Musicians ear plugs

[Mr Peabody]

Getting a bit older, more educated and concerned over my hearing I wandered into the Guitar Center looking for some Etymotic E20's. The guy says he had never heard of Etymotic but has some musician ear plugs by Hero or some such. From the package it looks like what I want. Reduces SPL by I believe 12 dB but allows you to still hear full frequency response. I picked them up a couple weeks ago and got to try them out tonight at Tool. The ear plugs are awesome. In fact, with them in, some of the music is actually more intelligible The opening act, Woven Hand, was very loud to the point of not being able to understand much but inserting the ear plugs I was amazed the music was easier to understand. I can't explain that unless the ears stop discerning when high dB is reached or part of the problem is reflections. Either way these musician ear plugs are a good investment for those of us who still like to take in a concert now and again. I have to say my enthusiasm is dropping. Prices go up and quality goes down.

I had high expectations of the Tool concert. The sound quality was bad which was disappointing. The bass was so loud it was one big rumble, you could feel it not only in your body but in the bottom of your feet. Part of Tool's appeal to me is the rhythm section so it defeats the purpose if you can't depict the bass notes. Their show was sold out and they wouldn't even do an encore. Pretty cool stage set up though, eight video screens, lasers & lights, oh my!

Nothing like having your thread post before you are done :)

[drbrianhandy]

Please check out Westone products and their musicians ear pieces. Have you contacted and Hearing Specialist or Audiologist for your ear impressions? I like Westone the best and offer different models with different amounts of drivers.

[Mr Peabody]

I haven't contacted a audiologist, the ear plugs did what they were supposed to do. They dropped the decibels while allowing me to still hear full frequency response opposed to a typical ear plug that muffles everything out. In regards to my statement of some sounds being clearer with the plugs in I attributed that to extreme volume in a large arena. If I noticed any peculiar hearing issues in day to day activity I would certainly be concerned. Especially with the large amount invested in hi fi gear.

[Auricauricle]

This is a great tip and solid advice, Mr. P. Thank you for making (me) aware of this sort of device, as I have tended to shy away from venues that were much too loud to enjoy. I will certainly keep this in mind, and look for these thingies when the time to invest comes around. Again, many thanks to you and drb for describing a tool that will add life to our ears even as the years encroach and assault.