3 ms·

do you have any recommendations on earplugs? i go to a lot of concerts/festivals and i'm starting to realize my hearing is getting worse.

klodolph 9y ago
Every ear canal is different. That includes left vs right! Try a couple different types and you'll find one that works for you. The common types are the disposable foam ones (just a simple cylinder or rounded cylinder cut out of foam), the molded flexible ones (kind of like earbuds, you can reuse them), and the moldable ones (wax or silicone balls). My personal preference is for the disposable foam, they're the most comfortable and reliable for my ears. The cheapest disposable foam ones I find are a little hard to use and sometimes uncomfortable, so spending a couple extra bucks on a better brand made a big difference. But different people like different kinds. The silicone balls and foam earplugs can be bought at the local drugstore and they're fairly inexpensive. The reusable ones you'll find at hardware stores or musical instrument stores. The ones at musical instrument stores are designed to let you hear the music accurately, just quieter. If you want to spend a bit of extra $$ for something great and comfortable, you can get custom-molded earplugs designed to fit your ear canal. If you're a musician who plays live you'll probably want to drop the $700 or so it costs to get custom in-ear monitors. There's also a bit of technique involved putting the things in so that they stay put, they're comfortable, and they still let you have a conversation. For the disposable foam plugs you can buy everywhere, I roll them into a tiny cylinder, tilt my head at a certain angle, and use my other hand to pull back on my ear to put the plug in. After using them enough times, I've gotten a pretty good feel for three different depths: medium depth for normal loud music, decent comfort, and stays in well; a shallow depth if I need to have conversations with other people while I'm wearing them, but they fall out sometimes; and the deepest depth for when I want to sleep in the middle of a bunch of noise. Also: don't make a habit out of sleeping with earplugs. I've definitely been in a few situations where I've gotten shit for wearing earplugs, but as I've gotten older I've stopped caring that other people think I'm lame for wearing them. I always tell them that I love music, and I want to be able to listen to music four decades from now. Just a few stories from people with hearing loss or tinnitus is enough to scare you into wearing earplugs. Just ask Craig Gill.

klodolph 9y ago

Every ear canal is different. That includes left vs right! Try a couple different types and you'll find one that works for you. The common types are the disposable foam ones (just a simple cylinder or rounded cylinder cut out of foam), the molded flexible ones (kind of like earbuds, you can reuse them), and the moldable ones (wax or silicone balls). My personal preference is for the disposable foam, they're the most comfortable and reliable for my ears. The cheapest disposable foam ones I find are a little hard to use and sometimes uncomfortable, so spending a couple extra bucks on a better brand made a big difference. But different people like different kinds. The silicone balls and foam earplugs can be bought at the local drugstore and they're fairly inexpensive. The reusable ones you'll find at hardware stores or musical instrument stores. The ones at musical instrument stores are designed to let you hear the music accurately, just quieter. If you want to spend a bit of extra $$ for something great and comfortable, you can get custom-molded earplugs designed to fit your ear canal. If you're a musician who plays live you'll probably want to drop the $700 or so it costs to get custom in-ear monitors. There's also a bit of technique involved putting the things in so that they stay put, they're comfortable, and they still let you have a conversation. For the disposable foam plugs you can buy everywhere, I roll them into a tiny cylinder, tilt my head at a certain angle, and use my other hand to pull back on my ear to put the plug in. After using them enough times, I've gotten a pretty good feel for three different depths: medium depth for normal loud music, decent comfort, and stays in well; a shallow depth if I need to have conversations with other people while I'm wearing them, but they fall out sometimes; and the deepest depth for when I want to sleep in the middle of a bunch of noise. Also: don't make a habit out of sleeping with earplugs. I've definitely been in a few situations where I've gotten shit for wearing earplugs, but as I've gotten older I've stopped caring that other people think I'm lame for wearing them. I always tell them that I love music, and I want to be able to listen to music four decades from now. Just a few stories from people with hearing loss or tinnitus is enough to scare you into wearing earplugs. Just ask Craig Gill.