# Ear Plug question



## Blasphemer (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm looking at a couple different types of earplugs. It's about time I start caring, and now that I have some cash, I'm getting some.

I hate foam earplugs, and want some attenuating ones, instead. 

I'm looking at: 
Hearos High Fidelity plugs
Hearos Rock n Roll plugs
Etymotic Er-20 plugs

Can anyone chime in? Right now, I'm considering the Hearos Hi-Fi plugs, but I'm curious about the Rock n Rolls. Do they attenuate, or just have a crazy amount of noise reduction, along with the downsides of foam plugs? 

If anyone can help, I'd appriciate it!


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## Quax (Aug 1, 2011)

I strongly recommend those: Amazon.com: Alpine Hearing Protection MusicSafe Classic Earplugs for Musicians: Musical Instruments

The thing is that with these you can chose wether you want high attentuation or rather low one, while altering the sound just a bit. So thumbs up for those.


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## yingmin (Aug 1, 2011)

I've been using the standard Army-issue earplugs for years. I literally have a pair on me at all times. You can probably buy them from any military surplus store, or if you know someone in the service, have them buy you a pair or two.


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## technomancer (Aug 1, 2011)

I've had the Etymotics for quite a while, they're very hard to beat for the price and provide a flat decibel drop without much frequency attenuation so things still sound reasonably clear with them. I haven't tried the Hearos products though

This has also bee covered a couple times before, here's one of the threads

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/li...ality-ear-plugs-defenders-practices-gigs.html


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## Blasphemer (Aug 1, 2011)

Well, I was asking about these 3 specific products, not just genral advice. Thanks for all the input, though! I do appreciate it!


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 2, 2011)

Hearos Hi-Fidelity are manufactured by Etymotic. They're literally the same thing as the ER-20. I have two pairs of those, as well as two pairs of the Rock'n'Roll Hearos, and a pair of the Vater musicians' earplugs. Get the Hi-Fi/ER-20s. There's a significant difference in sound quality between those and the RnRs. The Vaters are comparable in sound to the Hi-Fi plugs, but come in a nicer case and have switchable filters...although with that in mind, I still prefer the Hearos, as they're more comfortable to me.


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## Blasphemer (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks! I just put a pair in my cart on MF. Now to wait.


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## Ben.Last (Aug 3, 2011)

Surefire makes some great ear plugs also. I've been using them and they work perfectly.


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## Jzbass25 (Aug 5, 2011)

I just got some Etymotic er20's for the animals as leaders concert and they worked great!


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## ENGLShred7 (Aug 5, 2011)

I've got a pair of the Hearos Hi-fidelity plugs and love them to death. I've played lots of practices and gigs with them and it really cuts out those frequencies that can make the mix tough to hear. I love them for concerts too, it really makes it easier to enjoy them knowing I don't have to worry about ringing in my head for the next day. Mine start to itch after a while but a quick adjustment and they're better. You'll love them!


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## poopyalligator (Aug 5, 2011)

With the ones you suggested, I would probably go with the etymotics. I have had a pair of those, and they attenuated really well. I know you said you were looking at just the ones listed, but let me suggest this to you. Go to your local gun range, or somewhere that sells guns. Check on custom made ear plugs. They make them custom molded to your ear, and work amazingly. They usually run about 100 dollars for a pair. In my opinion they are 100% worth the price though.


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## Underworld (Aug 6, 2011)

I've had Etymotics ER-20 for 2 years and they are great. Unfortunately for me I had to go with something with more attenuation, so I had to go with the custom molded Etymotics 25db reduction, which are great but a pain to get inside my ears


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