Anyone using musician's earplugs??

[Woody Sound]

Or, also known as "high-fidelity" earplugs. I am interested in getting a pair or two. Not so much for my own performances, but actually more for *attending* loud events and concerts. The last two weddings at which I was a guest were painfully loud DJ's. And a recent modern jazz concert was unbearable. I do have some different kinds of cheap generic plugs, but they make everything sound like you're under water. I did a quick scan on Amzn, and they seem to be all over the place in both design, price and review.

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[rpjazzguitar]

I had a set of custom Etymotics. Music sounded muffled. Eventually, they stopped fitting perfectly, if they ever did. Leakage caused bass frequences to boom badly. I switched to OTC Earpeace. The Earpeace plugs are soft and didn't leak. Also sounded muffled. I stopped using the Etymotics. I use the Earpeace regularly.

[Gustavo Eiriz]

The big problem is physics.
A cheap earplugs abdorbs 80% high hz and 20% low hz. So... expensive earplugs try to sound better by reducing the amount of high hz absorption. So it doesnt sound that muffed. But lows are the same... why? Everyone know it takes a lot space to create and absorb low frequencies and the material that absorbs it must be thick and wide, it wouldnt fit in an ear. So... basically is impossible.
A possible solution would be to use a kind of headphones with a mic, that would deliver a flat sound (as much as the mic or the speaker could) while blocking more of outside sound... so basically a big earplug isolating from outside with a mic to reproduce outside sound at a lower volume.

[Adam C.]

I have them and use them all the time when attending shows/concerts. I had them custom made to my ear, with a filter that reduces all the frequencies by -10db. I'm really happy with them, it was kinda pricey but it's worh every penny for me!

[Woody Sound]

I have them and use them all the time when attending shows/concerts. I had them custom made to my ear, with a filter that reduces all the frequencies by -10db. I'm really happy with them, it was kinda pricey but it's worh every penny for me!

Ah thanks, but what is their name/make/brand?

[Adam C.]

1434779[/URL]]Ah thanks, but what is their name/make/brand?

It’s Neuroth, but I’m from Slovenia and I’m not sure if you can find those far away from here.

Link:
Just a moment...

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I've used custom molded earplugs for decades. Audiologists are the usual source of these because a custom ear mold has to be made for each ear to ensure proper fit, seal, and comfort. As we age, our external ears do change a bit and a new mold may be necessary. But I've been using the same ones for about 15 years now without a problem.

The molds are hollow and have a hole in the outer flange to accept a solid plug, a filter to tailor the attenuation curve, or an IEM (the solution Gustavo Eiriz seeks). Here are mine with a solid plug on the left for 100% blockage and a filter on the right. These are from Westone , but there are many sources out there. They fit perfectly and are very comfortable even after hours of use.



I don't remember the exact characteristics of the filters I bought over the years, but they're available with various levels of flat attenuation as well as tailored response curves. I also have IEMs and really love them because they give great control over what I hear. You need a transmitter and a receiver, and the feed you get is dependent on the sound person at the venue (unless you also want to set up your own mics and amplification for an IEM monitoring system). Not all IEMs are the same size, though - and there is no standard. The stem (also called the nozzle) that inserts into the ear mold can be anywhere from 1.5mm to 5+mm. So you have to be sure you're getting the right ear molds made for the IEMs you have or plan to buy. If you can use them, I definitely recommend IEMs very highly - I love mine and have used them on every blues and louder jazz gig I've played for years.

The big problem is physics.
A cheap earplugs abdorbs 80% high hz and 20% low hz. So... expensive earplugs try to sound better by reducing the amount of high hz absorption. So it doesnt sound that muffed. But lows are the same... why? Everyone know it takes a lot space to create and absorb low frequencies and the material that absorbs it must be thick and wide, it wouldnt fit in an ear. So... basically is impossible.
A possible solution would be to use a kind of headphones with a mic, that would deliver a flat sound (as much as the mic or the speaker could) while blocking more of outside sound... so basically a big earplug isolating from outside with a mic to reproduce outside sound at a lower volume.

This isn't exactly correct. Earplugs don't work by absorbing sound - they just block sound waves from entering the ear canal. Much of that energy is dissipated or reflected back out when it hits the plug. Some penetrates and some is absorbed, but a foam plug is little different from your finger in your ear - it's just a barrier to energy entry. Some materials do filter sound by frequency, but this is not dramatic. The filter blanks for pro earplugs are more accurate and controllable than a chunk of foam, and the solid caps that go in those holes just block and reflect the sound that hits them.

GE, I think you're confusing wavelength with sound pressure. The wavelength of a 40 hHz tone is about 28 feet, so it obviously will not fit in an ear canal. But 40 Hz tones pass freely through the ear canal. The reason wavelength matters is that you can't get resonances in a space significantly smaller than even a quarter wavelength. So there's no space to "tune" the ear canal - but this doesn't matter. There are resonances and phase effects created by every part of the external ear from the pinna to the canal to the angle of the ear from the head. None of this affects the use of ear plugs at all.

[Alter]

I 've had a pair that's custom fit for many years and it's a lifesaver, best gear i've ever bought. But i also have these (that cost around 15 times less! .. so pretty cheap to buy and try), that are perfectly fine for concerts etc, not as good but pretty close. They don't make me unhappy when i use them. Along with a tuner, set of strings, basic tools, cables, i have a set of these in every working guitar case i use.

Buy Alpine MusicSafe Pro | Earplugs for music professionals

[Woody Sound]

As an interesting aside, I was in to see an ENT Specialist today for something unrelated (nasal). While waiting in the exam room I was studying the educational graphic materials on the wall. I was fascinated to learn that the ear, and how it connects to the brain, uses two different physical parts for the higher frequencies and the lower frequencies.

(The funny thing, on the illustration, they showed tiny G-Clefs to indicate the higher frequencies places, and tiny Natural Signs for the lower frequencies places. I guess they didn't think they needed a music editor to proof read a medical poster.)

[Gustavo Eiriz]

I've used custom molded earplugs for decades. Audiologists are the usual source of these because a custom ear mold has to be made for each ear to ensure proper fit, seal, and comfort. As we age, our external ears do change a bit and a new mold may be necessary. But I've been using the same ones for about 15 years now without a problem.

The molds are hollow and have a hole in the outer flange to accept a solid plug, a filter to tailor the attenuation curve, or an IEM (the solution Gustavo Eiriz seeks). Here are mine with a solid plug on the left for 100% blockage and a filter on the right. These are from Westone , but there are many sources out there. They fit perfectly and are very comfortable even after hours of use.



I don't remember the exact characteristics of the filters I bought over the years, but they're available with various levels of flat attenuation as well as tailored response curves. I also have IEMs and really love them because they give great control over what I hear. You need a transmitter and a receiver, and the feed you get is dependent on the sound person at the venue (unless you also want to set up your own mics and amplification for an IEM monitoring system). Not all IEMs are the same size, though - and there is no standard. The stem (also called the nozzle) that inserts into the ear mold can be anywhere from 1.5mm to 5+mm. So you have to be sure you're getting the right ear molds made for the IEMs you have or plan to buy. If you can use them, I definitely recommend IEMs very highly - I love mine and have used them on every blues and louder jazz gig I've played for years.



This isn't exactly correct. Earplugs don't work by absorbing sound - they just block sound waves from entering the ear canal. Much of that energy is dissipated or reflected back out when it hits the plug. Some penetrates and some is absorbed, but a foam plug is little different from your finger in your ear - it's just a barrier to energy entry. Some materials do filter sound by frequency, but this is not dramatic. The filter blanks for pro earplugs are more accurate and controllable than a chunk of foam, and the solid caps that go in those holes just block and reflect the sound that hits them.

GE, I think you're confusing wavelength with sound pressure. The wavelength of a 40 hHz tone is about 28 feet, so it obviously will not fit in an ear canal. But 40 Hz tones pass freely through the ear canal. The reason wavelength matters is that you can't get resonances in a space significantly smaller than even a quarter wavelength. So there's no space to "tune" the ear canal - but this doesn't matter. There are resonances and phase effects created by every part of the external ear from the pinna to the canal to the angle of the ear from the head. None of this affects the use of ear plugs at all.

Thanks mate, you been very clear! Do these molded earplugs block very low frequencies? i didnt try all the earplugs but no one of the ones i tried are effective in blocking low mids and lows, the ethimotics only let in more high hz in my experience? At the end what all need is a volume reduction, not a high cut....
That being said, playing jazz guitar with earplugs is the best way to (believe) you have a very fat and warm one, far better than any polytone! ha

[rpjazzguitar]

It seems to me that the ordinary non-custom earplugs fit very well (because they're soft) and seal perfectly.

So, there's no advantage there for the custom fit earplug. If there's an advantage it has to be in the filter, but are the custom filters really any better for sound?

What am I missing?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Do these molded earplugs block very low frequencies?

Yes. But you have to understand how the auditory system works to understand why no plug will block all lows. Our external and middle ears contain a system that includes a membrane to receive sound pressure waves and 3 little bones in an articulated chain. The system does two things to that acoustic energy - it’s a mechanical amplifier, and it’s an impedance matching transformer that enables the airborne energy to impart its pressure waves to the fluid in the inner ear. Those fluid waves act on cells in the inner ear to transform that mechanical energy into ionic gradients that trigger neural transmitters and a cascade of actions in the brain that we perceive as sound.

But……sound pressure waves that strike the skull reach and vibrate the inner ear, which is embedded within the skull. Even if you had no external or middle ear at all (which can result from congenital anomalies, surgery for tumor, head injury, etc) and your inner ears are functional, you will still be able to hear by bone conduction through your skull. Depending on the cause, the sensitivity loss can be as little as 40 dB at some frequencies.

At stage volumes, SPLs are enough to do this. It’s not possible to attenuate environmental SPL by much more than 40 dB without isolating the skull itself, and most earplugs are not even that effective. If your bass player is smokin’, you’ll hear it even with muffs over plugs.

[MarkL]

I use a relatively lower-cost "off the rack" solution (Earasers). They seem to do a good job in reducing cumulative effects of playing jazz in a quartet-sextet format at moderate volume (but with horns), and they are a big improvement over cheap disposable foam plugs. If I played in louder settings I'd think seriously about getting custom molded earplugs.

[Danny W.]

From a similar thread earlier this year I'll quote myself:

"I’ve been using the same Westone custom-molded earplugs with my big band for about fifteen years, which I had made by my ENT’s audiologist. I wear a solid plug in the left ear (towards the band) and a -25dB filter in the right.

They work much better than any of the packaged brands I’ve tried, and they still fit perfectly."

You can see one of them in use here:



If I were to wear these somewhere in the audience I'd probably use either -9 or -15dB rather than the -25dB I wear when playing in the band.

Danny W.

[Herbie]

It seems to me that the ordinary non-custom earplugs fit very well (because they're soft) and seal perfectly.

So, there's no advantage there for the custom fit earplug. If there's an advantage it has to be in the filter, but are the custom filters really any better for sound?

What am I missing?

I a word: You are missing a more balanced sound.

Here is the gadgets that I have to wear in my ears because as a youngster I didn’t have anything in my ears.

In left are my Orelo (Finnish brand I guess) molded ear plugs with -10dB filters. I have to use them when playing with my bands. Different colours because in the dark it is difficult to see the small R or L letter.

In the right are my daily HA. I got them a month ago and I’m starting to get used to them. Getting them was like coming from under a thick blanket, I got the treble back! With them my hearing might not be hi-fi compatible, but I hear the words that I hear. Very great!

Behind are my water-resistant ear plugs for swimming (2x a week).

Quite an arsenal.