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I am probably biased due to being a hearing aid audiologist but I cannot emphasis enough on the importance of wearing hearing protection when being exposed to loud noise. This means Loud Music such as GIGs,Concerts, Fesitvals night clubs etc etc also anyone exposed to levels above 85dBA should be taking measures to protect their hearing by using Generic or were possible custom hearing protection such as Elacin ER 15/20/25.
There is nothing macho about withstanding loud music as you can be exposed to such extremes once and be left with Tinnitus and hearing loss.
Look after your ears folks, please email me (in profile) if you would like further advice.
Ady
I work for Classic Rock Blues.. i wear acoustic research ear plugs. I'm also an old git who has been going to gigs since the early 70's so i do have a bit of tinitus already.. better safe than sorry
well, that was a different experience. The foam types weren't great; obviously they blocked too much higher frequency sound so it all sounded a bit bassy, but the gig wasn't any the worse really for it, I know the songs so well (Wedding Present doing Seamonsters) that I was able to fill in the missing bits anyway.
I've got a bit of tinnitus now (i had them out for a teeny bit too, just to see how much they were affecting the sound) but nowhere near as bad as I've had before.
I couldn't stop going to gigs and feeling the sound as well as listening to it, so I've ordered a pair of those ER20's someone linked above.
Flippinheckler; interested in your opinion on mikey74's comment. Worth doing? Will my GP do that for me or do I need a specialist?
Cheers all!
There are a lot of adverts and claims for noise Induced Hearing Losss (NIHL) through work related damage to your hearing, so why put yourself at risk otherwise. I see clients with debilitating Tinnitus who also have hearing loss but its the Tinnitus that bothers them more than the loss of hearing, fortunatley hearing aids in 60-7O% of cases will alleviate the Tinnitus at well as enhance ones hearing.
Otherwise [url= http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164&Itemid=310 ]THESE[/url] guys have a cheap solution if you don't want to spend much. I have some custom ER 15s for loud noise such as lawn mowers, concerts etc with some insert headphones that plug into the ear pieces when you remove the inter changeable filters.
Just had a shufti at those ER20's; they're very similar to the ones I wear, except mine are solid except for a very small hole running through, with a plastic cord pushed in to hang them round your neck. The clear E.A.R. ones are probably like mine, but I think I'll get a couple of pairs of the ER20's, they look good.
I'd love custom ones, but if I was spending £112, they'd be for fitting onto my Shure SE215's, I can't afford them to be just for protection.
I struggle with conversations in noisy environments too, but that's through loss of sensitivity at certain frequencies; I get my hearing checked annually at work because I sometimes work in a noisy environment, somewhere about 85dB, so I know my ears are clear, the audiologist actually said that for my age, my hearing is equivalent to someone 20 years younger, which was a relief.
[edit] Had a look at those Placato plugs; apart from the filter bit, they're exactly the same as the eartips I use on my Shure and Ultimate Ear canalphones. In fact, I tend to use them for protection at work, because IV got the option of having music playing when faced with a boring noisy job for several hours, where I won't have people talking to me.
Oh, btw, flippinheckler, is £112 what I'd generally expect to pay for custom eartips now? I had some made up for a pair of Etymotics, several years ago, but the price I've seen online has gone up a fair bit.
Just had a shufti at those ER20's;
You can change the level of filters depending on the noise levels you encounter, scroll down the page on the following link! [url= http://www.puretonemusic.net/er_earplugs.html ]ER's[/url]
Thanks, you've just answered my question above. The ones I was originally looking at were the £5-ish triple-flange plugs, not the whizzy custom ones. I can't justify the cost of those, unless its to customise my Shure 'phones for a more comfortable fit.