A Word or Two About Ear Plugs

With all the shows we attend, ear plugs have become a necessity. Too many years of playing in bands and listening to live shows has damaged my hearing, so I like it louder than Agnes does. Having said that, I use ear plugs as well when it's too loud for even me. Believe it or not, Agnes and I differ in our ear plug preferences.

We purchase our earplugs from the Ear Plug Super Store which has many other choices as well, but after some trial and error, the one listed below work best for us..

Agnes used Alpine MusicSafe Pro ear plugs for years. These provide three sets of filters with varying levels of volume reduction (scroll to the bottom of their webpage to see the various noise reduction levels). They are the most popular ear plugs in Europe and normally run $28.95 a pair..

But now, she's found a new brand, the EarPeace HD Reusable Ear Plugs, which she finds much more comfortable than the Alpines. She also says that the filters on the Earpeace plugs sound better. These plugs came on the market very recently and I felt like we (meaning she) should test them. Bear in mind these results are personal (YMMV). The plugs cost $20.00, and include one spare ear plug, along with filters offering medium and high protection. Additionally, an aluminum key chain carry case is included.

I prefer the Etymotic ER 20 Hi-Fi Natural Sound Ear Plugs. These provide about 20 dB of volume reduction. They are the most popular ear plugs in the USA and run about $13.95 a pair.

Agnes keeps hers in her purse, but since I don't have a purse, I buy multiple sets and put a pair in each of my jackets, plus a pair in her purse.

Any one of these ear plugs sound far better than cheap foam ear plugs or wadding up a piece of napkin in your ear if the PA is too loud (been there, done that...).