On Stage Ear Protectors?

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Looking for recommendations for good ear protectors for use on stage.

Hoping to find something effective, discreet, and that allows the user to hear the music without muffling or coloration.

Though I perform either solo or in a small acoustic ensemble I've noticed that our stage + venue volume (especially at rowdy venues) can get loud enough to make my ears ring for a few hours after the gig. As a result I'd like to start using ear protection (he said at age 56, years after he should have started wearing ear protection! )

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Ed-in-Ohio

Looking for recommendations for good ear protectors for use on stage.

Hoping to find something effective, discreet, and that allows the user to hear the music without muffling or coloration.

Though I perform either solo or in a small acoustic ensemble I've noticed that our stage + venue volume (especially at rowdy venues) can get loud enough to make my ears ring for a few hours after the gig. As a result I'd like to start using ear protection (he said at age 56, years after he should have started wearing ear protection! )

Hi E-i-O
We carry Etymotic earplugs to the show, to concerts, and I wear them on loud stages (if we are not using in-ear monitors). If we are wearing in-ear monitors, then they manage the stage volumes well.

The thing I like about the Etymotic is they are pyramid shaped and you can vary how tightly you insert them, and they don't seem to affect frequency greatly. Much better than construction ear plugs or gun plugs.

[nunocasais]

Since you would like to reduce the amount of volume, though you want to hear whats's on stage, and assuming you are a musician, why don't you go to IEM's ( In Ear Monitoring System?
I jumped to that and every day i am even more satisfied with the investment.

I was always feeling my ears buzzing, because of the croud + stage big, big volume. Eveytime you raise your monitors or wedges to hear yourself, the croud needs to speak louder, and so on. This, assuming you play on small venues, mostly indoors.
Of course these earplugs are cheap and effective. But you will realize you will want to hear you a bit more.
Sennheiser EW300 the best choice.

[Mobilemike]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

[size=2]Hi E-i-O
We carry Etymotic earplugs to the show, to concerts, and I wear them on loud stages (if we are not using in-ear monitors). If we are wearing in-ear monitors, then they manage the stage volumes well.

The thing I like about the Etymotic is they are pyramid shaped and you can vary how tightly you insert them, and they don't seem to affect frequency greatly. Much better than construction ear plugs or gun plugs.

I have a set of the Etymotics Larry mentioned that live on my keychain and go everywhere with me, no matter where I am. Hearing protection is super important and these are great little plugs. They fit in my ears tightly, and have a decent sound.

These Dubs are cool too:
http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Filte.../dp/B00NW1IZ5Q
They sound nice; the main reason I carry the Etymotics instead of the Dubs is because the carrying case fits better on my keychain.

I also have a set of Etymotic Musicians earplugs for more critical work. They are custom molded to fit your ears, and are considerably more expensive than the others, however they feel amazing and sound totally natural:
http://www.etymotic.com/erme.html

-Mike

[kurth83]

I carry the cheap Howard Leight MAX UF earplugs with me wherever I go. They used to be the most common plug around, very basic and cheap. I bought a box of 200 pairs once for $30, that's a lifetime supply. I have pairs stashed everywhere so I never go into a room with a PA without them. I end up using them routinely whenever something gets too loud.

They don't stop all sound like a wax plug would, just reduce it. They roll off the top-end a bit more than the low end, but that's what you want for ear protection, since damage is more from high frequencies. Even with the slightly muffed sound I can have a conversation with them in. I have used them on stage with a loud acoustic drummer and they were adequate for that, although a little more cut would have been nice.

That said there are more hi-fi options available as others have mentioned.

[jricc]

I have the Etymotics as well and they are good earplugs. I just recently got these http://www.amazon.com/EarPeace-High-.../dp/B00FQSDN96 and they are even more comfortable. Just a thought

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Thanks for the replies. I just ordered these based on the reviews and the fact that they are so low profile: Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs

If these don't work well for me I'll try Etymotics.

Thanks.

[speed12]

I see you've already ordered some, but custom ear plugs are well worth a look if you think you will be wearing them a lot. A set of clear plugs will be incredibly discreet and much more comfortable.

I use a pair of ACS Pro 17s when I doing sound-engineering work and need to be up on stage (or if I go to a gig to be honest). They have filters in which attenuate all frequencies equally so it's not all muffled. They are basically ace.

(Just to put it out there, no affiliation at all - just a happy customer!!)

[doublescale1]

I spent the $200.00 on Westone custom molded ear plugs:
http://www.westone.com
The best two hundred bucks I ever spent on gear. You can put different level sound filters in them -9/-15/-25 db. Since they go down into your ear canal, you don't get that "plug your ears with your fingers or foam plugs" blanket between you and the sound source. These really are just like turning the volume down and retaining full frequency natural sound that your used to hearing. Since I usually stand on our drummers left, I'm next to his crash cymbal, I use the -15 or -25 filter in my right ear, and the -9db filter in my left ear away from him. Makes it a lot easier to stay 'connected" to the environment. Weston now makes the molds from your ears compatible with many In-Ear-Monitor drivers if your using those. Otherwise, go for their "DefendEar" Recreational product line, the Concert ear plugs, are what I have described. Live to mix another day musicians - protect your ears.

[dberkowitz]

There are a number of good monitoring earplugs. The Etymotics are great for most people, but unfortunately for me who has both narrow ear canals and TMJ, I can't use them or most ear buds that go into the canal because they put too much pressure on my ears.

The Westones are very good, as are Ultimate Ears, both of whom offer custom molded in ear plugs as well as IEMS. The trick is though, if you're going to go with custom molds is that your ears change over time so you need to replace them every couple of years because they won't fit as well.

Ultimate Ears

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Originally Posted by Ed-in-Ohio

Thanks for the replies. I just ordered these based on the reviews and the fact that they are so low profile: Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs

If these don't work well for me I'll try Etymotics.

Thanks.

Well, the Eargasms worked just moderately well at our gig last night. They were fine when I wasn't singing, but I really had a hard time hearing myself when singing. Since I sing a lot of our songs, time for Plan B.

Next up Etymotic and researching personal In-Ear Monitoring Systems.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[cotten]

On Stage Ear Protectors? You've received some excellent suggestions, as is normal on the AGF. Time for one that's a bit off beat, also common around here. I was going to suggest better band mates...

cotten

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Well, after noticing some tinnitus periodically in my left ear, I made an appointment with an audiologist, and my hearing test revealed some high frequency hear loss in my left ear which she was sure was causing the tinnitus in that ear. (BTW, I am sure this is from spending many hours rehearsing and gigging 'stage right' in a classic rock band with all our amps and the drum kit to my left.)

Anyways, my audiologist recommended "Musician's Earplugs" which consist of a -9 db Etymotic noise filter mounted in a custom mold taken by my audiologist and made by Microsonic. The cost for the plugs was about $160, but they fit perfectly (going deep into the ear canal - see pic below), and seem to work very well.

With the plugs, I can hear my guitar perfectly, nuances and all, it's just quieter. My audiologist explained that although the 9 db reduction seems minimal, it greatly increases the amount of time one needs to be exposed to mildly amplified acoustic music before any risk of additional damage to one's hearing.

I still haven't quite gotten use to how my singing voice sounds while I'm wearing the plugs. It definitely does sound different (maybe because it's coming from inside my head?). One benefit for sure from a singing perspective is that I do not need to sing as loudly while wearing the the plugs to hear myself well over the guitar.

I look forward to getting more used to using the plugs, and to protecting myself from additional hearing loss moving forward.

[Tico]

I got Etymotic Musicians Earplugs made for me.

http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hea...tion/erme.html

A local audiologist pours hot gunk into your ear canals.
It cools and hardens.
The forms are sent to Etymotic, who makes plugs that are a perfect fit to YOUR ear canals.
They have interchangeable attenuators ... 9, 15 and 25 dB.

The best thing is they have a flat frequency response.

I LOVE them.
$250ish IIRC, but totally worth the $$$.

Yesterday someone told me you don't need an audiologist any more.
Reportedly the company can send you the kit and instructions, and you pour the hot gunk into your own ears, which saves money.
I have no idea if this is true or if it was his beer talking.



I store them in these pill containers I found at a pharmacy.

[fazool]

I attended a lot of loud concerts and am starting to see some age-related loss of hearing, so am protecting my hearing from now on. I bought these mostly for attending future concerts. I just received mine and have somewhat mixed feelings.

They are very hard to get a tight seal in the ear and any reviews that claim minimal volume reduction simply failed to insert them properly.

To get a fully tight seal, I had to JAM these into my ear canal super hard. I had to push them in so hard I actually got a headache from them, otherwise they don't seal at all. It feels a little uncomfortable so I am wearing them a bit to see how they feel over time.

Once you do have them inserted tightly, however, they really do work quite well. To test them I used my over-ear Audio-Technical headphones and cranked the volume to the highest volume. These worked exceptionally well. I could hear the music with only minimal loss of fidelity and significant volume reduction. I didn't believe how well they quieted the sound so I removed them and put my headphones on, only to find that the volume really was at ear-splitting levels.

So I repeated the experiment again and, yes, they really do reduce the volume significantly. And the sound is pretty true. With these inserted in my ears, I could actually FEEL the bass on my ears without feeling the sound - it was very strange but effective.

Of course nothing is perfect so you will notice a tiny bit of muddiness combined with a little tinny sound - which is unexpected to get both of those at the same time.

Overall, I would give these a 4-or-5-star for sound quality but only a 1-or-2-star for comfort.

I've ordered another brand to try and will compare and decide which to keep - I am suspecting these will be going back.