So i received my Etymotic ER-20 earplugs in the mail today and tested them out, and the packaging states 12db reduction rather than the 20db advertised, and when their in (I haven’t tried them at exorbent volumes - will try when gigging tomorrow night), they didn’t seem to do TOO much.
Anyway, i’m attending a festival next week with Adrian Lux and Digitalism and i am really excited, but i’m worried that this 12db still wont be enough to prevent massive damage to my ears, since i’ve already got chronic Tinnitus.
Do they have changeable filters? The ones I wear from hearingprotection.co.uk come with different filters I change up depending on the show; 5db, 15db, 25db.
It’s safe to say the 25 ones sound like someone wrapping a sleeping bag around your head.
As a fellow tinnitus-sufferer, I can tell you that 12db is by far not enough to protect your ears at a large party/festival. I tried with plugs reducing like 17db, and still my tinnitus got worse after some parties. You should be looking for AT LEAST 20db reduction.
yeah if you wanna hear the music as clear as possible, the best option is custom moulded ACS Pro-17, the flattest frequency response i’m aware of (meaning they reduce all frequencies as equity as possible and keep the music sounding the way it should). They are a pretty penny at around £120-140 including the moulding process, but when I work as a sound engineer with live bands i absolutely need to hear the music the way it sounds to everyone else, while still protecting myself, so needed to invest. These are -17db and the minimum I would use.
Outside of that, when I don’t need to hear as critically, I use either the same companies ER-20 (looks to be the same as yours only re branded) which they claim are -16db for quieter things or Alpine MusicSafe Pro with the highest filter if its especially loud.
my ER20’s certainly seemed like 20db the ones I have now are 15db and let noticeably more sound in. I don’t get tinitus if I wear my 15db ones, and I do if I don’t wear anything. Remember that db is a exponential scale so each db doubles the amount of noise cut out (I think)
@Melkon for variable filters my alpine ear plugs cost me £25 and er20/acs20 cost me about 7 quid. The alpine ones are smaller and fit in my ears better (also you get three for when you lose one). Any where between 15 and 20db is probably what your looking for.
I grabbed these (Alpine MusicSafe Classic Ear Plugs):
Interchangeable 15/25 db filter, relatively flat attenuation, and you can still hear the music pretty well. When you first put them on it’ll sound slightly muffled but you adjust and end up forgetting you have them in. They’re comfortable, come with a carrying case, and are relatively low profile. Having used the 15 db and the 25 db in clubs, I now standardly use the 25 db filter. 15 db is just not enough cut for how loud these systems get turned up.
[quote=“sparkbro, post:1, topic:41717, username:sparkbro”]
the packaging states 12db reduction rather than the 20db advertised
[/quote]They don’t advertise 20dB reduction…it’s just a part number.
I use some Hearos that I got at Guitar Center for <$20 and think they’re a godsend. Still haven’t managed to get around to having molds made.
I got the Alpine Music Safe Classics which has 2 filters of 15dB and 20dB but I tried them during a few big parties with loud systems, and venues like Space Terrace in Miami but the sound was two muffled with those filters, it felt really quiet and you couldn’t tell much of a difference between a drop or a breakdown. So I think maybe 5 or 10db filters would work, but I wanted to know which ones I can get that have that… Which ones did you get The Mighty FV?
I’m using these at the band’s gigs and rehearsals (actually we bought 10pairs and wear them all along with some crew members). They do the job well enough. https://www.hearos.com/products/high-fidelity
Well i wore them to a smallish festival on the weekend, and they made a HUGE difference. Had no ringing besides my norm afterwards, and was at a comfortable level all day / night. Was definitely worth the $20
hey guys just off the topic but how bad is your ears… mines was only a problem at night when trying to sleep, but now i can hear the annoying noise even when the t.v is low reallly need to get my ass in gear and get some earplugs … how i miss the sound of silence lol
Mine are healthy, I was aware of tinitus and it’s annoyance before it got me. My ears are my work tools, If I forget my earplugs for some reason I just avoid loud environments.
Bottom line: use em if u got em, buy em if u don’t
I have the er20’s. If I don’t use em at a gig, I’m notably more beat the next day. My hearing’s f*cked either way the next day, just a lot less with the er20s.
The thing I don’t like about the er20s is that they don’t have a flat response (or maybe it’s the bass coming through my bones…). I’m considering the custom jobbys as I have all the gear I can ever want right now. So I guess my next gear envy would be them. Another thing I don’t like about them is the way the stems stick oout of your ear. Kinda hurts with the headphone cups if you’re not careful.
Just do it, hearing does not regenerate, just degenerates.
My ears were getting a little sore after 8ish hours with them in.
reallly need to get my ass in gear and get some earplugs … how i miss the sound of silence lol