Ear Plugs

[I am Soma]

good morning all,
has anyone found any good reusable ear plugs for practice/live shows? im currently using some reusable plugs i get from my father that the his linemen use and they work great for protecting my ears but probably not the best fidelity. anything youve found that you dig, other than custom, would be greatly appreciated

 

[Twocan]

Go to an audiologist and get some Westone Molds made. You can then use your choice of filter in them, or even IEM. The filters do not muffle noise, they just turn it down. My only gripe, as with all ear plugs, is that it's had to sing with them in.

 

[hover]

I've been using the Etymotic earplugs for a couple years now. They maintain practically full audio fidelity, yet knock the noise level down 22-24db. 10-12 bucks a pair. They saved my ears from being 'dead' in 20 minutes next to crash cymbals and volume-war divas.

http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409665554&sr=8-1&keywords=etymotic earplugs

 

[Lebowsky]

the kind hover said!

 

[Ritchie_Darling]

I have a pair of these: Invalid Link Removed

Work like a charm!

Although, I am sure they were cheaper when I bought them.

 

[RoadRanger]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hearos-high-fidelity-series-long-term-earplugs-1-pair

 

[Crazy_Jake]

I've been using "Ear Peace" ear plugs for a few months now and they are working great. They where designed to not negatively effect the sound of live music - I got my pair from a local distributor for $15

 

[socialleper]

I have a pair of these: Invalid Link Removed

Work like a charm!

Although, I am sure they were cheaper when I bought them.

+1 for the Vater earplugs. They are durable, washable, come with a nice case, and attenuate all frequencies evenly so it doesn't just sound like you have head stuffed in a pillow.

 

[McFarlin]

I wonder how different are these $12-20 music store earplugs from the 3m plugs of identical shape found at a hardware store.

 

[I am Soma]

thanks all!

 

[delta7fred]

the kind hover said!

+1

Another vote for Etymotic.

 

[Ewo]

Here's a TB sticky for ya:
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/hearing-loss-and-ear-plugs.3743/

I used the foam ear plugs for a long while (back then there wasn't much else available), but they're suboptimal regarding the mix you perceive and the occlusion effect if you sing. Switched to the ETY ER-20s--much better, regarding both those things--and then saved up the bucks for a pair of custom molded plugs. The ACS Pro-17s work very well for me. Deets in that thread.

 

[Lo-E]

I've been using custom molds for about 10 years and have never looked back. My first set were Etymotic, my current set are Westone. They're nearly identical and they use the same inserts, which are available in 20, 15 or 9 dB attenuation.

The ETY, Hearos and Vaters work almost as well for about 1/10th the price. I'm not about to give up my custom molds any time soon, but I must admit that these others are pretty darn good.

 

[I am Soma]

thanks again everyone

 

[hover]

I wonder how different are these $12-20 music store earplugs from the 3m plugs of identical shape found at a hardware store.

They work on a totally different noise reduction scheme. The 3m ones are just a molded plug with a finned fit and no hollow/ tuned channel and are meant to be disposable. They knock db by blocking sound. The 10-12 dollar+ plugs have an audio attenuation scheme engineered in, with a fidelity & db reduction end-goal, at the core of the design.

 

[Mr_Martin]

Shure SE215
They are the cheapest in the pro-line and are great for bass:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Rick Auricchio]

I've been using the Etymotic earplugs for a couple years now.
http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Earplugs/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409665554&sr=8-1&keywords=etymotic earplugs

Same here, but I mainly use mine when attending shows played by other bands! Often we're on the deck of a small restaurant, 15 feet from the guitar amplifier.

 

[themark1]

hey you can select Phillips company for best quality .

 

[MrLenny1]

Hearos.

 

[ggunn]

I have custom earplugs that I use sometimes, but I have a couple of problems with them. One is that if I sing with them in, my voice in my head is so much louder I have trouble hearing anything else.

The other is that their attenuation rolls off pretty steeply for low frequencies. All the frequency plots I have seen for them stop around 100-150Hz; there's a reason for that.