What Are Some Comfortable Earplugs for Musicians?

It’s no secret that sound can be very damaging to your ears. While these organs have evolved to deal with noise, exposing them to too much at high volumes can cause long-term hearing loss. Musicians have long had to face this issue, with their time on stage presenting a real risk to the future of their hearing.

Thankfully, though, there are a lot of earplug options on the market, and this article is going to be exploring a range of the different types of hearing protection that you have available to get you started. Wearing earplugs is always better than exposing your ears to loud sounds every day.

Disposable foam earplugs

Foam earplugs have been on the market for a very long time, and you can find products like this in a wide variety of different stores and online. Foam earplugs work by muffling the vibrations that enter your ears, with their air-filled design making them great at blocking out loud noises.

Thanks to the soft foam used to make earplugs like this, most people can find options that fit and will be comfortable. Of course, though, earplugs like this may not be ideal for musicians who want to lower the volume of the sounds they hear, rather than removing them entirely.

Silicone earplugs

Silicone rubber is an excellent material for use on your body. Very few people live with silicone allergies, and this material is far more robust than foam. Silicone earplugs are simple, but they can be reused time and time again.

Much like disposable foam earplugs, though, silicone earplugs will block out most of the sound you hear. This is ideal for hearing protection, but not so good if you want to hear the music you’re performing.

Acoustic filter earplugs

Acoustic filter earplugs are an incredible invention, providing sound filtering without requiring any sort of power. Sounds at specific frequencies will be entirely blocked, while other sounds will have their volume lowered as they pass through these earplugs, making them ideal for musicians who want to hear the music they are playing. Acoustic filter earplugs are one of the most comfortable options on their market, with their ability to filter sounds making it possible to have normal conversations while wearing your hearing protection.

Active filter earplugs

Active noise cancellation has long been a popular feature for headphones, providing the user with a near-silent backdrop of their music. The technology that makes this possible has also been finding new ground in the earplug market, with countless options on the market offering an active approach to filtering sound. Earplugs like this use an array of microphones to listen to sounds that are processed by an internal computer, with the sound that you hear being processed almost instantaneously.

This type of earplug can be great for use with music, though it’s worth keeping in mind that they can alter the sound that you hear. Thanks to their computer processing, the sound you hear from earplugs like this isn’t natural, and this can be bad when you are trying to listen to yourself play. Alongside this, active filter earplugs that haven’t been shielded properly could encounter feedback when close to audio stage equipment.

Earmuffs

Finally, as the last type of ear protection to consider, it’s time to think about earmuffs. While this option is probably the least ideal for those who are active and energetic on stage, earmuffs are one of the most comfortable ear protection options on the market.

Their over-ear positioning will make anyone who experiences inner-ear irritation from earplugs or IEMs, and the fact that you can use monitors beneath earmuffs adds to their appeal. Earmuffs are often the ear protection option of choice for stage engineers and other crew members who have to be around loud music while at work.

As you can see, there are a lot of ear protection options available on the modern market. If you are concerned about your hearing and the impact music might have on it, it could be well worth talking to an audiologist like Hear Again America.

Providing a huge range of hearing treatments and services, clinics like this can help you to protect your ears and maintain your hearing for the future. Call us today at (877) 905-9493 today to talk to one of our friendly team members at Hear Again America.