from now on.

I see these Atrio earplugs that cost like $200. Wow, that's a lot of dough for some earplugs. I think they are in-ear monitors, but I am not sure what that is. And it has a phone jack at the end of the cable. For what?

How do you use these things and why are they so expensive?
 
#3
Sound like in ear monitors to me if their that much and have the audio jack on them.

I use Vic Furth Earplugs that my drummer recommended. Their $20, soft silicone with 2 different filters, little wire to connect them together and a good carrying case that fits right in side pocket in my bass case.
 
#4
MusicMan01 said:
I think they are in-ear monitors, but I am not sure what that is. And it has a phone jack at the end of the cable. For what?
Click to expand...

They are what the say they are. They're monitors that go in your ears. Instead of using floor monitors you use these. As an added bonus they help save your hearing. Most of the time I've seen people use them they use them with wireless belt packs, it would be a bit odd to be wired with these, I can't imagine the extension needed.
 
#6
I've had both. I lost my custom earplugs 1.5 years ago so I've been using Hearos from GC (a.k.a Etymotic ER20B Link Removed) after that as I didn't want to spend so much money until AES is back in the Bay Area where they have deals making custom earplugs (here in October!).

Anyway, for me they are roughly the same, the custom ones look more natural unless you look straight inside the ear. Otherwise, if I again lose the ear plugs, it's a $15 dollar reinvestment. The Etymotics also seems to get dirty and even after cleanup I think the filters are muddy so I replace them every three months or so.

Either one is in my humble opinion the first thing a musician should purchase, even before an instrument. If you want to play music, you better take care of your ears, otherwise there are serious problems in later age, resulting in my musicianship -- and that's sad.
 
#8
i use hearos..they were like $15 at guitar center. i dont like the cheap foam ones from drugstores. with the $15 ones, i can litterally hear my guitarist talking, over the entire band playing. its also great for singing, you can actually hear yourself..
 
#10
I have been using various cheaper earplugs for some time, and I just can't get on with the muffled sound. So I am considering going the custom route with specialized filters.

My guitarist has just had some made and he says they are incredible, you can hear every detail, with the same response as without them, just a lot quieter.

They will cost in the region of £150. Lets face it, that is a lot of money, but I don't think you can put a price on your hearing, once it's damaged, that's it.

It also got me thinking, how many of us wear glasses? We don't think twice about spending a small fortune on quality lenses, and designer frames, but our ears get overlooked somewhat!
 
#12
SteveC said:
The $20 ones don't let the entire frequency spectrum through. It sounds muffled. The more expensive one's sound like it does without earplugs - just softer.
Click to expand...

Hearoes, or Etymotic has the same frequency response as the custom earplugs. The only difference is that the custom ones might have a tighter fitting in the ear, resulting in better responses, but otherwise you should have no problems with the $15 ones. These are far better than earplugs designed for loud machines and so on.

In addition, you actually start hearing small nuances that are usually drowned in the loud volume, such as cymbal clashes, so you could actually play more accurately using musician earplugs, believe it or not (or test this out.)
 
#14
lomo said:
I find Hearos and Etymotics uncomfortable, and prefer the Skull Screws from MuFr. Cheap and effective, but they do affect pitch.
Click to expand...

Are you sure? I don't think that is possible.

ksandvik said:
Hearoes, or Etymotic has the same frequency response as the custom earplugs. The only difference is that the custom ones might have a tighter fitting in the ear, resulting in better responses, but otherwise you should have no problems with the $15 ones. These are far better than earplugs designed for loud machines and so on.

In addition, you actually start hearing small nuances that are usually drowned in the loud volume, such as cymbal clashes, so you could actually play more accurately using musician earplugs, believe it or not (or test this out.)
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what brand I have. Maybe I'll have to give one of these a try. I know my current one's are very muffled. I should just get custom plugs made.....
 
#15
It does not hurt to try Hearoes, $15 at any Guitar Center, or you could sometimes even get them cheaper at bigger Walmarts and similar places. I must say after using those nearly every second evening and weekends for months now, I don't even notice them being in place. I notice the difference after the gig, really glad I didn't put all that dB pressure on my poor ears, especially playing close to a drummer, would never do that without hearing protection, never!

Anyway, custom earplugs are good, too, but you pay much more for them.
 
#18
I've had $200 custom-molded earplugs, 30-cent foam plugs, and everything in between. My all-time favorites are these:

getpic.jpg


Unfortunately, they only make that style in black now. My store of "flesh"-colored ones has been gradually disappearing over the last year and I'm down to my last pair. I'm determined not to lose them! lol
 
#20
MusicMan01 said:
I see these Atrio earplugs that cost like $200. Wow, that's a lot of dough for some earplugs. I think they are in-ear monitors, but I am not sure what that is. And it has a phone jack at the end of the cable. For what?
Click to expand...

I might be missing something here, but I think your describing 'ear PHONES' here not ear plugs. A Monitor speaker is a speaker that is designed to not enhance a particular tonal range etc. A monitor should not colour your sound. They are good for recording and hearing what you sound like.

The phone jack is to plug into the source of your sound that your monitoring :)
 

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