Plugs... Yes or No?

[Kathy]

Never worn earplugs in my 36 years of going to concerts...I think Nugent and the Amboy Dukes blew my right ear out in the early `70s, though... We just never wore them, didn't know anybody that wore them, so I never got in the habit of wearing them.

 

[dagny_t]

I never used to wear them, but after the mid-week show on Wednesday, my ears were ringing like mad. Luckily, my friend had a pair she could loan me, so I was protected for everything other than DSO (I wanted to hear everything, so I left them out).

 

[Mosquito]

Yes, I wear them to all concerts. I have the ones everyone else here is talking about. Losing hearing to shows is stupid. Stupidity is not metal.

Justin

 

[Dustro25]

i use just little pieces of tissue paper ball it up and put it in my ear, it works just fine for me,

p.s I'M CHEAP

This is what I do. It works.

 

[Diamond45]

Always at a metal show. Wear them at Jaxx and at PP USA. Just standard operating procedure for me. I wear the good ones from Etymotic Research.

 

[Guile]

No, but I wish I had during the announcement for PP-XI

 

[wolf2112]

As a musician, I personally can't imagine not wearing them. I don't know who made the decibel reduction filters for my customs plugs (for some reason Etymotic sounds familiar) but they're fantastic. They only reduce the volume by 25db without cutting any frequencies out (although I use 15's when performing).
The single best investment a musician (or concert goer for that matter) could make.

 

[shreddy]

I always wear my Etymotics, recently found some great deals for them on Amazon. I have to get a couple more pairs one to keep in the car and another to keep in my keyboard case. The one set is on my key ring and is always with me but its good to have backups.

White ones for $5.90 BP model not sure if those are the smaller ones like the Baby blues for smaller ear canals.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/ETYMOTIC-RESEARCH-ER20BP-Fidelity-Plugs/dp/B000CC1RPS/[/ame]

Red - $7.50 what I'm using now
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White/dp/B0015WNZBI/[/ame]

 

[OrbWeaver]

I always wear ear plugs for concerts. Going deaf is not metal.

 

[Sumeet]

I don't usually use em... I've already tried out the cheap ones and the music felt "muffled" so I tend not to want to do that. Maybe I should look into the more expensive ones... does it really make a nice diff to wear some good plugs as to the enjoyment of the music?

If by "cheap ones" you're referring to the crappy foam or wax earplugs that are available in drug stores, then yes, it makes a huge difference. Those earplugs are designed to block out as much sound as possible. The problem is, they block out a lot more high-frequency sound than low-frequency sound. That's great for a noisy construction site or something, since excessive high-frequency sound does more damage to your ears than excessive low-frequency sound... but at a concert, the result of these cheap earplugs is that a lot of the higher-pitched sounds, like lead guitars, get too muted, and you wind up hearing a muddy mix of mostly low-end frequencies. On the other hand earplugs made specifically for music, such as the Etymotics earplugs many have mentioned here, are designed to reduce the sound level more evenly across the frequency spectrum, so you get a much more even reduction in overall volume, as opposed to having too much of the high-frequencies blocked out. The bottom line is, foam earplugs will ruin a concert, to the point where it's hardly even worth going. Definitely get a pair of earplugs designed for music. Keep in mind, it won't be 100% pristine sound as if you were wearing no earplugs at all... but it still sounds good, and will greatly reduce the chances of long-term hearing loss, which is cumulative (i.e., your hearing gets damaged a little more every time you are exposed to extremely loud sound). Seems like a reasonable tradeoff to me.

 

[longshot9]

This, I love being completely oblivious as to how loud and awful I'm singing along, its probably my favorite part of live music.

AMEN!!

 

[imaskinbeater]

Metal shows every time. Some Jazz shows I can get away without them.

Etymotics

 

[jaimek]

I *always* wear plugs. As I mentioned in the other thread, I'm *already* hearing-impaired; I'm not going to make it any worse!

 

[Rick Pierpont]

In my younger days, no I never wore them, but I have been wearing them faithfully for 15+ years now. As much as I am around concerts, band practice, etc... it is an absolute must! I have tried the Etymotics and they work great, but I always have a difficult time getting those style in my ears. My ear canals are smaller, so they don't fit too well. I just use the cheapy foam ones everyone here hates. After so many years of using them, my brain has adjusted and I don't mind them at all. I have no trouble hearing guitar solos. When playing live, I usually either us in-ear monitors or wear one in my right ear to protect me from the loud drums!

And I agree 100%, losing my hearing is NOT metal. BTW, I am 40, so I need my ears to last a little longer. ;-)

 

[Yippee38]

Always! I love music too much to give up what's left of my hearing.

 

[jem777az]

I never used to until about 2 years ago when at drum lessons my teacher had the metronome running through a PA system at full volume. He didn't realize it was at full volume until he turned it on and my ear practically exploded as it was right next to the PA. My hearing is permanently screwed now. So I wear plugs cause I'd like to keep what little hearing I have left.

 

[kellsco]

If you want to have a conversation with me, don't try it where there is much back ground noise like a bar or party. And don't expect me to turn the TV down much when you go to bed and I stay up. All this and more can be yours if you go your 20's and most of your 30's not wearing plugs.

I wear them all the time now.

 

[LunaTEKKE]

I've already got some hearing loss in the higher frequency ranges, so earplugs are a must for me! I use the high fidelity Hearos, which cost about $15 and don't ruin the sound.

Wish I'd known about these in my 20s when I was going to concerts like Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest, and KISS!

 

[adaher]

So if most people have to wear earplugs at a metal concert, what should that logically tell sound engineers in the metal world?

 

[sccaldwell]

Its well worth it to spend $12 on some Etymotics.

QFT, like Zod said.