This Music Critic Wears Hearing Protection To Concerts And You Should Too

Minneapolis — After enduring three nights in a row next to Ted Nugent’s gigantic stack of Marshall amps, I received a gift from the guitar hero: earplugs.

Nuge may be deaf on some subjects, but not hearing-wise; after all, he is partially deaf in one ear: protecting his ears is essential. He opened a drawer from a roadie briefcase and handed me my first pair of earplugs: Super Sonic II.

That was in 1976 and I’ve been wearing earplugs ever since. Not those foam ones, which block out sound. No, more sophisticated ones. Like those old Super Sonic IIs, rubber with half-inch-long tabs and a small metal diaphragm to reduce high frequencies. They may look silly—like something protruding from Herman Munster stuffed into your ear canal—but they do an invaluable job.

My ears don’t ring when I lie on the pillow after a rock concert. Or the next morning.

I am not going to get scientific and talk about the fact that rock concerts usually have between 105 and 110 decibels, which is much higher than recommended. Good earplugs—not the free ones in Minneapolis nightclubs mandated by a 2014 ordinance—let you hear music clearly, but cut down on all frequencies, from high to low, which can cause buzzing and buzzing. permanent hearing damage.

Loud high frequencies have punished countless musicians—The Who’s Pete Townshend, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, and even Barbra Streisand, to name a few—by causing tinnitus (a constant ringing in the ears).

More than 45 years and 9,000 concerts after my close encounter with Nuge, my ears are fine, according to my audiologist, though some readers might disagree.

I wear earplugs to all concerts (and sporting events), unless it’s for acoustic instruments. There is no need to be sexist or ashamed of it. Savvy musicians protect themselves with custom-made plugs (molded to fit their ears) or with in-ear monitors for which they can control the volume.

I have gone from the Super Sonic II to more comfortable, sensitive and less annoying plugs -and less silly-. And they have cooler names like Eargasm and Earasers. It’s better than words like tinnitus and hearing protection.

If you want, you can spend on custom molded plugs, which usually cost about $100 a pair. There are other quality reusable prophylactics at modest prices, which will allow you to hear all the necessary nuances at concerts without your ears ringing afterwards.

Here is a sample, with the prices indicated by the manufacturer:

Earplugs: These are small clear silicone plugs that fit in the ears, with a small filter and a small pull to help remove them. Available in small, medium and large sizes, they are discreet and comfortable. Warning: I have dropped them without realizing it, leaving me with an orphan plug. Reduction: 19 decibels. $49.99, earasers.net.

Hi Fidelity Vibes: Despite being rejected on Shark Tank in 2017, these plugs from a Minneapolis-based company have thrived. With a round ball of silicone on the end of a straight plastic stick, they have a special filter. “It looks like you have a piece of plastic jewelry in your ear,” said the guy next to me at a recent concert. Each comes in three interchangeable sizes for either ear. Reduction: 15 decibels. $26.95, discovervibes.com.

Fender Professional Hi-Fi: A product of the well-known guitar maker, these remind me of my old Super Sonic IIs, except they’re clear, straight-strap silicone plugs with a little plastic pull. With two interchangeable sized tips, they fit perfectly but look a bit odd. Its cool carrying case resembles an oversized guitar pick. Reduction: 20 decibels. $29.99, fender.com.

Earos One: Conceived by a former director of the MIT Acoustics and Vibratory Lab, these black, rimmed cones fit the bill. On the outer end is a flat black plastic ‘conch pad’ to help secure them specifically to your left and right ear. It looks like you’re wearing headphones. It comes with a set of extra cones. Reduction: 17 decibels. 40 dollars, earos.com.

EarLabs dBud: These Swedish-designed earplugs are ambitious. They feature two settings: the loudest is the brightest (11 decibel reduction) and the loudest is the quietest (24 decibel reduction). These black silicone and foam devices fit like a hearing aid, attached by an annoyingly thin black cord so they don’t get lost. They come with three pairs of foam tips in small, medium and large sizes. The soft rubber case does not close well, so the plugs can get dusty. 59 dollars, dbud.io.