Musician Hearing Protection
With custom musician ear plugs, musicians hear their own music and the voices and music of others while protecting their hearing and preventing hearing loss.
Musicians face a quandary when performing in public venues. They need to protect their hearing yet also need to hear their own music along with the music and voices of those performing with them. Conventional earplugs offer adequate protection but it’s often just too much. They muffle voices and instrument sound.
Additionally, musicians, according to Hearing Review, differentiate themselves from non-musicians in that they tend to have more advanced auditory perception, working memory, and a more advanced ability to discern speech in the midst of noise.
The fact is that just about every musical instrument has the potential to produce levels of sound that can damage a musicians hearing resulting in not just hearing loss but tinnitus, loudness intolerance and pitch-perception issues. And because, as we mentioned, musicians need to hear their own music and the music of their colleagues, conventional earplugs are not useful. However, moderate attenuation, high fidelity musician earplugs are useful. They serve the musicians needs while significantly reducing the risk of music-induced hearing disorders.
What Is A High Fidelity Earplug?
The term “high fidelity” means that sound is reproduced at or near levels of the original sound. So, when we combine “high fidelity” with an earplug, it means that the earplug will reduce damaging sound levels while maintaining (at or near) the quality of the original sound.
The Best Musician Earplugs
Musician’s earplugs are offered in non-custom and custom sizes, filters, and molds. Custom musicians earplugs offer high fidelity and sound protection and consist of a diaphragm for acoustic compliance and an earmold that acts as an acoustic mass. The result of the two is a smooth, flat attenuation (sound reduction) that spreads nicely across the sound frequency range.
Musicians earplugs also are packaged with filters, sometimes referred to as attenuator buttons, that are interchangeable. For instance, it is not uncommon for a guitarist to use a heavier filter for the ear closer to the drummer. Earmolds are cast and cured and should be made to extend past the 2nd ear bend well into the ear canal which prevents unbalanced attenuation and allows the musician to move freely onstage.
Listen 2 Life offers 2 brands of musician earplugs
Westone TRU™ Musician Ear Plugs (Two Earpieces with Filters)
- Interchangeable
- Attenuations of 10dB, 16dB, 20dB, 25dB available
- Two color choices of filter available (clear and smoke)
- Numerous color choices for the custom molds
- Custom TRU™ molds are made of medical grade Otoblast silicone for years of comfortable and durable performance, even with daily wear
- Very low profile TRU™ earpieces are nearly invisible when in the ear, and worn easily under a helmet
Signia Musician Earmolds
- Not Interchangeable
- Earmold is custom-fit to your needs
- Filter is built into earmold. Cannot be removed
- Attenuations of 13dB or 16dB available
- People exposed to constant loud environments like concerts or construction workers can benefit from the quality sound reduction of the Signia Musician Earmolds
Listen 2 Life audiologists are hearing specialists specifically trained in musicians earplug technology and custom musician earplug fittings. Give us a call to discuss your options: (267) 477-1446.