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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs
- Thread starter Boplicity
- Start date
I bought a pair of Westone custom earplugs in 1999. Used them religiously. When I moved to the country in 2006, I had to mow acres of weeds in the springtime to remove fire fuel and cover for rattlesnakes. The powerful mower is quite loud, so I wore the Westones underneath full-cover muffs designed for reducing gunfire noise. About two years ago I lost one of the Westones when removing them in a field and couldn't find it. Anyway, I went to the audiologist and had molds poured for a new set. When the new plugs arrived, I discovered the old Westone slipped around my ear canal compared to the tight fit of the new plugs. It was pretty obvious that either my ear canals had changed shape or the old plugs had shrunk. I'm betting it was a combination of the two. So the lesson here is if you have old custom plugs, you might consider having the audiologist check them for fit. If they've loosened up, you are not getting the protection you may think you have. Having to replace old plugs every five years or so is not a big expense for saving your ears!
A few weeks ago I finally caved in and bought myself a set of Etymotic ER-20 plugs. Best $12 I ever spent! Makes me wonder why I didn't do it sooner. It doesn't do a thing for my tinnitus, but I no longer get nauseous from loud stage volume. I can actually sing backup vocals on key, and I still hear everything clearly, just not as loud. The important thing is that I'm preserving what hearing I have left. I'm trying to get my bandmates to wear hearing protection, but they're old school, so it's a tough sell.
My ears have been ringing for 2 years now. As soon as the ringing didn't not stop after a day or two, I got custom molded ear plug. In my case, the drummer is more to blame than the guitar player. Its is slowly going worse, even with the plug.
Anyhow, I don't know if its a hoax, but there is this Osteopathycian (not sure about the exact word) around here, a friend of a friend consulted her for severe tinintinus. She was able to stop her ears-ringing for a couple of days and with repeated treatment, she claim to be able to partially heal tinintinus.
I still haven't tried, but as anybody heard of something like that?
Anyhow, I don't know if its a hoax, but there is this Osteopathycian (not sure about the exact word) around here, a friend of a friend consulted her for severe tinintinus. She was able to stop her ears-ringing for a couple of days and with repeated treatment, she claim to be able to partially heal tinintinus.
I still haven't tried, but as anybody heard of something like that?
This is fantastic advice! I have yet to get custom plugs, mostly because I have been pleased with the Etymotics and the other musician-type plugs.
But the issue you cite above is one reason that I prefer the foam jobs for non-musical noise (and I often use them for music, too). You roll them up in your fingers and when they expand in your ear canal you can really feel and hear the seal develop over a minute or two. 32 dB is plenty for amplified music and lawnmower noise, so the drug store foam plugs are often my go-to solution. I keep extras so I can share.
--Steve
Intering that you bring this up. I was at the audiologist picking up these this morning....
While sitting in the waiting room, I was reading a couple of articles about tinnitus.
One of the treatments has proven to give some people relief but it is not what you think.
Speaking with a tremendous amount of ignorance, it appears the treatment consists of retraining your brain to process the sound and not be miserable. The article explained it as getting used to a loud fridge. After a while your brain learns to tune it out. I read nothing to indicate that hearing could be truly repaired.
It's called Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. You're put on a white noise generator that is customized to certain frequencies. Treatment can take from 1-2 years. 4-6 hours per day. There has been a number of studies that indicate this does offer permanent relief to most that stick it out. Again, this seems to be masking the issue and retraining your brain. It's not a cure, per se.
I consider myself blessed that I dont have it. My age and common sense have won out over the alleged un-cool factor, hence the purchase. And our stage and practice volumes are reasonable. Figured that I should set an example for the young pups.
It's called TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus_retraining_therapy
--Steve
I bought some Shure SE215 in-ears with foam plugs.
They are great for isolating outside noise. What I did
was, I bought a small 4 channel mixer. I put my bass
into it and out to the PA and stage amp. I use the
mixers' headphone output to hear myself. The
in-ears do a great job of taming the drum volume,
and I can hear the rest of the band fine, just at a
greatly reduced level. But now I'm concerned about
hearing my own bass in my ears constantly.
Probably won't help my tinnitus even though I'm getting
a break from the loud cymbals and snare.
They are great for isolating outside noise. What I did
was, I bought a small 4 channel mixer. I put my bass
into it and out to the PA and stage amp. I use the
mixers' headphone output to hear myself. The
in-ears do a great job of taming the drum volume,
and I can hear the rest of the band fine, just at a
greatly reduced level. But now I'm concerned about
hearing my own bass in my ears constantly.
Probably won't help my tinnitus even though I'm getting
a break from the loud cymbals and snare.
Thats not what I was talking about. Sorry I have trouble describing it (my english is not that good).
According to the friend of my friend that experienced it, the Osteopathycian did "something weird" with her neck and head for a while. She got extremely dizzy for 10-15 minutes and the tinnitus was completely gone (and gradually came back over the next week)
I have trouble believing it, but if I can get an appointement, i'll probably give it a try anyway.
You can ask that a string be inserted into each ear plug so you can take them out and they will hang around your neck. Makes them very difficult to lose and easy to remove one if you need hear something in between songs.
Also, you can ask for a solid ear plug (no db sound filter) for a lot less $$.
I have both types (filtered/solid). It's the solid ones I use most because I can still hear enough and get more ear protection.
Everybody is right on it about ear plugs. I used to be part of the I'm Too Cool For Ear Plugs club but then two things happened. Actually three: I got older, I found a great drummer that actually played quietly. Amazingly quiet. And most recently, I became deaf. I didn't loose my hearing from loud music. I lost it to ototoxicity. That's medicine that is known to cause loss of hearing. It doesn't affect everyone and there are hundreds of drugs known to cause it. The hearing loss may or may not be permanent. I suspect my case is not permanent tho I do not expect a full recovery. After a gig in a neighboring town, I was t-boned on the highway. I woke up 3 months later having been on antibiotics the whole time. That and pain pills and hi blood pressure medicine are all known to cause ototoxicity. But they keep you alive so... Yeah. As I am slowly regaining some hearing, I of course cannot wait to play again but with the damage already done and the fact that loud sounds after ototoxicity can continue or increase the loss of hearing, I will do everything possible to protect my ears. My thoughts are that many musicians may attribute their loss of some hearing to the loud music, when it very well could be due to prescribed medicine. Google it. There is quite a bit of research online. If you suspect you may have it, see a doctor and then see an audiologist. Then protect your ears with good plugs or play quieter! (Yeah, guitar players and drummers are stubborn, I know). And if you are ever sent to a hospital, make sure someone else will tell the doctors that you are a musician and IF possible, to keep that in mind when prescribing known ototoxic drugs.
Side note: soft gig bags will not protect your favorite jazz bass when they have to cut you out of a van.
Side note: soft gig bags will not protect your favorite jazz bass when they have to cut you out of a van.
Thank you all for your contributions in this sticky. After reading this thread, I ordered a pair of Hearos that arrived just in time for my first band practice that wasn't supposed to be loud. It was loud as HECK with a heavy hitting drummer and two guitars with their combos cranked to the point they were fighting feedback.
Unlike the foam plugs I have been wearing to concerts and tractor pulls (yes, I'm in the south), the Hearos let me hear across the frequency range and I was able to sing without trouble. Best ten bucks I've ever spent!
The other guys are old enough to be past the "too cool" stage, at 45 and 55, but no; they won't wear earplugs. Pity the fool!
Unlike the foam plugs I have been wearing to concerts and tractor pulls (yes, I'm in the south), the Hearos let me hear across the frequency range and I was able to sing without trouble. Best ten bucks I've ever spent!
The other guys are old enough to be past the "too cool" stage, at 45 and 55, but no; they won't wear earplugs. Pity the fool!
I worked around riveters in aeroplanes for a while, as in under a month, and took extra hearing protection precautions, but before you knew it my ears were ringing constantly. I practiced sitting quietly and relaxing, and focusing on lowering the "EQ slider" of the ringing mentally, which I know sounds absolutely bats***, but it helped. I spent probably an hour a day at first focusing on being calm and "lowering the ringing", trying to mentally talk my brain into turning those frequencies down.
Now maybe it was the cancerous chemicals I was sprayed with while working there leaving my system, or a miracle, but its possible the practice actually helped because after about a year and and a half the ringing was gone.
Looking cool is one thing, but not being able to hear over the ring of your own head doesn't make anyone look like Fonzi.
Now maybe it was the cancerous chemicals I was sprayed with while working there leaving my system, or a miracle, but its possible the practice actually helped because after about a year and and a half the ringing was gone.
Looking cool is one thing, but not being able to hear over the ring of your own head doesn't make anyone look like Fonzi.
This is not crazy. I remember reading this article a while back:
http://www.newscientist.com/article...ng-for-tinnitus-reverses-ringing-in-ears.html
And this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
--Steve
I've been using the off-the-shelf Etymotic ER-20s for several years, and decided to go for custom plugs. So I went to a local ENT office and had the impressions made.
My original plan was to have ETY ER-15s made; Etymotic has you send the impressions to ACS in New York. But then I saw ACS has its own line of plugs and I started wondering about alternatives like the ACS Pro 17.
Any advice or user experience much appreciated!
My original plan was to have ETY ER-15s made; Etymotic has you send the impressions to ACS in New York. But then I saw ACS has its own line of plugs and I started wondering about alternatives like the ACS Pro 17.
Any advice or user experience much appreciated!
Hi, when people talk about ER20s, that's the generic name, right?
I just got some Elacin ER20s, white. It came in a nice leatherish pouch and cord.
Have been using them over the last couple of rehearsal in studio with full stage volume; so far so good. I bit tight in my ears. The end of the earplugs comes out of my ears like Frankenstein, but that's all right, I can live with it until I can afford the custom ones.
I just got some Elacin ER20s, white. It came in a nice leatherish pouch and cord.
Have been using them over the last couple of rehearsal in studio with full stage volume; so far so good. I bit tight in my ears. The end of the earplugs comes out of my ears like Frankenstein, but that's all right, I can live with it until I can afford the custom ones.
I just (last week) picked up some Earasers and thought I'd offer up my impressions here. This is after all, the thread that lead me to want to protect my hearing!
I put the Earasers in in the car before I even left the parking-lot, hoping that I could get a good impression of how "hi fi" they actually are from the stereo. They are supposed to give a flat frequency response, which means cutting the high-mids, and some of the highs more so than the lower frequencies. They did feel a little weird when I first put them in, but I'm not at all accustomed to having anything in my ear canal, so that was to be expected. Not so much uncomfortable, definitely not painful...just weird.
I turned on the stereo and was quite surprised at the clarity. The frequency response seems to be exactly as advertised, and I could actually hear the lows and highs better than without them. I first listened to the local alternative station, then turned on Primus (Sailing the Seas of Cheese to be exact), and everything was distinct and clear. The real magic came when I decided to crank the stereo... The lows, low-,mids, and high-highs got slightly louder, but the range they cut the most didn't seem to change at all. I turned the stereo up to maximum volume with the windows up and found myself listening clearly at a comfortable level. I drove home with them in and was also happy with the fact that they cut out most of the wind and road noise. I could hear my stereo with the windows down on the freeway at what to me was a comfortable level. Awesome!
I then played two gigs with them. Same effect. Everything was clear...to the point that it sounded more like playing in a studio than on a live stage. This did make it harder to "get into it," but the clarity in the low end caused me to play tighter than usual. The kick drum was amazingly clear, as was the bass! Every instrument and all of the vocals came through at a comfortable level and with great definition and separation. Again, it sounded like playing in a studio.
During my second gig with them I ended up removing them before I walked off stage for a break. Our singer was doing an acoustic-song at this point and I was surprised at the deafening level of the on-stage monitors and subsequently, the house music. I ended up leaving them in for the rest of the night, and outside of hearing my own voice above everything else (think talking with your fingers in your ears) I had no problem holding conversations and knowing what was going on around me. I highly recommend these for comfort, clarity, and price point. I paid $40.00 and couldn't be happier.
Please note that I have read reviews where people absolutely hated these plugs. Everyone is different and I cannot guarantee that they will work as well for you as they did for me. Also: I wouldn't try to do a FOH mix, or any mixing actually, with them in. They do alter the EQ curve at which you hear, so you will not get the "true sound" that everyone without these plugs is getting. Otherwise: Simply wonderful!
I put the Earasers in in the car before I even left the parking-lot, hoping that I could get a good impression of how "hi fi" they actually are from the stereo. They are supposed to give a flat frequency response, which means cutting the high-mids, and some of the highs more so than the lower frequencies. They did feel a little weird when I first put them in, but I'm not at all accustomed to having anything in my ear canal, so that was to be expected. Not so much uncomfortable, definitely not painful...just weird.
I turned on the stereo and was quite surprised at the clarity. The frequency response seems to be exactly as advertised, and I could actually hear the lows and highs better than without them. I first listened to the local alternative station, then turned on Primus (Sailing the Seas of Cheese to be exact), and everything was distinct and clear. The real magic came when I decided to crank the stereo... The lows, low-,mids, and high-highs got slightly louder, but the range they cut the most didn't seem to change at all. I turned the stereo up to maximum volume with the windows up and found myself listening clearly at a comfortable level. I drove home with them in and was also happy with the fact that they cut out most of the wind and road noise. I could hear my stereo with the windows down on the freeway at what to me was a comfortable level. Awesome!
I then played two gigs with them. Same effect. Everything was clear...to the point that it sounded more like playing in a studio than on a live stage. This did make it harder to "get into it," but the clarity in the low end caused me to play tighter than usual. The kick drum was amazingly clear, as was the bass! Every instrument and all of the vocals came through at a comfortable level and with great definition and separation. Again, it sounded like playing in a studio.
During my second gig with them I ended up removing them before I walked off stage for a break. Our singer was doing an acoustic-song at this point and I was surprised at the deafening level of the on-stage monitors and subsequently, the house music. I ended up leaving them in for the rest of the night, and outside of hearing my own voice above everything else (think talking with your fingers in your ears) I had no problem holding conversations and knowing what was going on around me. I highly recommend these for comfort, clarity, and price point. I paid $40.00 and couldn't be happier.
Please note that I have read reviews where people absolutely hated these plugs. Everyone is different and I cannot guarantee that they will work as well for you as they did for me. Also: I wouldn't try to do a FOH mix, or any mixing actually, with them in. They do alter the EQ curve at which you hear, so you will not get the "true sound" that everyone without these plugs is getting. Otherwise: Simply wonderful!
Hey, thanks for the post about Earasers. I didn't know about them.
The tax man cleaned me out pretty good, so I have to hold off a few weeks on the custom plugs. Ordered a pair of the Earasers on Amazon, for the meantime.
The tax man cleaned me out pretty good, so I have to hold off a few weeks on the custom plugs. Ordered a pair of the Earasers on Amazon, for the meantime.
