Hearing Protection

[Jon Light]

Wondering if anyone has tried the (relatively) new D'Addario plugs.

https://www.daddario.com/products/acces ... n=acc_dbud

I am (an idiot but....) only just now starting to use protection for the first time. I got Vibes, on a drummer friend's strong recommendation. I'll probably use them on stage this weekend after a week in my practice room.

The D'Addarios are twice the price. Their distinction is that they have a slider that selects -12dB or -24dB . I'm always attracted to choice & options and I'm thinking that being able to choose attenuation level can make the transition to always using protection easier.
But what I don't know is whether it's an option I will even need or use.

Informed opinions?

[Thomas Alexander]

If I'm recording with a group in a studio setting I use in-ear monitors and 3M Peltor X5A (31db) headphones over top to really isolate the monitor.

For a live performance I have used 3M E-A-Rsoft (33db) and Mack's Slim Fit (29db) earplugs.

Foam earplugs offer the best protection, but you need to know how to put them in properly (most people do not). I prefer foam earplugs over reusable, because in order for the reusable ones to provide a good seal and reduce noise they must be so large that they hug the walls of your ear canal going in and pack wax deeper into your ear. Whereas a foam plug when correctly squished for insertion will slip into your ear with no resistance and 'inflate' (so to speak) directly outward to the walls of your ear canal, so no wax is pushed deeper into the canal.

I know people rag on foam earplugs as tone killers, but once you rehearse with them a few times you get used to how they sound and can control your volume just fine.

[Howard Parker]

FWIW..

I have -9db pads in my custom molds. -24db sounds excessive, for the types of gigs that I do.

Which is NOT stadium rock!

h

[Lee Baucum]

FWIW..

I have -9db pads in my custom molds. -24db sounds excessive, for the types of gigs that I do.

Which is NOT stadium rock!

h

Agreed. I have custom molded ear plugs and even the -15s are a bit too much. The -9s are perfect.

We no longer have a loud keyboard player or a loud drummer; so, I rarely use the plugs anymore. I keep them handy though. Just in case.

~Lee

[Jon Light]

Good info. Numbers are just numbers until I try this in the field. I'll se what I think after this weekend (or next weekend with a much louder band). These Vibes claim -22 but I don't know if I'm jamming them in really airtight -- they seem quite effective but NOT overly so. If I seat them so that I can feel the pressure of an airtight seal, I can't hear squat.

[Jim Sliff]

I used Hearos in the xituations where I didn't have in-ear monitors. I used anything from crumpled Kleenex to parts of cotton balls from the 1970's-on (playingg very loud rock) and my last hearing test was perfect.

My point is - use SOMETHING.

[Howard Parker]

My point is - use SOMETHING.

Went to hear Junior Brown once with Mike Auldridge. Surprised me when he bummed a couple of cigarettes off of someone.

Proceeded to rip the filters off and jam them into his ears.

h

[Tracy Sheehan]

It begins when hearing seems good but you start having a little trouble understanding some words spoken. Your hearing will now go down so gradual you will not notice it until you are almost deaf. My hard earned advice is not to wait until this happens as it will be too late to try and save your hearing. Protect it first thing. And no hearing aids will replace your normal hearing. As in a Hank Williams song,Im not talking just to hear my self.( no pun intened) Tracy

[Floyd Lowery]

My only regret after many years of playing music, I never used any protection for my ears. I urge everyone to use something.

[Fred Treece]

I use custom Westone musician plugs for -15dB. They work great. The choice of filters goes down to -9 and up to -30. I didn’t use them enough over the years and now at age 65 everyone mumbles until I put in my hearing aid, then everyone is too loud and I want to outlaw motorcycles.

[ajm]

To sort of piggyback on what Jim Sliff said.......

I will N-E-V-E-R go to another concert without TWO sets of ear plugs.
I had a couple of really bad experiences in the past 6-7 years and was lucky that I had them with me.

So I can hear you asking: Why two sets?

If you're enjoying the show, and one of your friends says something, and you pull one out to hear them better, and you happen to drop it in the dark.........

Don't ask if that actually happened to me. ;>))