Are Custom-Fit Musician Earplugs Worth the Cost?

One of the most rewarding and dangerous things that anyone can do is become a musician. It's an exciting ride, but when you are in a career that exposes your ears to a tremendous amount of noise regularly, it becomes a dangerous practice. Loud music can degrade our hearing, and while it takes time for this to happen, most musicians don't notice it is occurring until it's too late. Prevention is always the best cure!

Those same musicians are often not versed on proper hearing protection, and therefore it's a gamble every time a musician is on the stage. There is no cure for hearing loss, and any excellent audiologist will tell you the same. 

Therefore, it's vital to ensure that you have the correct pair of earplugs to get on the stage and rock out as much as you want! There are a few things that you should look for when you are looking for hearing protection as a musician. Not every set of hearing protection is the same, and some of the things you can look for include:

• It would help if you had earplugs that will be able to lower enough volume: Your hearing protection as a musician should be good enough to allow you to play without going deaf. Earplugs can offer a sound reduction average of 15-30 dB's, so you need to find a pair in this range that will be right for you and your musical endeavors. 
• Sound quality is vital: Musicians often don't like to wear hearing protection because of the sound quality while they play. The wrong hearing protection aids can ruin a show's experience, and it's why you have to choose custom-fit musician earplugs and not just go with the standard foam ones you can buy in a pharmacy. You don't have to have low-quality earplugs to be able to protect your ears or sacrifice your ability to play music. Custom-fit musician earplugs, as advised by your audiologist, are the way to go. You want those with a flat response to amplify all frequencies equally. Quality remains intact, as do your ears.
• Lastly, they have to be comfortable: Custom-fit musician earplugs need to be comfortable, and everyone's ears are different. It's for this reason that people need to speak to an audiologist about their hearing protection. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for musicians, so earplugs need to be appropriately fitted before they can be used. 

It may take some time to find the right earplugs for you as a musician, but there is no need to rush your decision. Meet with an audiologist, and they will ensure that there will be a good seal so that the earplugs are effective

Hearing loss is a big deal for musicians. There are so many out there with hearing loss of varying degrees or tinnitus that never goes away. Musicians often don't worry too much about the cost of new hearing protection because the cost is worth it for the help that they bring to their careers. It's money well spent no matter how much is spent on ear protection.

Custom-fit musician earplugs are often created with a different core to lower the sound by different amounts. You can then have more than one pair – one when sitting in from someone playing an instrument and one when someone is playing hard metal and still finds that they will remain comfortable.

Custom-fit earplugs work much better than wax or foam earplugs that you can get from the store. Wax and foam ones have a place on things like building sites, but not so much on things like the stage! When you use wax earplugs, you effectively get a finger in the ears sensation that blocks out all sound. Musicians need to be able to hear sounds while they play; they just need to hear it as a reduced amount. Wax plugs are not great for singers and musicians, as they'll hear themselves very loudly but nothing else! 

Foam earplugs also attenuate sound differently, and musicians cannot be successful if their hearing sounds are distorted. Foam earplugs can change the way musicians play, making their timing off and their tones sound off.

Contact Us Today

You need help as a musician so that you can get the best hearing protection possible. You should be able to protect your ears and your ability to play with one set of hearing protection. Give El Paso Hearing Aid & Audiology Center a call us today at 915-532-6935.