If you’re on any side of TikTok that involves concerts or live music, there’s no doubt you’ve seen a few videos on earplugs – whether it’s the importance of wearing them, people buying them for concerts, or comparing brands. There’s a lot of information out there, but I’m here to break it down for you!
Before getting into specific earplug brands and my experience with them, let’s discuss the importance of earplugs at concerts. Wearing earplugs at concerts will benefit you immensely! It’s likely that you’ve noticed after concerts you speak louder than usual, you have trouble hearing your friends, and you’ve maybe even experienced tinnitus (ringing in your ears).
Experiencing excessive loudness for a long period of time can damage the cells in your inner ear and lead to noise-induced hearing loss. Any noise over 85 decibels (dB) can potentially damage your hearing, and concerts are well above that level.
Noise Reduction Earplugs vs. Noise Cancellation Headphones
A common misconception exists between noise-reduction earplugs and noise-cancellation headphones. There is no hearing protection in noise cancellation headphones – they’re just soundproofing, which is more for blocking out bothersome noises like a motor or allowing you to listen to music on public transportation.
Earplugs allow you to enjoy live music to its fullest while still being able to communicate with those around you, and be aware of your surroundings all while protecting your hearing.
Loop Experience vs. Eargasm Earplugs
This past month, I was able to attend two concerts and test out both Loop Experience earplugs and Eargasm earplugs.
I absolutely love the way Loop Experience earplugs look – I think they’re cute and fun! You can buy them in multiple colors. A plus for me is that you get 4 ear tips ranging from XS to L so you can find the size that works best for you. The earplugs come with a small case that can easily be put in your concert bag. These earplugs lower the dB by 18.
I ended up using the smallest size as they felt the snuggest and most comfortable in my ears. I wore these earplugs when seeing OnlyOneOf in Dallas. For background, the venue was GA and only accommodated up to 1,000 guests.
Just as the concert’s opening music began, my Apple Watch gave a warning for the sound decibels in the room being 95dB and I’ve never been happier to have earplugs.
The earplugs definitely filtered out screams from fans and amplified the sound of the artists on stage – if anything, I could hear everything better. I would even say it added to the experience since I could focus more on the artists on stage.
Since I’d never worn earplugs to a concert before, I was curious and took them out a couple times just to see the difference and it was crazy – I can’t imagine the difference had I been closer to the speakers on stage. The earplugs never felt uncomfortable in my ear and I didn’t have to adjust them at all throughout the concert.
A week later, I tested out the Eargasm earplugs at keshi’s concert in Dallas. This venue was also GA, but a tad bigger accommodating 4,000 people and it was a sold-out show.
Eargasm earplugs lower the dB by 16 and come with two ear tips. Out of the two, I went with the smaller size as the next size up didn’t feel quite right in my ear. I do love the earplug case that comes with the Eargasm earplugs! It’s a sturdy aluminum case that I didn’t have any fear would accidentally open up and I’d lose my earplugs. It would be perfect to hook on a keychain or a strap of a bag.
Personally, I felt like the Eargasm earplugs were a bit more difficult to get in my ear (maybe it was a user error!) However, once in, they definitely worked just as efficiently as Loop Experience by blocking out screams and amplifying the artist on stage.
I ended up having to switch over to my Loop Experience earplugs after a bit simply because the Eargasm headphones were bothering my ears and weren’t as comfortable as I would have liked them to be.
I did later discover that Eargasm has another kind of earplug called Eargasm Clicks that reduces up to 21dB and maybe even better suited for concerts!
I have seen complaints of some people saying they can hear themselves singing along to the music, but honestly, I didn’t hear myself (or it wasn’t a big enough issue for me to notice). It didn’t hinder my concert experience one bit.
All in all, both earplugs worked in protecting my ears. For me, it came down to how comfortable they were and Loop Experience earplugs won out for me!
Hearing loss can affect you, no matter your age – if you’re going to concerts you’re going to want to invest in some earplugs! What honestly held me back for a long time was that I assumed earplugs were very expensive and out of my price range. But with earplugs like Loop and Eargasm, I found they were more affordable than I thought.
Before your next big show, consider investing in some earplugs so you can protect your hearing and enjoy concerts for years to come!