dkp Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I have tickets for the upcoming Van Halen concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills (MI) and have been considering what to do about my ears during the concert. When I was a bit younger (I'm now 37) I didn't wear any ear protection but am now considering utilizing some sort of protection for this concert. I always wear a pair of Remington ear plugs when I mow the lawn and use noisy power equipment, but my current pair is a bit deformed and needs to be replaced. I would like to get something that goes in-ear and is comfortable. Any thoughts or recommendations? What do you use? Oh yeah, and what about those foam jobbies? Are they any good? Here is a link to a pair of plugs similar to the ones I have been using. http://www.gunaccessories.com/Remington/EarPlugs.asp Thanks in advance for your advice. -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Those should be good, I usually sleep in the wax ear plugs and they work great as well, however they really kill the sound and my guess is you simply want to reduce it. Its good you going into this thinking about your ears. Enjoy the show. Might as well JUMP!!!! JUMP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCSharkDriver Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 David - Back in 78 I went to see Black Sabbath when they toured Germany. All of my High School buds and I hopped into a 73 New Yorker and drove to Mannheim for the show. They had this GREAT warm-up band at the time.... you guessed it, Van Halen. That was one of the best shows I've been to - Ever. I think you'll be fine with just the foam ones. You can get them at K or Walmart at the sports (gun) counter in packs of 20. I use them all the time on business trips so I can't hear whoever in the rooms next to me at night. They cut out a lot of the harsh highs and low (TV) noises, but I think they're fine for concerts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I use the triple flange EAR ones myself. What you want is plugs that attenuate frequencies evenly so it sounds the same, just lower db. http://www.earinc.com/p1-reusable-reusable.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I have never worn ear plugs at a concert in my life and my hearing is fine. Why would you pay all that money for an audio show, and then put in plugs and block the sound? It makes no sense to me. That couple of hours isn't going to damage your hearing. Don't worry about it. Just go and listen and ejoy.....it shouldn't really be that loud anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Van Halen is still playing?!? The annoying thing about hearing damage is it's cumalitive and rarely very sudden - so really you don't realize your hearing going out. If your ears feel plugged up and are ringing after a show then you've damaged your ears. I would much rather go to a show with ear plugs in my pocket and not use them than to show up at a show and realize that it's way too fricken loud and have no alternative. I like Colter's approach....get equal attenuation at every frequency and then the music still sounds the same. You don't need to go insane with the plugs either....10dB of attenuation will keep it sounding loud, but not dangerous. No need for 30-50dB of attenuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMays Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 I read where they are excellent again. I saw them for times from 1978 to 1982 and with Diamond Dave, they are nothing short of one of the best live acts...ever! As for the hearing, that's why I didn't go when they came around here. I'm more into James Taylor now-a-days, at least live.....Oops, shameless plug on going to see him next weeekend in Richmond! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 A pair of the Foam earplugs will do what you want, and not cut the sound at all ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Here's another little trick. Wear ONE ear plug at a time. Concert sound is rarely true stereo so you won't miss that. By at least giving each ear a 1/2 concert break from the DAMAGING, that's right damaging, sound levels you won't have tinnitus the next morning. I don't so much as run a blender here at the House of Klipsch without my earplugs. (ok maybe not that extreme). My family has a history of hearing difficulties so I try very hard to preserve mine. I've been very lucky so far. By my age my great grandfather and grandfather were stone deaf and my Dad and uncles had undergone ear operations. Seems my generation is getting spared. Whew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkp Posted October 13, 2007 Author Share Posted October 13, 2007 Thanks for all of the replies. I think I'm going to get a pair of replacement plugs similar to mine (and the ones that Michael posted) but I am going to bring a pair of the foam plugs as well. I really don't want to cut much volume out, just enough so that I don't damage my hearing. I fear that my previous exposure to shooting weapons w/out protection, construction projects, high listening levels in my youth and a number of years of running my lawn business during college has already started the process so I really have been trying to protect against any further degradation. I'm pretty excited about this concert. Our tickets were $61.50 each and we're sitting at the top of the lower bowl at the end of the arena opposite the stage. Here's to hoping Diamond Dave can still pull it off!!! -David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 These, from Noise Busters, are what I use to moderately reduce the sound level without distorting or reducing the quality. I can't stand plugs that cut sound levels way down -- The "hi-fi" plugs by Etymotic Research reduce sound by 12 db or maybe a little more -- Beyond these, I think you have to go to 24-29 db reduction headphones, which you don't wanna wear to a concert. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 It might not be the volume that hurts your ears... it may depend on whether EVH's guitar tech is on the ball. Ever wonder what happens when the lead guitar is accidently tuned to a lower key than the rest of the band? And he doesn't know it? And he's Van Halen...? Just listen to THIS monstrosity... oh, yeah, its JUMP! ...wait for the guitar to come in at about the 00:50 point, you can't miss it, he comes in sounding like someone stepped on a bagpipe, just gets worse... oh the humanity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Van Halen is still playing?!? The annoying thing about hearing damage is it's cumalitive and rarely very sudden - so really you don't realize your hearing going out. If your ears feel plugged up and are ringing after a show then you've damaged your ears. I would much rather go to a show with ear plugs in my pocket and not use them than to show up at a show and realize that it's way too fricken loud and have no alternative. One time I was at an Elvis Costello concert, back when he was a rocker (of sorts) and it was so loud I was in pain. I tore a dollar bill in half, rolled up the halves and stuck one in each ear. It was worth it! Not so practical now, with the one-dollar coins (loonies), of course. Now I always carry a set or two of the yellow foam earplugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 It might not be the volume that hurts your ears... it may depend on whether EVH's guitar tech is on the ball. Just listen to THIS monstrosity... oh, yeah, its JUMP! ...wait for the guitar to come in at about the 00:50 point, you can't miss it, he comes in sounding like someone stepped on a bagpipe, just gets worse... oh the humanity! What the hell was that? What a mess! They really should have started the song over with another guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I once heard some 40+ year old guy say that a younger person has softer ear drums and therefore can withstand the noise better than those with older (harder) eardrums. He was an idiot. Protect your hearing at all times. I have some high pitch loss. In some circumstances, my wife can hear crickets and I cannot. That makes me a little angry about what I am missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Wow! All ear plugs are the same? Foamies and high NR industrial and shooting earplugs are appropriate for music!???? ROFLMAO!!!!!! And this from the same folks that pretend to tell us how something sounds!? Please remind me of this the next time you make a recommendation![][*-)] The irony is that back in the day, prior to the availability of commercial earplugs in the early 70's, we used (unused!) fiber cigarette filters. The foamies of their day! All ear plugs are NOT the same, and high NR units are not the best! Most earplugs of this type radically re-EQ the sound as they are much more effective at certain frequencies than others and are simply designed to reduce SPL levels. Earplugs designed for music listening are NOT. They act more as limiters and have a much flatter frequency response. The best cheap earplug suitable for music is the Etymotic Research ER20BP. You should be able to find them for about $15. They should be used at ALL live SR events. Foamies...geesh!...sure, they are great if the band you are listening to sounds like a lawnmower or a chain saw or if its rap! But for music you WANT to hear??? Now review another piece of equipment! The recommendations that the industrial and foamie earplugs are appropriate, given what has been available for 20+ years, certainly explains allot of things! BTW, J&R MusicWorld has them for $11.99 with free shipping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Foam earplugs just block alot of background noise, and buzz, not filter out music !!!!!!!!!!! Foamies, wear them once, throw them away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Wow! All ear plugs are the same? Foamies and high NR industrial and shooting earplugs are appropriate for music!???? ROFLMAO!!!!!! And this from the same folks that pretend to tell us how something sounds!? Please remind me of this the next time you make a recommendation![][*-)] The irony is that back in the day, prior to the availability of commercial earplugs in the early 70's, we used (unused!) fiber cigarette filters. The foamies of their day! All ear plugs are NOT the same, and high NR units are not the best! Most earplugs of this type radically re-EQ the sound as they are much more effective at certain frequencies than others and are simply designed to reduce SPL levels. Earplugs designed for music listening are NOT. They act more as limiters and have a much flatter frequency response. The best cheap earplug suitable for music is the Etymotic Research ER20BP. You should be able to find them for about $15. They should be used at ALL live SR events. Foamies...geesh!...sure, they are great if the band you are listening to sounds like a lawnmower or a chain saw or if its rap! But for music you WANT to hear??? Now review another piece of equipment! The recommendations that the industrial and foamie earplugs are appropriate, given what has been available for 20+ years, certainly explains allot of things! Thanks for the heads up on the ER20BP. Going to order a pair for my wife and I. VH plays in St. Louis on October 29th. Having seen Van Hagar a number of times, I'm looking forward to the original lineup (with the substitution of Eddie's son, of course). Even if Diamond Dave's voice is questionable, should be an interesting show. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Wow! All ear plugs are the same? Foamies and high NR industrial and shooting earplugs are appropriate for music!???? ROFLMAO!!!!!! The best cheap earplug suitable for music is the Etymotic Research ER20BP. You should be able to find them for about $15. They should be used at ALL live SR events. Foamies...geesh!...sure, they are great if the band you are listening to sounds like a lawnmower or a chain saw or if its rap! But for music you WANT to hear??? Now review another piece of equipment! The recommendations that the industrial and foamie earplugs are appropriate, given what has been available for 20+ years, certainly explains allot of things! Thanks for the tip about the Etymotic earplugs. Years ago, I tried (in an industrial situation) some earplugs that looked like the Etymotics, but found them very uncomfortable, while the foamies can be worn comfortably all day. Maybe the Etymotics are more comfortable than the look-alikes sometimes used in heavy industry. However, anyone who has not heard of technology or devices that you are familiar with is not by definition some kind of idiot. Mas, you're obviously a well-informed and intelligent person who knows a lot about audio. That does not make us less-informed members a bunch of fools, as is often implied in your posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I agree the foamies are very comfortable and can be worn for a longer time than the plastic plugs, While they cut the highs more than the mid and bass, it's not a dramatically greater cut. They're good for extremely loud and amplified music IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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