Earplugs for live use

[Morgan C]

Just came back from seeing Unearth/In Flames/Lamb of God... Unearth and Lamb of God were 'good' but nothing spectacular.. In Flames were spectacular, best metal band I've seen (out of a whopping 6 or 7 bands, but still), despite Anders struggling a little and one of the guitarists in rehab.

Anyway, I had some earplugs with me as I dont want to fuck my ears over, but they didn't work too well. Didn't fit very well (too long), and blocked out too much highs and not enough lows - so all I heard was muffle and the bass drum's boom. I was near the back, out of the mosh too as they were a bit awkward.


Recommendations for a snug fit and good sound quality? The ones I used were Etymotic somethings. I use the same brand earphones for drumming that work well (can interchange the 'plug' in them for something shorter).

 

[J.DavisNJ]

Look into the Etymotic custom fit plugs. You will need to go to an Audiologist and have them fitted, but they work as advertised. Minimal loss in sound quality. They are a bit expensive, but are indespensible and worth it if you are a musician and regular concert atendee.

-Joe

 

[egan.]

Look into the Etymotic custom fit plugs. You will need to go to an Audiologist and have them fitted, but they work as advertised. Minimal loss in sound quality. They are a bit expensive, but are indespensible and worth it if you are a musician and regular concert atendee.

-Joe

+1. Totally worth the $.

 

[J.DavisNJ]

+1. Totally worth the $.

Egan,

Which db buttons do you have in yours? I believe mine are the max 25, but they seem a bit intense sometimes.

-Joe

 

[RockGuitarX]

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/erme.aspx

Yeah they are pricey ... but seem pretty bad ass.

 

[fade_2_black]

I have two pairs of custom plugs (both from different moulds) and I dont really like them at all to be honest. Which is kind of annoying considering the price.
They feel weird as Im used to the plugs exerting pressure on my ear canal - and the moulds dont.. It kinda feels like its just sitting in there, ready to fall out as soon as I move my head.
Is this the same for all custom moulded plugs?

 

[ahjteam]

I've come to love those xmas tree plugs, the ones I use block:
125Hz: -12.2 dB
250Hz: -13.2 dB
500Hz: -14.6 dB
1000Hz: -17.5 dB
2000Hz: -20.9dB
4000Hz: -19.2dB
8000Hz: -23.5dB

they cost like 18€ a pair here in Finland

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm, I had a pair of those for awhile (the exact ones), but found them to be pretty uncomfortable; the rubber isn't too thick, and often the hard plastic underneath would dig into my ear canal. But they did work well for relatively even sound attenuation, I'll give 'em that!

 

[Morgan C]

@ahj

Those look like the ones I used.. except made by Etymotic, not Elacin. Other than that, the same down to the name, the chain, colour, etc.

Except they block 10dB more highs than lows, and the lows live are already excessive (especially the bass drum, sound engineers here love to get that BOOM from the bass drum, after paying the bucks!) and so the result is a lot softer but its all low mids and lows.

And they don't fit too well, had the same problem as Metaltastic.. they're quite long and the plastic end digs in. Couldn't get them to fit very well.


Will look into custom moulds. How many dB attenuation is usually suitable for live use?

 

[Torniojaws]

Will look into custom moulds. How many dB attenuation is usually suitable for live use?

For when you play with a band, -15 dB is commonly found to be the best option. For the audience, -25 dB is more common. But since it varies from gig to gig, bring your -15 dB pieces too and decide during the opening act which ones to use.

 

[MetalJonesy]

i just use them standard EAR yellow ones or the slight curved shaped ones, and i chop em down so they fit more flush with my ear, they still attenuate just as well and i have no problems with them

 

[Last_Confession]

i work in a nightclub so we have these uvex ones that i found work pretty well in most situations so i keep nicking batches of for my band at jam sessions at gigs and i found docs pro plugs pretty good for smaller sessions but thats just my 2 cents