The case against earplugs

[Winspear]

More fool them.

The most you can do is give them the facts: Tell them what kind of volumes the ear can stand and what volume the show is. Explain how that will affect hearing very quickly.
And indeed "you only live once"...So I'd like to be able to listen to music for more than 10 years

 

[Winspear]

Man, the ability to hear well (enough) is priceless. If I were gigging constantly I would sure as hell NOT buy cheap earplugs.

Good and cheap don't match well in my book.

You'd be surprised, the goto ER-20s are about £5 and very good.

 

[guitarmadillo]

When you wear hearing aides, you already have molded earplugs. Just turn them off and I'm good on the sound. I also do that when I'm at the shooting range, but not when I'm on the firing line.

 

[DavidLopezJr]

You'd be surprised, the goto ER-20s are about £5 and very good.

Amazon.com: Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs-White with Clear Stem: Electronics

These have been recommended to me by just about everyone. Kick ass they are.

 

[Necris]

I wear hearing protection when I mow the goddamn lawn, there's no way I'm standing next to a cranked half stack without some form of ear plugs or earmuffs.

 

[leftyguitarjoe]

Amazon.com: Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs-White with Clear Stem: Electronics

These have been recommended to me by just about everyone. Kick ass they are.

Yup. I have a pair and they are brilliant. I wear them at every practice and every show.

Just dont get the red ones. I have had people think my ears are bleeding on multiple occasions.

 

[Richie666]

I really want to get a pair of those... and I will, but I do have one concern. I'd be a bit wary of going to any brutal show for fear of them being jammed into my ears. A ruptured ear drum doesn't sound like much fun. Is this a legitimate concern?

 

[darren]

Well, your friends will be the coolest, manliest 60-year-old deaf people.

You only get one set of ears. If your ears are 'ringing' after a concert, or you have that 'muffled hearing' sensation, it means you've done hearing damage. And hearing damage is irreversible.

 

[leftyguitarjoe]

I really want to get a pair of those... and I will, but I do have one concern. I'd be a bit wary of going to any brutal show for fear of them being jammed into my ears. A ruptured ear drum doesn't sound like much fun. Is this a legitimate concern?

Be a boss like me and sit in the balcony away from all the rowdy idiots.

 

[darren]

Ask your friends if they'd stare directly into a bright light for an hour straight without sunglasses or a welding mask.

 

[EdgeC]

When your friends start bagging you out just put your earplugs in.

Works for me. Also works when the missus is asking me to do the dishes etc.

 

[TheKindred]

another vote for Etymotics.

I used to use the 'construction' foam plugs and always hated them because they just muffle everything. The Etymotic's just attenuate the levels and do indeed make the wall of noise sound better at shows.

 

[groovemasta]

It kind of sounds like you are being a pussy actually, everyone know tinnitus is the sign of a true metaler !!!!!!!!!!!111

 

[WildBroskiAppears]

I've been to three metal shows now, and I only wore earplugs at the most recent, Summer Slaughter. I got to the show, saw the earplugs, and it took about a millisecond of thought, considering that i'd be seeing both Veil and Periphery, to convince myself. They got knocked out of my ears just before Periphery came on though all that presence for one pair of ears was painful, to say the least.

 

[fassaction]

Your friends are being douchebags if they are making fun of you about ear plugs...

I am 32 years old....and I have a pretty shitty case of tinnitus (ringing of the ears) from years and years of playing in bands and refusing to wear ear plugs. If I could roll back the clock, I would have worn them.

Laying in bed is the absolute worst. Everything is quiet and all you hear is that high pitched hissing noise that will drive you batty.

I can barely listen to music through headphones anymore because it just makes it worse, no matter what the volume.

The worst part......no cure. At least not at this time. Simple advice: wear ear plugs. You only get one set of ears, dont ruin them because your friends are dipshits.

 

[Winspear]

Well, your friends will be the coolest, manliest 60-year-old deaf people..

60? They'd be lucky

 

[baptizedinblood]

I've got a mild case of tinnitus at 19...not fun. I don't really notice it unless I try to haha. I've been to a fair amount of small shows in which the PA/sound guy sucked/didn't exist..wish I had considered ear plugs back then. Played about 15 shows with my band, got flak for wearing plugs every practice/gig...now they all have extreme cases of tinnitus and I'm sitting here with my hearing mostly intact.

 

[JPhoenix19]

Earplugs are metal as hell- dare I say, kvlt?

 

[WhiteWalls]

It's not even a debate to me, as anything close to concert or rehearsal volume physically hurts my ears and I can't even stay 3 meters from a drumkit without ripping my eardrums off. It's not volume damage, rather it is due to ear/sinus infections I had when I was younger (and I still do sometimes), which messed up a lot with the amount of volume I can tolerate.

Anyway I had my fair share of people who told me "lol are you wearing earplugs? are you a pussy etc", I just answer them "see you when you're 50"

Also I like the foam ones a lot because after a while you learn how to position them so you get the desired amount of high frequency rolloff, obviously if you put them all the way in suddenly you find yourself in a dubstep concert, but there's always a happy medium which doesn't kill your ears and lets you enjoy the music

 

[Sofos]

I have been wearing these to shows for about 4 months now, and can honestly say they make the show sound so much better. Much less overpowering low end, more equal levels. I can hear the vocals, the guitars, bass, drums, keys, whatever. I love them.
3M Peltor Combat Arms Earplugs - Amazon.com
(Hint: Yellow side out)