Why do you people use for hearing protection? I work in a factory setting so I need to wear either earmuffs or plugs around the clock, but I recently (within the last year) started wearing hearing protection at concerts as well.

I found ER 20 hifi plugs to be the best and most comfortable plugs so far. In fact, I like them so much that I'm going to take them into work tomorrow to see how they perform in the shop.

I use AO earplugs (and safety glasses as well) for landscaping and other maintenance related work.



Never worn earplugs at shows and didnt get into wearing them to play music until recently.

I've probably lost 30-40% of my hearing as a result; but sometimes it comes back.

You THINK it came back. It's gone. The ringing in your ears after shows distorts what you thought was your normal hearing volume before that show. When the ringing goes away, you think you're back to normal but most likely you've done irreparable damage and you've actually lost some more hearing. Wear the earplugs. People don't even notice anymore - it doesn't have the stigma it used to. And, believe it or not, if you get a decent pair, shows sound better. The human ear ain't designed to handle those volumes that they pump out at shows. Good plugs will cut out what's harmful and leave a relatively unmuffled sound that's actually way clearer than what you'd hear going bare-eared. What's more, earplugs have a tendency to knock out the annoying talkers at shows. I see their lips moving, but they don't distract me with their phone calls to friends during songs they're not interested in.

Speaking of, I'm currently looking for a new pair. My old ones pretty much died from many years of use. These are what I'm currently debating buying.

I just buy some cheap earplugs from Walgreens or something. My ears can actually handle the volume, but I don't have any control over whether I become deaf over loud music so I'm not taking any fucking chances. If I go deaf and can't listen to music anymore, that would be the end of me. So, most of the time, I do wear earplugs. Occasionally, I'll take them off to get the full effect of a badass song in a live setting.

I'll say it again, drop the coin for some sensaphonics.

www.sensaphonics.com

seriously.

I have a pair of things that look like those first things, only solid white, that I got at Guitar Center. Of all the earplugs I have used (including wadded up napkins, which kinda suck), they provide the best listening experience in terms of fidelity.

Those are the plugs I mentioned in my first post. I highly recommend them!