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Earplugs

#4
I have been using custom plugs from an ear doctor, same as you. I’m on my second set. I believe both sets were made by Etymotic but the second set may be Westone. I can’t remember. Anyway, they’re more or less the same.

Mine initially came with 20dB filters which I found too muted. I changed them out for 15dB and that’s what I’ve used ever since (about 20 years now). They also make 9dB but those mostly only cut mids and treble and I couldn’t get used to them.

All in all, I think I hear more clearly with the 15dB filters than I do with no plugs in. They eliminate a lot of sonic clutter but they did take a few weeks to get used to.

I’m actually about ready to replace my current set. They’re starting to crack a little bit and they don’t fit as well as when they were new.
 
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#5
These. They reduce the sound level to something comfortable, with no loss in fidelity as you have with foam plugs. They do color the sound a bit, but it’s an acceptable tradeoff to ensure you’ll be able to play shows for decades to come.


Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Official Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Heartfield Club #36
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Official Pre-Gibson Tobias Owners Club
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Official Pedulla Club #45
 
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#6
WayneP said:
These. They reduce the sound level to something comfortable, with no loss in fidelity as you have with foam plugs. They do color the sound a bit, but it’s an acceptable tradeoff to ensure you’ll be able to play shows for decades to come.


Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Official Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Heartfield Club #36
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Official Pre-Gibson Tobias Owners Club
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Official Pedulla Club #45
Click to expand...
+1. I mostly refuse to play loud gigs in the first place, but when I have to, or when things escalate due to bad decisions elsewhere, those are the plugs I use, too. They do the job, and the sound is more balanced and natural than typical plugs.
 
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#9
I'm happy with Etymotic ER20's, also mentioned by Wayne. They're cheap enough that I can keep a pair in each instrument case, plus spares. I use them for playing in louder jazz gigs in including the 19-piece big band. With the exception of that band, I try to avoid loud gigs. I do take the plugs to concerts.
 
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#10
My most recent ones have been Eargasm. They’re fine but don’t believe the hype. The removal tab can be a little finicky, and I’ve had them nearly stuck to the point of needing assistance.

I used to have Etymotic ones. Also decent but not magical.

I’ve certainly used the old foam standby too.
 
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#11
I use these from Amazon because they're easy to put on and and take off.


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#12
Eardial have been my favorite OTC for a few years now, can still hear fairly clearly thru them

i’d like to try molded ones someday but don’t really do much loud stuff these days to warrant the expense.
 
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#13
Tldr; Sensaphonics 3dme.

I've tried a bunch of passive "musician" earplugs including Etymotic, Hero, Eargazm, Erasers, Vibes, Alpine and Loop. Most didn't fit very well and were either uncomfortable or just didn't stay in place well. I tried making my own custom fit ones using Radians. But the bottom line for me, was that they were almost all a complete letdown in terms of sound quality. All I could really hear was mud. My cabs over the past few years have included Fearfuls and Audiokinesis Hathor and Changelings, so I'm not lacking in upper mid or highs coming from my stage amp.

The only ones that worked- stayed in place and were comfortable enough for a whole 3hr gig were the Loop. They work at concerts, loud movie theaters, etc... But still mostly mud in front of my rig (better the further away I get from it, but it's rarely all that possible).

So I started looking into going the custom fit Westone route... But I doing complaints about losing upper mids and highs. So next I researched the Etymotic active ones. But the complains about those were frequently around lack of adjustment, or any way to adjust the eq curve to your hearing sensitivity. In one thread, somebody mentioned the 3dme by [This invalid link has been removed] system. So I figured, why not throw them more money at the problem?! I mean how much is your hearing worth, right?? $800 apparently.

But are they worth $750 more than $50 earplugs? I mean for that price, why not just put that money into a set of custom fit IEMs and a wired amplifier? The answer is simple. They're SO worth it.

I can finally hear really well -with or without a monitor mix direct into them. The key is each ear bud has a mic. The body pack has a Bluetooth app to control it. That app let's you control the mic audio level, eq the signal, and most critically for me, it has a limiter. I can now hear everything in perfect fidelity at whatever Max spl I choose. And I can hear my bandmates talking between songs without having to take out an earbud. There's a line in for a monitor mix, and if you have access to a wireless iem receiver, you can just patch it into the line in.

It's absolutely amazing. So much so, I think it's the best bass purchase I've ever made.

The only real Achilles with the setup are it dependence on an internal rechargeable battery, and the property earbuds / connector (due to the mics built into them). The stock ones are dual driver. There's a "pro" or "tour" upgrade model with quad driver buds. Sensaphonics offers custom fit gels for either model, but they just slip over the universal fit bud. So far I'm totally happy with the Comply foam, but I'm rarely doing any singing.

Sorry for the super long thread derail in which I suggest a massively more expensive solution... But it just works SO freaking well for me, I figure I should share it.
 
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#15
WayneP said:
These. They reduce the sound level to something comfortable, with no loss in fidelity as you have with foam plugs. They do color the sound a bit, but it’s an acceptable tradeoff to ensure you’ll be able to play shows for decades to come.


Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Official Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Heartfield Club #36
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Official Pre-Gibson Tobias Owners Club
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Official Pedulla Club #45
Click to expand...
I use a similar version. No more ear ringing after gigs.
 
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#16
I have a set from MEE Audio. I bought both 15db and 25db attenuators and like their design better than the etymotic and westone models - less likely to fall out. They were also a good value at $100. They already had my molds for my IEMs (which are also great) and I got the molds made locally for only $100.
 
#18
Basslordmofo said:
What's everyone's favorite earplugs these days? I had custom ear plugs made by an ear doctor in the late 90s. They were good but too quiet and too unnatural.
Has the technology improved? Looking for balanced natural sound, loud but not damaging to the ear drums.
Click to expand...
Drummer here. I suffer from tinnitus and my goal is to save as much of my hearing as possible, so I seek out this highest db reducing plugs I can find. I toggle between Radians and Mack's foam plugs. Bass players hate me because I can't hear a word they're saying between songs when they want to complain that I'm not playing 'Somebody's Baby' right. (Really? C'mon pal.) But I've often wondered if there are alternatives that will protect my hearing as effectively as the above, but still allow some clarity and be able to converse between songs.
 
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#20
I use IEMs for my band's gigs so I only used earplugs at rehearsals or if I'm going to see a particularly loud gig/concert. I've been though a number of earplugs over the years and I rotate between my (very) old customer moulds for extreme volume reduction, earasers and Loop Switch.

More recently I've been experimenting with my Airpod Pro's in transparency mode as they have a limiter set to 85db. They work surprisingly well and a lot clearer than any earplug I've tried, but if I've standing too close to my bass speaker, it heavily affects it.

Several people I know use a Zoom H2 mounted to a mix stand and plug their IEMs straight into them. I'm intrigued to try this solution.
 

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