You might want to have a look at musician ear plugs? They cost more than your generic drug store foam ones, but they have a filter in them that allows you to still hear vocals and what not when you're on stage. I've used them in a variety of contexts outside of performing or attending a concert and they are nice to have. Mine came with a keychain holder, so I always have them on me.
I love my Etymotics. Bit pricey but so comfortable. I wore them for years as a musician and now for live shows.
For the use case scenario OP described I definitely agree that musicians plugs are the way to go. These Etymotics are what I use as my backups if I don't have my custom molds with me.
Go to your local ENT and have yourself custom fitted for plugs. They will be shaped to your ear, and come with inserts for different levels of cancelling. Can cost up to $200 but better than going deaf or getting tinnitus. Source: am a musician and audio engineer and this has saved my hearing.
FWIW not everyone likes custom molds. My last job paid for them and some folks loved them, some did not.
I’d start with regular ear plugs. Try as many different kinds as you can get your hands on, see which ones work for your ears. Every job I’ve had requires them and they’ve all had different kinds; I tried what they had and picked my favorite.
I love the 3M classics and hate the flared green ones. The tye dye ones are just OK. The rubber Christmas trees feel gross so I prefer foam. Others I work with have the opposite opinion, it is very personal.
I got my custom molds for concerts from an audiologist, all in they were $150 and well worth every penny. Also, because they are for work, they got written off on my taxes.
I'm not an audiologist but I go to a lot of shows and bars and I care about my hearing. I swear by Flare Earshades and I recommend them all the time.
I've tried Etymotics, Loops, Vibes, Earasers, and a couple other brands, and none of them have the clarity and quality of the Flares. I've worn them comfortably for 8 hours, and music sounds so good I forget I'm wearing them.
This is just my experience, and you'll find lots of positive reviews for other brands, but I wanted to share mine.
Vibes are great. You can still hear people talk, appreciate music, and have awareness of things around you, but it is all down by a sizable number of decibels. They are also comfortable and don't make the blocked ear feeling.
https://www.discovervibes.com/
I also like using TWS headphones with foam tips. I have SoundLiberty 79s and they are great, put some good foam tips on them and they act at earplugs as well. Maybe not as useful for your situation but maybe good for other times. The SoundLiberty 79s are not sold any more, not sure about a good replacement.
The best ones are the ones you use. After that, focus on the NRR, and if you need to be able to clearly hear what people are saying to you, there are Earasers; they are a passive ear plug with a bypass membrane which lets speech through.
I use them on airplanes (I fly a lot), and I’ve used them at concerts and they really do greatly reduce excessive noise while still being able to have regular conversations.
Those are my preferred ones. I see them as halfway between generic and custom-molded, with different sizes and sound filter options to fit your needs.
I've been right next to one of the loudspeaker during a Meshuggah show (got a nice full-body massage from the bass) and could still hear a pin drop when I got home because of them.
Another time, at an Eagles show, I could pick out two of three people starting a encore chant from 40-50ft (~12-15m) away, despite all the cheering and applause.
I've been wanting to try these. I've used Ear Peace for a while, but one side tends to loosen up and sometimes work itself out. Maybe due to the round shape.
Have you experienced this with other brands? Do Earasers stay put when talking or chewing?
What dB/NRR level do you use?
Yeah, I've had the same issue with with a couple different brands similar to the Earpeace ones. They also felt like they were more plugging rather than filtering when fully inserted.
With Earasers, their shape helps them latch into place pretty well, even while eating or talking. If I go into a quieter area and want to hear better I can even pull them slightly out and they'll stay in place.
I don't remember how the versions are different from each other but I have the -26dB and -31dB ones in their music category. The -26dB ones work for most things and I can use the higher one when I expect it to be really loud. Their 'starter kit' in is a good idea if you are unsure of what size you need, you can get the 'pro kit' later if you want to try a third size and the other two NRR levels.
Exceedingly helpful! Thank you so much!
I wear a pair of Loops Experience most days in the office https://www.loopearplugs.com/products/experience
-33 dB foam inserts, plus - 33 earmuffs as long as you don't need to hear
If you do, get some quality electronic muffs from Honeywell/Howard Leight or Walker.
You want earplugs that dampen above a certain threshold. That rules out most earplugs because they always dampen all sound.
Surefire EP3s have a removable plug that allows for dampening below 85db, but will take them up to 24NRR with the plug in. I don't know if they actually rate the unplugged NRR, from what I remember it was 16-18 when I got mine. Don't think you can swap protection levels easily, you practically have to take them out to plug them. You do also need to replace them once or twice a year. Surefire has others of a similar design that you may want to look into as well, I am only personally familiar with the EP3s.
Loops has caught my eye as a possible option to go to instead of EP3s, but I haven't bit the bullet on them.
You want earplugs that dampen above a certain threshold. That rules out most earplugs because they always dampen all sound.
Wait, how does that work? Surely a dynamic limiter like that would require some electronics
There are many analogue ways to dampen sound that work purely off of the shape and material properties of the plugs. Loop earbuds are basically the width of human speech soundwaves and not much else, so it lets you hear people while cutting down on the background noise.
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