Hearing Protection

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Wondering if anyone has tried the (relatively) new D'Addario plugs.

https://www.daddario.com/products/accessories/hearing-protection/dbuds-premium/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=acc_dbud

I am (an idiot but....) only just now starting to use protection for the first time. I got Vibes, on a drummer friend's strong recommendation. I'll probably use them on stage this weekend after a week in my practice room.

The D'Addarios are twice the price. Their distinction is that they have a slider that selects -12dB or -24dB . I'm always attracted to choice & options and I'm thinking that being able to choose attenuation level can make the transition to always using protection easier.
But what I don't know is whether it's an option I will even need or use.

Informed opinions?

Thomas Alexander · From: Ontario, Canada

If I'm recording with a group in a studio setting I use in-ear monitors and 3M Peltor X5A (31db) headphones over top to really isolate the monitor.

For a live performance I have used 3M E-A-Rsoft (33db) and Mack's Slim Fit (29db) earplugs.

Foam earplugs offer the best protection, but you need to know how to put them in properly (most people do not). I prefer foam earplugs over reusable, because in order for the reusable ones to provide a good seal and reduce noise they must be so large that they hug the walls of your ear canal going in and pack wax deeper into your ear. Whereas a foam plug when correctly squished for insertion will slip into your ear with no resistance and 'inflate' (so to speak) directly outward to the walls of your ear canal, so no wax is pushed deeper into the canal.

I know people rag on foam earplugs as tone killers, but once you rehearse with them a few times you get used to how they sound and can control your volume just fine.

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

FWIW..

I have -9db pads in my custom molds. -24db sounds excessive, for the types of gigs that I do.

Which is NOT stadium rock! Very Happy

h

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Good info. Numbers are just numbers until I try this in the field. I'll se what I think after this weekend (or next weekend with a much louder band). These Vibes claim -22 but I don't know if I'm jamming them in really airtight -- they seem quite effective but NOT overly so. If I seat them so that I can feel the pressure of an airtight seal, I can't hear squat.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I used Hearos in the xituations where I didn't have in-ear monitors. I used anything from crumpled Kleenex to parts of cotton balls from the 1970's-on (playingg very loud rock) and my last hearing test was perfect.

My point is - use SOMETHING.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

It begins when hearing seems good but you start having a little trouble understanding some words spoken. Your hearing will now go down so gradual you will not notice it until you are almost deaf. My hard earned advice is not to wait until this happens as it will be too late to try and save your hearing. Protect it first thing. And no hearing aids will replace your normal hearing. As in a Hank Williams song,Im not talking just to hear my self.( no pun intened) Tracy

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

My only regret after many years of playing music, I never used any protection for my ears. I urge everyone to use something.
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

I use custom Westone musician plugs for -15dB. They work great. The choice of filters goes down to -9 and up to -30. I didn’t use them enough over the years and now at age 65 everyone mumbles until I put in my hearing aid, then everyone is too loud and I want to outlaw motorcycles.

ajm · From: Los Angeles

To sort of piggyback on what Jim Sliff said.......

I will N-E-V-E-R go to another concert without TWO sets of ear plugs.
I had a couple of really bad experiences in the past 6-7 years and was lucky that I had them with me.

So I can hear you asking: Why two sets?

If you're enjoying the show, and one of your friends says something, and you pull one out to hear them better, and you happen to drop it in the dark.........

Don't ask if that actually happened to me. ;>))

Steve Rosko · From: Georgetown, Texas

I'd like to get some hearing protection. We've all worked hard to achieve "our sound" and I wouldn't want hearing protection to degrade that for me. I see Westone mentioned in this thread and have heard good things about their custom molded plugs with the -9 filter. Is this still a good choice and is good fidelity maintained?
Thanks,
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84 Emmons D10 PP, MSA D10, Goodrich Omni, Little Walter PF89, PF-350 cabs, BlueSky, BJS

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Steve,
The Westones I use provide an even cut. I would not say they “maintain fidelity”. Your sound will sound different, because a 9dB roll off is a 9dB roll off.

I have significant hearing loss in the 5khz and up range. But when I use the plugs, I find I am able to hear upper register notes clearer than I would without them. I think this is because the filters in the plugs cancel the harmonics equally and allow me to hear the fundamental frequency with more (if somewhat less interesting) definition. Also, they cut every other instrument too, so snare drums, ride and crash cymbals, and other high frequencies are less intrusive.

Honestly? It makes playing in a loud band a much mellower and more musical experience. If your band is not playing in the 110+ dB range, then you might not even need them.

I advise you or anyone interested in hearing protection to get their hearing tested before ordering custom plugs. This is usually part of the process when ordering,so don’t skip it. Everybody has some hearing loss by a certain age, so it’s good to know what frequency range you might notice missing when wearing protection.

chuck lemasters · From: Jacksonburg, WV

I used custom plugs for a few years with a loud band…9db seemed to be plenty of reduction…I found I could hear better with them in…unfortunately, between work and music, I should have worn some type of hearing protection years before…

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

The best gear purchase ever was a set of custom-molded Westone earplugs. I had to go to an audiologist to get the molds made and the whole deal was a few hundred dollars. Still... the only piece of gear I own that is indispensable and non-negotiable.

Despite their marketing claims to the contrary, they don't have a natural sound. Everything sounds muffled when wearing them. They knock down the highs a lot more than the lows so your steel sort of disappears, but the bass guitar remains. I had to 'relearn' how to hear myself play onstage because it's definitely more difficult. Nothing sounds as cool with the plugs in. Still, wearing plugs and having a muffled experience is better than the alternative.

I started with the 9db filters installed because that's all the volume reduction I needed. HOWEVER, I switched to 15db filters after looking at the frequency charts: The 15's do about the same volume reduction as the 9's at the high end... so all of that addition sound reduction of the 15's is in the mids and low.

In other words, the 15's sound flatter, less muffled, and more natural. Even though they have more overall volume reduction than the 9's, I can hear my (trebly) steel better by comparison because the roaring low-end of the band has now also been significantly reduced.

Steve Rosko · From: Georgetown, Texas

Tucker: that's very interesting about the -15db filter. My biggest fear is I'm not going to hear my Emmons PP sound Sad

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84 Emmons D10 PP, MSA D10, Goodrich Omni, Little Walter PF89, PF-350 cabs, BlueSky, BJS

Mathew Peluso · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

I’ve also been using molded ear plugs for several years now. I went with ACS Pro 17’s, since this level of attenuation is the flattest they offer. I believe the filters that ACS use are the same as what Westones use but I could be wrong about that. I added a couple of other filters of differing attenuation to my order but never tried them because the 17’s did everything I needed from the start. I still hear the band and my steel clearly, if not more so. The one thing I didn’t expect is that time based effects sort of disappear a bit so I have to be careful about dialing in reverb and delay. Absolutely worth it though - I had my hearing tested again recently and it has not changed since I started using molded ear plugs.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

It is important to know what your sound is at low volume, without hearing protection. Not bedroom volume, but low band volume. You can experiment with the plugs in and out and take note of where your sound sits in the mix both ways. This can’t really be done in a settings-tweaking bedroom environment. Playing with the band in the rehearsal room or on stage changes your perception of how you sound, as does playing with hearing protection.

When I first got my plugs, my audiologist advised me to wear them (with -15 filters) around the house and get used to how the world sounds with them - in conversation, listening to music, watch TV, etc.

I agree with everything Tucker said, which was much more straight forward than my take.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I found a secondary use for my custom molded ear plugs.

My car has a lot of road noise. When I take a road trip (without Mrs. Baucum) I put in the -9db inserts, put them in my ears, and hit the road.

Now, I can crank the music system way up and hear it just fine, with all the road noise way down low in the mix.

NOTE: Do not remove the ear plugs before turning down the volume of the music system!!

Shocked

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Heh, Lee. I wear mine when using power tools or the Ariens 8hp snowblower on the driveway. Westone makes total sound block fittings for the plugs that work great, and don’t squash your head like soundblocking earphones.

John Hyland · From: South Australia

Road and blower noise? Try “Noise cancelling* ear buds. I have also read using transparency mode, in the same ear buds, reduces music sound level.

Jack Stanton · From: Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey

Eargasam-terrible name, great product.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Gary Mahalak · From: Michigan, USA

I haven't given the D'Addario plugs a go, but I've been using Vibes and they're pretty reliable. That slider for different protection levels sounds intriguing, could definitely come in handy.

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