Good Ear Plugs - An Impossible Dream?

[Jim C]

I have been using the Westone TRU Universal WM25 earplugs:

TRU Universal WM25

They reduce the volume fairly evenly across the musical range. I haven't had any problem at all hearing the proper balance when I'm playing.

I've found that it helps to put them in about 10 minutes before starting to play, to become accustomed to the reduced sound level. Even normal conversation is easy to follow with them in.

They're a bit more pricey than some, but designed by a major hearing aid designer/manufacturer.

https://www.amazon.com/Hearing-Aid-...ords=TRU+Universal+WM25&qid=1574552545&sr=8-2

This looks like a good possibility.
FWIW, the filter looks different than the custom ones.
Wonder if the freq. response is the same?
They are super nice when you call there and bet they would tell you straight up.

My new job does allow for insurance coverage on items like these.
Of course, didn't have this job when I bought mine!!
I didn't mean to imply the other brands are bad or should not be used; just not the same fidelity IMO.

 

[KenB]

This looks like a good possibility.
FWIW, the filter looks different than the custom ones.
Wonder if the freq. response is the same?

I don’t know how the specifications of the Universal version of the Westones compare to the custom-molded version.

Before I bought any set of “musician’s” earplugs I did a good amount of research, and read a ton of reviews.

I was looking for at least 20dB of (honest) attenuation, with a decent preservation of full-range frequency response.
I also was hoping for plugs that were inconspicuous while wearing them.

Out of all the available brands and types the Etymotic ER-20xs and the Westone TRU Universal WM25 best met my requirements.

I tried the Etymotics first. Although they are visible when in my ears, they are less than half the price of the Westones. I found that they work well, but seem to reduce the high frequencies less than the lows. They also do NOT reduce the overall level enough for me when the music gets loud.

I bought a set of the Westone Universal WM25s. I was intending to get a set of their custom-molded plugs if the WM25s were not effective enough. Well, the WM25s really work for me! They are much more effective than the Etymotics in my ears.

I find that it takes a bit of fiddling and pushing to get the Westones properly seated in my ears, but once in place they really drop the sound level. When fully seated they drop the level like those industrial foam plugs, but the music sounds pretty normal. Like wearing closed back headphones with the volume turned down.

The coolest part is that I found I can vary the volume level very effectively by controlling how firmly I push the plugs into my ear canals!

 

[Diamond_Dave]

I've used Hearos and they seem to do okay--at $10 before discount they're probably worth a try.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hearos-high-fidelity-ear-plugs

 

[Chickenwheels]

HEAROS are worth a go. They’re not uncomfortable to me. I wear them every gig.

 

[Mr Dad G]

I went through a bunch, including earasers, etyomic, hearos, etc. In the end, I went with the Westone customs. Totally worth the $.

For universals, I’d rate the Westone universals highest. The Etyomics aren’t bad, but they seem more muffled that the Westones. I’m not a fan of the earasers. I play a weekly jam that is LOUD for about 4 hours, and while the earasers seemed ok during the sessions, I found that I still had noticeable ringing in my ears and headaches the next morning with the earasers. With the Westone universals that all went away. The Westone customs are even more effective at level reduction, and sound better than the universals, all while being more comfortable.

I'm almost positive I paid for my customs out of HSA money, but you should definitely check in to it.

 

[KenB]

In the end, I went with the Westone customs. Totally worth the $.

For universals, I’d rate the Westone universals highest. The Etyomics aren’t bad, but they seem more muffled that the Westones.

I think the Westone Universal WM25s give the most sound level reduction of any of the non-custom-molded musicians’ earplugs. I bought mine after I found the Etymotics to be not effective enough for me when things got loud. I was intending to eventually buy the custom molded Westones, but for now I find the Universals work really well.

It is interesting that Mr Dad G finds the Etymotics more muffled than the Westones. I found them to be a bit tilted up in the highs compared the Westones. Maybe that is because the Etymotics did not lower the sound level nearly as much as the WM25s for me, no matter how well I seated them in my ears. The Westones seem better balanced across the sound spectrum. I even bought a set of the -16dB ones for playing fiddle in larger Irish music sessions (sitting next to a bodhran player, and those WHISTLES...).

I now keep the Etymotics in my car and use them for movies, loud restaurants and listening to audio books while driving. Those plugs are AWESOME for any situation where you want to be able to understand speech while dropping the background noise way down. I just wouldn’t use them for a loud concert or gig.

 

[mc900ftj]

That's a tough price point. You have to go above that to get custom, and you can get decent ones for less ($20-30). I would get a few pairs of Etimotics. Keep one in your bass case and another in your car, so you are never without.

+1 Etymotics work for me. There's always a pair on my keychain.

 

[bassicmike]

So I'm curious about something. you folks who use plugs in noisy restaurants - do the plugs cut the din, but still allow you to hear conversation at the table.

My hearing is still good, but in a situation with a lot on conversational noise, things get fuzzy. Everything gets lost in the mids.

 

[KenB]

I use my Etymotic ER-20xs plugs in noisy restaurants, and in the car listening to audio books. And movies. They work really well.

They drop the background noise level AND the level of the conversation, of course, but proportionally. I have no problem understanding speech. The Etymotics actually seem to make the speech range more intelligible (sound skewed somewhat to the higher frequencies), which is one of the reasons they didn't work well enough for loud music for me.

 

[Jim C]

So I'm curious about something. you folks who use plugs in noisy restaurants - do the plugs cut the din, but still allow you to hear conversation at the table.

My hearing is still good, but in a situation with a lot on conversational noise, things get fuzzy. Everything gets lost in the mids.

The good ones do.
I think it all comes down to the amount of attenuation and at what frequencies.
The Westone customs seem to lower the overall volume of a loud rock mix but still allow for decent fidelity (not boomy bass that is dull).
Between songs with the din of a large room / club / restaurant, it does help with ineligibility.

 

[bassicmike]

I don't want to play college ball, just wanna hear.

intelligibility


i'm sorry

thanks for the response. I've ordered the WM25s. we'll see how they do.

 

[Nedmundo]

Like @KenB I've been very happy with Westones. I have the less expensive WR20, which I bought at Sam Ash last year, and they're exactly as KenB described for the WR25, with good reduction relatively evenly spread across the frequency range. With others I've tried, high end clarity suffered greatly, whether at a concert or band rehearsal/gig. With these, I get the full sonic picture. When I take them out after a concert, I'm always surprised how much they cut the volume with virtually no loss of detail.

If I'm ever in a loud band again, maybe I'll step up to the WR25s.

 

[lokikallas]

Westone molded FTW

 

[Clark Westfield]

I had a custom set made while I was at the ENT doctor for an hearing exam.

Best money spent EVER!

You’ll drop money everywhere else, good and bad purchases and never think about it.

Spend $190 at the ear doctor, your ears will thank you.

 

[wraub]

I have used these for years... I find they reduce enough to remove hearing issues and later ringing, but still allow me to hear what's going on.
Only NRR 18, but quick to react to snare hits and such... cheap, too.

Band mates who clearly can't hear as well as I are sadly amusing... Sadly.


Health Enterprises ACU-LIFE Shooter's Ear Plugs (Sonic Valve II) (NRR 18) - Universal Fit Shooting and Hunting Ear Plugs

 

[fermata]

I like the Etymotic ER-20s and used them for 20 years, but they’ve been displaced by Vibes—they’re a little clearer/more balanced-sounding. They come with three different tips, so one can get a good fit.

 

[ghostfather]

I just lost my custom molded ones (kept them on an Eargasm keyring holder) and replaced them with LOOP. I am impressed with the LOOP ear plugs, I think I like them better than the customs.

I’ve also used Eargasm and Etymotic but LOOP is fantastic

 

[ZedLepp]

I have earasers and find that they work great. Don't have to take them out to talk to people and they just take the edge off of the loudness.

 

[Skybone]

To be fair, you would need to spend more than your budget to get custom made earplugs, which would meet the requirement of being comfortable to wear, and have replacable filters which should just help cut the volume, not the frequencies you hear.

For an "off the shelf" solution, Etymotic ER20's. I find them to be really good for the band, attending gigs & other loud situations. They're OK comfort wise, not really uncomfortable, but you know you're wearing them. Easy to get a good fit though.

Someone once said it was a case of "shutting the door after the horse has bolted" with regards to having tinnitus and wanting hearing protection, but I see it as a case of not wanting to add any further damage to the hearing you have left, rather than preventing damage in the first place.

 

[Robal]

I have custom Westone plugs from an audiologist in Burbank, CA. Great thing was that she tested my hearing with and without the plugs in, to generate a printout of my hearing sensitivity across a frequency spectrum, and my hearing was virtually the same with and without plugs in -- except that with the plugs it was reduced by the rated db reduction. In other words, same sound but a lot less loud, and very comfortable. Well worth it.